LEXAROSE,I said baffles are better in my first post, I just can't put them over a post that has 5 strands of barb-wire attatched to it. I use the METAL posts in the fence line to mount the houses on not the wooden ones!I did (in my opinion) improve my setup by putting up 7 new boxes this year, I think that is trying to help the birds. In my opinion you are creating a natural cavity when you put up a nest box, look at all the different kinds of birds that nest on the ground, in trees, in low bushes they do this without guards and I am sure some fall victim to predation but a percentage of them still survive to carry on the species this is called Nature and sometimes Nature is not fair or so some of us don't think so anyway. IMO nestboxes are better than natural cavities, if they weren't why would birds use them instead of searching out natural cavities? I thought this forum was for opinions and discussion, and I didn't know anyone was the JUDGE and JURY that had the final say on what is right and what is wrong. If I didn't care about the birds why would you think I would go to all the trouble to put up nest boxes in the first place? I am 62 years old and have been doing this for the last 15 years, I know I have done some good although in your opinion what I am doing is INEXCUSABLE,I do respect your opinion though. One thing I have learned thru the years is to take the words NEVER and ALWAYS out of my vocabulary, because very few things are NEVER and ALWAYS right or wrong. I will not be posting about this again so you can tear me apart, but to all you people out there that have taken the time to put up nest boxes with or without guards, the birds thank you and I thank you. Martins showed up yesterday, have a quality day, I will! Jimnks

I have been wearing an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) nightguard on the top jaw for about 18 months as several dentists said my tooth grinding was a problem - some of my molars have cracks in them. I got this nightguard at a chemist warehouse (I am in Australia) for $8. I have a small mouth, but cut it down with scissors to fit. After a few initial sleepless nights I got used to it and found it pretty comfortable. The trouble is that I have recently gradually developed extreme sensitivity in a number of teeth on my left side, and realised that the guard was hugging and covering the left back molars exactly where the pain was developing. I sleep on my right side so overnight my saliva would seep down to the right side of my mouth, and the left side was drying out, as I cannot easily keep my mouth completely closed while wearing the guard. I then realised that I could cut it down a lot smaller as it only needs to cover a few teeth in order to stop my top and bottom rows from touching. I also put some holes in the bottom of it with a skewer to allow my teeth to breathe. But it's like I've developed an allergy to the guard, because pretty much as soon as I put it in my mouth I feel intense pain, so I'm going to have to ditch it. Anyway, there seems to be so little info on the net about what mouth guards are - or should be - made from. I am going to try a really cheap silicone one next and cut it pretty small - luckily I don't move my mouth too much when I sleep, or I would be concerned about choking. And I'm going to make a serious effort to develop mindfulness around any inadvertent grinding I do during the day. Anyway, from my internet research it seems there are heaps of things you can do to make your teeth stronger - Google "remineralizing teeth". You can buy "tooth mousse" to lessen sensitivity, but I read an article on Ayurevedic medicine which said that one of the ingredients in yoghurt is the active ingredient in the mousse - funny, because I'd been craving yoghurt! For tooth health - not to mention everything else health - you need lots of leafy greens! It's better to make your own toothpaste and there are lots of good websites about teeth, like www.healingteethnaturally.com which is rabidly vegetarian, and www.curetoothdecay.com which is rabidly meat promoting. Also, a while ago I wrote an article about tooth health at: http://www.owningpink.com/blogs/owning-pink/biting-the-bullet-taking-the-road-less-travelled-tooth-related-health

I have purchased my heartworm meds for my dog from this place in Australia for the past 5 years and am very pleased with their service. http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/ I buy Valuheart (which is a generic Heartgard but without the pyrantel that supposedly controls worms.) Their prices are about half that of US pet pharmacies, much less than from the vet, and no prescription is required for any HW preventative or de-worming med in Australia (or in most other countries.) Neither Heartgard or Interceptor are very good at controlling intestinal parasites. I buy Vetafarm Wormout All Wormer (praziquantel and oxfendazole) and administer this preparation to my dogs and cat 4 times a year. It kills ALL worms as the name implies (tapes, rounds, hook.) I treat fleas and ticks in my dogs with Frontline plus, and buy Revolution for my cat to control external parasites and prevent heartworm. I buy all the above from petsmegastore (link above) and the savings are considerable as well as the convenience of not needing a script. A sub-population of collies and related herding dogs have a mutant gene that makes them sensitive to ivermectin, as well as a long list of other drugs. There is an urban rumor that, for these dogs, the ivermectin in Heartgard poses a danger and that Interceptor is safer. However the active ingredient in Interceptor (milbemycin) is in the same class of drug as ivermectin and poses the same risk. Despite this, the active ingredients in all the monthly HW preventative meds are safe for dogs with the mutant gene. They would have to ingest 10 doses of a monthly HW drug to be at risk. From the researchers at Washington State University who discovered the mutant gene: Ivermectin (antiparasitic agent). While the dose of ivermectin used to prevent heartworm infection is SAFE in dogs with the mutation (6 micrograms per kilogram), higher doses, such as those used for treating mange (300-600 micrograms per kilogram) will cause neurological toxicity in dogs that are homozygous for the MDR1 mutation (mutant/mutant) and can cause toxicity in dogs that are heterozygous for the mutation (mutant/normal). Selamectin, milbemycin, and moxidectin (antaparasitic agents). Similar to ivermectin, these drugs are safe in dogs with the mutation if used for heartworm prevention at the manufacturer's recommended dose. Higher doses (generally 10-20 times higher than the heartworm prevention dose) have been documented to cause neurological toxicity in dogs with the MDR1 mutation.

I am surprised 'Ploughmen's' lunches are so popular in London, especially when you consider the lack of agriculture in the area . . . although my late Mother could remember sheep grazing in Hyde Park and it is possible to see horses being exercised in Rotten Row. Mary, a TV ad. claimes that more cider is being drunk in the UK these days, but it's from an Irish co. that produces the stuff. In this neck-of-the-woods they make a local 'rip-gut' variety; powerful strong. There should be a better choice of beer/ale about these days, other than the dreaded Watney's Red Barrel that used to dominate the market some years ago. Britrail passes are still available but you may need a second mortgage to travel by train. Travellers are in the ridiculous situation of using trains to get away from the over-crowded roads, only to find there are not nearly enough seats, especially for peak-time journeys. The rail co's increase the fares partly to put people off from this method of travelling, plus general greed and claims to spend the extra cash on 'upgrading' the service. Still the best way of seeing the country IMO. An elderly US Aunt always uses the train when over her . . .often going in totally the wrong direction . . . and has made endless 'friends' on these journeys. Here is a link that might be useful: Britrail passes