The main reason that I didn't make it to the Iron Heart party this year was because I got myself a dog. This is Disco, he's a Peruvian Inca Orchid.
He's currently about four months old, and probably about the size of a Whippet. Like his owner, he's also completely bald.
This is a Kookaburra. They're a relative of the Kingfisher that's native to Australia, and they're about the size of a crow.
They're hunters, and I saw one today that had caught a small snake. That's the large worm in its beak. It's not a great photo, as I snapped it with my phone on maximum zoom.
The Aurora Australis was visible from outside my house this evening.
Continuing the theme of clean and dirty, here is Disco on Sunday afternoon posing after winning Best of Breed at the Royal Sydney show. I should cheapen the victory by pointing out that our rival failed to turn up, after she unfortunately injured her knee. But the advantage of a rare breed dog is that it is likely to win its class by default.
And here he is on Monday morning after he spent an hour chasing a Pitbull and a sheep around a small farm on the outskirts of Sydney. It was probably the highlight of his weekend.
Disco got a lot of attention at the show. I probably had to explain what a Peruvian Hairless was hundreds of times over the two days, because it's a fairly unique breed. Well, except for the Xoloitzcuintli who were further down the aisle...
I've still got the Mountain Parka, and occasionally wear it. Here it is being modelled with Flash, who I was walking at the Greyhound Adoption Programme on Saturday.
Three rare breeds that you probably haven't met in one photo. From left-to-right: Disco, a Peruvian Hairless or Peruvian Inca Orchid; Pacino, a Cirneco dell'Etna; Farourk, a Sloughi.
Dante from Pixar's Coco and my dog Disco bear a striking resemblance.
Dante is a Xoloitzcuintli whilst Disco is a Peruvian Hairless or Peruvian Inca Orchid.
@neph93 I'm glad to hear that the men in white coats have come for you Norwegian health care system is taking care of you.
Incidentally, ADHD means that you're neurodivergent, though I suspect that you'll prefer the appellation that a friend came up with: Neurodeviant.
(But he read way too much Nemesis the Warlock at an impressionable age...)
As someone whose brain is also not running the standard wiring, I would agree that knowing the underlying causes will help in managing it, and also finding coping strategies.
It's Watches and Wonders this week, which is the biggest show in the horological calendar. Naturally, there are new pieces, and here are a few of them.
Rolex haven't done much with their sports line this year, except to slap a black and grey bezel on the GMT.
Tudor have launched a Black Bay 58 GMT, which is a smaller and slimmer package than their existing GMT. It's also Master Chronometer certified, which I think is Rolex's way of saying, "Our cheap product meets Omega's fancy standard."
Patek has launched a very pretty perpetual calendar with a salmon dial.
Zenith has revived the Defy Diver with a very orange bezel.
Grand Seiko has a new Birch Bark with an equally new 5 Hz hand wound movement.
And, lastly, the LUC XPS Qualitie Fleurier is very, very pretty.
@Brian and @Bridger modern utes are far less exciting. I did quite like the Kia Tasman that I saw last weekend, which had Tonka Toy meets Judge Dredd vibes, but I wish that they'd done something clever with the power train, as the Hyundai group has some very good EVs. (I was mainly interested in the EV3 lurking in the background.)
The BYD Shark 6 is doing the clever powertrain thing. A friend up here owns one and rates it, though he missed out on the orange paint.
But if you want to melt the icecaps and make a lot of noise, there's no substitute for an old TVR. I spotted this Griffith 500 in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago, I haven't seen one for years. Only a handful made the pilgrimage to Australia from Blackpool.
@louisbosco last time I came back from Adelaide, I took the B12 from Tailem Bend through to Piangil, before turning off to head southeast through Swan Hill, Kerang, Echuca, and Shepparton to get back to Benalla. If I'd followed it a bit further, I would have got to Tooleybuc. It was a nice road: Fast and fairly quiet. Much better than the A8 between Melbourne and Adelaide.
@Brian I'm sure that a typical ute would be thirstier, and there are a lot more Rangers and Land Cruisers around than hot hatches.
@Brian thanks. As an expat Brit who learnt to drive in the nineties, I'm more comfortable with manual gearboxes than automatics, so that side wouldn't be an issue.
The official extra-urban fuel consumption of the i20N is about the same as my Fiesta. (I get around 6.5 l/100 km on the freeway.) Obviously, Hyundai's test driver is a nun! 
I'm wanting to look at the JCW Mini Cooper EV, and that reportedly has equally firm suspension. It costs a whole lot more too, though.
@louisbosco I don't recall seeing the curvature of the earth when I was in Wagga a few months ago, but I'm struck by how empty the bottom end of New South Wales is. There are very few towns and people between Albury and Gundagai along the Hume Highway, and I saw signs that the next McDonald's was 80 km away! (That's not necessarily a bad thing!)
@Brian how are you finding the i20N? I'm looking at getting something new in the near future. I saw one whilst browsing the Inster, and it's a similar size to my Fiesta.
Incidentally, Hyundai have just announced the i20N's big brother, the Ioniq 6N. It sounds fun.
@louisbosco I've driven from Benalla (about two and a half hours along the Hume Highway from Melbourne) to Sydney twice this year, and across to Adelaide twice last year. I wouldn't rate either trip as being particularly fun.
@Kasi I'm glad to hear that you and your wife were okay after the bump, and congratulations on the anniversary.
@Alex I've just seen your question about leads. Also, Yuki is looking great.
I've been using an Arctic Sammy collar and leash for Disco. Here he is modelling it by the HMAS Otway in Holbrook.
They're a small company based in New Zealand, but they ship worldwide. They use proper climbing rope and carabiners for their collars and leashes. Apparently, they have a breaking strain of 500 kg, but that's when the fittings will fail.
I've got one of their Martingale collars, which tightens up to a point to prevent it slipping over the dog's head; a standard dog leash; and one of their hands-free leads, though I haven't used that too often yet. The carabiners on the leashes are large enough to clip onto the handles, so I can wear it around my body like @Aetas does.
If you do decide to order, they regularly run sales with 15% to 25% off, and there are various influencer discount codes floating around. I think that tails15 will get 15% off.
Another company to look into would be Haqihana, who mainly make harnesses for sighthounds. I've got a Harness 2H for Disco. The third set of straps is designed to stop him from escaping from it.
The harness uses a thick and soft webbing, which is definitely nicer than what you'll find in an average pet shop. They don't impinge the movement of the dog's forelegs and chest, unlike some of the no-pull designs that can cause problems. Oh, and they're made in Italy.
I haven't seen the matching leashes, but the harness is well made and I'm trusting they wouldn't disappoint.
I found a couple of places selling Haqihana products in the UK.
Jacques Marie Mage have just released a range of foldable frames that they call the Éditions Pliables. I particularly like the Archibald. I don't, however, like the price.
@louisbosco that's true. It's hard enough in a shop.
@louisbosco the new frames look good, and I agree that the prices have gone up a long way.
Incidentally, OnePointSevenFour (in Sydney and Melbourne) has a sale on, which includes some JMM styles.
@tody I'd be tempted by the Bullet and possibly the Kit Bag. However, I've got a lovely Loyal Stricklin rucksack that's about the same size as the GoRuck, so I don't feel the urge to go shopping.
