Wildlife -Winter 2008

[Lesley Cox]

Really tough on animals, that kind of heat but Lachie looks at ease. How beautifully clean and white he is. When we had a cat he was always filthy as he liked to dig in the garden and there were always crumbs of mud through his fur. Lachie is pristine in comparison.

[TC]

Poor little Lily - I bet you'll be giving her lots of fuss and cuddles when she gets home, maybe a special meal for her tea?
[/quote]

I am jealous of Lily !!  I have just come back from the dentist after root canal treatment - without anaesthetic - and payed the dentist's bill.
My lady wife and I have been arguing heatedly over the identification of my scanned orchid pictures since I got back, and my special meal was carrot soup.
At my age someone will have to explain what is meant by"fuss and cuddles".
I am coming back as a dog !!

[David Nicholson]

Tom, I think these days the size of the bill causes as much pain as the treatment.

[Maggi Young]

without anaesthetic

root canal work.....without anaesthetic...... you'd have to catch me first

Last time I had root canal treatment,  my dentist complimented me on how calm I seemed to be - I am a nervous  dental patient at the best of times -I told him that I was determined to put a brave face on things, regardless.... even if it were not going to be the most fun I'd ever had with my clothes on.....well, he says, frankly we can ALL take our clothes of for this, but it's still not going to be fun  
....then we had to wait for five minutes while the dental nurse recovered her equilibrium ..... those girls are easily shocked.

[Jo]

 

[Carol Shaw]

At my age someone will have to explain what is meant by"fuss and cuddles".
I am coming back as a dog !!

Just make sure it is Maggi's dog 

[Roma]

Managed to get a pic of the black pheasant today.  He was quite wary but didn't go too far.  He kept hiding behind trees as I was stalking him but manged to get him in the neighbours' garden.  It was taken from a good bit away and after zooming in and cropping it is not a very good picture but I'm sharing it with you anyway.  I'll keep trying to get closer. The purple and green sheen on his feathers is beautiful.

[Anthony Darby]

Camperdown Park in Dundee had a group of superb black pheasants, but that was over 20 years ago. A friend of mine us to spend his summers working for Dundee council, and has still got the scar fromwhen he was cleaning out the Arctic foxes. "What are you frightened of son? They dinna bite." "Aye right" His student buddie at the time was one George Galloway. He used to keep watch for the gaffer while my pall would cut a pensioner's grass for 50p.

[art600]

Poor little Lily - I bet you'll be giving her lots of fuss and cuddles when she gets home, maybe a special meal for her tea?

I am jealous of Lily !!  I have just come back from the dentist after root canal treatment - without anaesthetic - and payed the dentist's bill.
[/quote]

I am the world's greatest coward when a visit to the dentist is required.  I was told that there was no need for an anaesthetic when I had root canal treatment, as the nerve was dead.  My white knuckles needed to be seen to be believed as the drill started.  No pain  , even when the dentist had to get an even longer drill to cope with my extra long root. 
Still a coward when visiting, and always ask for an injection if there is a filling required - blow the expense, I cannot stand pain. 

[Lesley Cox]

We are lucky in Dunedin to have NZ's only dental school, wonderful for low income people who simply can't afford dentistry, and for wooses like me who get scared. Looked after by charming and delightful 4th and 5th year students, mostly Asian, who treat me as if I were made of delicate and precious porcelain. No pain, and approx one 10th the cost of usual dentist. Average waiting time per visit this last year? - 3 minutes!

[Carol Shaw]

Thanks to a labour government NHS dentists have just about ceased to exist, at least where we live! The practice both David & I go to used to be NHS then simply changed to being private... we don't get any better treatment we just pay more. The practice tried to get us to take out insurance, this was going to cost around £30 a month and this was a good few years ago; we simply pay as we go and so far have never paid the equivalent of £30 a month for a year's treatment. Usually it is 2 checkup's a year each and occasionally a replacement filling. 

[Anthony Darby]

I'm having two crowns on the NHS at that's costing me ~£200. Don't know why it costs so much when a white crown is US$50 and a gold US$100. I'm having one of each as they don't do white crowns on the NHS for molars (i.e. beyond the 5th tooth) and it would cost me 300 quid extra for a white one!!! Maybe we could get Sandy to explain.....?

[Carol Shaw]

I'm having two crowns on the NHS at that's costing me ~£200. Don't know why it costs so much when a white crown is US$50 and a gold US$100. I'm having one of each as they don't do white crowns on the NHS for molars (i.e. beyond the 5th tooth) and it would cost me 300 quid extra for a white one!!! Maybe we could get Sandy to explain.....?

Back in the good old days when we had a NHS dentist he crowned a molar for me with an white crown... probably just a money issue Anthony. The self same dentist offered to rearrange my front teeth for me as one of my front teeth is slightly bucked - his point being that I was paying the maximum the NHS could charge at that time so I might as well have that done too. I quizzed him as to the strength of the crown as opposed to my own tooth and decided against. I sometimes wonder if I should have had done.

[ichristie]

Hi Roma, great shot of the Black Pheasant we have one or two ordinary ones here at the nursery but do not allow any more as they cause much destruction hope you can get another shot(picture that is) and post, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Lesley Cox]

Sorry, we really seem to have our teeth into this issue. We have a Russian vendor at my Market and I believe she carries her life savings in her mouth. When she smiles, her mouth lights up in flashes of gold. All her teeth seem to be capped or crowned with the bright stuff.