Biggest Canine Head – Dogue de Bordeaux

English Staffordshire Bull Terriers - left to right, Luna, Ice, and Mig - Dogue de Bordeaux background

“We still breed Staffies,” says David Graham, “but we were keen to have big dogs and settled on the Dogue de Bordeaux. The Dogue is a large French bred Mastiff, now an uncommon breed. They’re recognised for their huge head, the largest in dogdom in relation to body size.” David and Vanessa moved from Auckland […]

Emu Farming in New Zealand

Emus with plenty of rom to run - Photo Theresa Sjoquist

Emu Farming – a brief outline of farming emus, and the health-enriching oil they’re farmed for. IMPORTANT: This is the website of a Writer. We do not sell emus, emu eggs, or know where to get them from.  Emus are farmed for the fat laden saddle across their backs which is rendered for omega rich […]

Review – Schopenhauer’s Telescope by Gerard Donovan

Schopenhauer's Schopenhauer's Telescope by Gerard Donovan

Schopenhauer’s Telescope Gerard Donovan (Scribner) Schopenhauer’s Telescope is Gerard Donovan’s first novel.  Best keep your own ‘scope trained for more of this author’s work because it is burgeoning with promise.  Schopenhauer’s Telescope presents a conversation between two men.  One is digging a large hole in the ground in the frozen Northern European ground. The other is watching […]

1862 Albertland NZ Pioneer – Port Albert’s First Police Constable

Constable Thomas Inger in his old age with his family and the new Port Albert printing press - Photo courtesy of Albertland Museum, Wellsford, New Zealand

Pioneer police constable, Thomas Inger, kept the settlement of Port Albert in Northland, New Zealand, within the law. Thomas Inger was the first policeman at Port Albert in Northland, New Zealand, and he took his post seriously. Max, now 81, is Thomas’s great grandson, and tells us a little about life in early Albertland. Albertland […]

Christchurch Earthquake

Dargaville Dawn, Northern New Xealand - Photo Theresa Sjoquist

I pray that my countrymen, the earthquake struck Cantabrians, can find some measure of gratitude, some small something, to break the pain of this agonising disaster.  I pray that your God, however you describe it, will bless you today with a miracle, some tiny joy, and that your hearts, minds and bodies will quickly heal. If I […]