Blatant lie by Australia Post

[cq_tech]

Received an email today telling me to expect delivery of an item I purchased from Melbourne last Monday so I intentionally stayed in during the afternoon, which is when the courier usually delivers parcels. Come nightfall there's still been no delivery so I checked the mailbox to see if it had been carded by the postie instead, who delivers well before midday (even though I was home anyway), but there's no card either.

So I log on to AP to check the tracking disposition and what I see is posted below. According to somebody, delivery was attempted at 14:42 yet that's a blatant lie as I was watching TV at the time and both the driveway and mailbox are in clear view while I'm doing so. I'm assuming that my item is now at my local LPO and it's a good thing they know me well because I don't have a card to present when I go there in the morning to collect my item.

There's no point complaining to them as it's not their fault, and they're really nice people anyway, but I'm still pretty savage, not so much about having to wait an extra day for my item, but the fact that they told me a bald-faced lie. I'll be waiting for the postie in the morning and asking if she had any parcels for me, although I suspect it was the contractor running late and he didn't even bother stopping at my place. Had he done so, he would have at least left a card if I'd not been there, but I was, and I know for an absolute fact that he never even made an attempt.

I've already sent a written complaint to AP and it will be interesting to see what they have to say about their appalling service, especially the fact that the driver had no problem lying on his run sheet. Really makes me want to trust him in the future. Not.

[joethenuts]

fair enough  makes sence,

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@cq_tech wrote:

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I quite like cats in general but I have a big problem with those who feel it necessary to mark their territory outside my back door, such as the unneutered male next door. There's not much on this earth that smells worse than cat's urine and nothing more difficult to get rid of. 😞

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Normally I would agree with you, but I think I have to disagree after an experience last night. One of my lambs decided he wanted to have a chat. He stuck his nose in my face, then out of nowhere, he decided to start ruminating. O.....M......G!!!!!! It didn't even smell that bad when I did a tour of the treatment works years ago! Even the dunnies in the days before sewerage weren't that bad. 

I had no choice but to jump up and open the front door, despite it being very cold, very windy and nigh on sleeting. And to think, they say that industries are destroying the ozone layer, they clearly haven't been around a ruminating lamb!!! It's making me gag just thinking about it.

You're right about the unneutered male cats though, it is quite disgusting. My former neighbours had about 18 cats and none of the males were neutered. It got to the point where we had to say something to them because every time it rained, we got stunk out of the house because they had sprayed around the whole house. Even my parcels being left at the front door stank of Tom cat. Thankfully they moved and took all the cats with them, but it took a good 12 months for the stench to disappear.

[cq_tech]

Brilliant doco on ABC tonight about dingos and top-level predators in the AU outback, and the effect of the dingo fence et al, and one particular experimental area near Roxby Downs where different regions are fenced off, the area where cats had been introduced was very sparsely populated by small native animals, and one researcher shot and gutted a trapped cat to see what it had been eating, and inside its guts (the results of just ONE night's hunting), were the carcases of 33 native animals. In the areas where dingos lived, all introduced cats (and foxes) were killed by the dingos. Really opened my eyes, it did.

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@cq_tech wrote:
Brilliant doco on ABC tonight about dingos and top-level predators in the AU outback, and the effect of the dingo fence et al, and one particular experimental area near Roxby Downs where different regions are fenced off, the area where cats had been introduced was very sparsely populated by small native animals, and one researcher shot and gutted a trapped cat to see what it had been eating, and inside its guts (the results of just ONE night's hunting), were the carcases of 33 native animals. In the areas where dingos lived, all introduced cats (and foxes) were killed by the dingos. Really opened my eyes, it did.

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I only caught the last 10 minutes of it. I was kicking myself that I missed it. I saw it from where they were talking about the Maremma's. I might have to catch it online because it looked like something that I would find interesting.

[cq_tech]

Do yourself a huge favour, sheepy and catch it on iView. The Maremmas were being used on a sheep property in Tallangatta, Victoria (where my grandmother was raised around the turn of the 19th century) before the township was removed and where it used to be was inundated by the dam.

[lyndal1838]

I missed the whole program but like sheepie I will try to catch it later.

Just as a matter of interest Maremmas have been used by a horse stud in the Wyong NSW area for many years.   It was an experiment started probably 25-30 years ago and has been a great success.

[go-tazz]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

I missed the whole program but like sheepie I will try to catch it later.

Just as a matter of interest Maremmas have been used by a horse stud in the Wyong NSW area for many years.   It was an experiment started probably 25-30 years ago and has been a great success.

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They are also used to protect Penquins and a Gannet colony in the South West of Victoria:

http://www.landcareonline.com.au/?page_id=7053

[i-love-my-sheep]

Maremma's are one of the most common LGD's in the US, along with Great Pyr's (Pyrenees). They do an amazing job. I know quite a few people in the US that have them and visitors don't get that they aren't pets. They get upset when their kids can't play with the cute puppy dogs. The only downside is, they bark alot, so not suitable for town living, but on a property, who cares? That's how they keep the predators away.

Alpaca's are also excellent livestock guardians. They have become quite popular here too, especially for people living closer to town.

[elusiveeditions]

Yes, alpacas are used down this way to guard sheep on the odd property.

Relatives of mine used to use Maremma x Blue Heelers as cattle dogs on their dairy farm. Apparently the Maremma calms some of the more agressive Blue Heeler traits. We have a beloved blue heeler cross that 'family opinion' says must be cross maremma, which makes sense, he's so good with other animals- birds, possums, whatever.

I missed that doco too, hope they repeat it.

[lyndal1838]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

Maremma's are one of the most common LGD's in the US, along with Great Pyr's (Pyrenees). They do an amazing job. I know quite a few people in the US that have them and visitors don't get that they aren't pets. They get upset when their kids can't play with the cute puppy dogs. The only downside is, they bark alot, so not suitable for town living, but on a property, who cares? That's how they keep the predators away.

Alpaca's are also excellent livestock guardians. They have become quite popular here too, especially for people living closer to town.

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The Maremmas used on our friends property are not barkers.   They sit around quietly in the paddocks with the horses but heaven help any stranger that enters.....as for putting a hand on a horse or pony....you may find you hand half way down a dog's throat.

Once the dogs get to know you there is not problem and they were very gentle with their owner's grandchildren once the kiddies knew not to try and play with them.  They allowed the children into the paddocks but not near the horses....they were great babysitters as well as horse minders.