Caryl

It was the "Yeah, Ferry pilots" that made me feel that way but I am sure you did not mean anything by it. It was not just the job but what they had to go through to be allowed to do it. One of the women had over 2000 hours flying experience before joining up, as an acrobatic stunt flyer, and they still didn't think she could do it. They said the hardest part was not knowing what sort of aircraft you were going to be flying at any time. They could fly anything from spitfires to the big bombers and no experience may have been had in some of them before taking off in it. One woman told how she flew a bomber into an RAF base. She got out of the plane to be greeted by a group of men with a staff car. She asked if it was for her and they said "No, it is for the pilot". She replied "I AM the pilot!" and they did not believe her. They actually searched the plane before finally realising she was indeed the pilot. After the war none of them could continue flying, unless they were rich enough to buy their own plane, as the jobs were given to the men. That went for all those women who had trained as engineers and mechanics etc to keep things running. My friend's dad was an RAF pilot (he was Canadian but lied about his age and joined up in the UK) and was flying missions over enemy territory aged 16. Can you 16 yr olds in here imagine doing that? I think the average life expectancy for the front line pilots was only a few months

We often had difficulty finding internet access in the UK - or finding someone who knew where to go for it. It was also very expensive in the hotels.

Ira I feel you are trivialising the work they did, just because they did not fly in combat missions. It was not just the job they did but the war (within a war) they had to fight to be able to do it in the first place and the attitude of the males who claimed they could not do the job. They certainly had bigger balls than many men at the time!

Thanks for that Donna, I might go look for one for our pump inlet. It blocks very quickly!

They have the population to pay for it too! There are a lot of places in the USA who don't get the speeds we get.

Of course but it was still the most dangerous occupation for women. It was not their fault the men wouldn't let them do more. The dreadful things said and done to them by their own side were atrocious! This book might interest you... Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell I am in awe of these ladies

1 in 10 of them were killed

They were not allowed into combat but flew the fighters across country to where they were needed by the fellas. They are interviewing some of the survivors. What wonderful women they were! Real pioneers.

There is a fascinating programme on SBSOne at the moment about the women who flew fighter planes during the last world war. They had to fight hard against the males who claimed they were not capable of flying and should stay in the kitchen or do something "more befitting of their sex" :roll: Even in the years after, you never hear about these women and the odds they overcame.

Me too. I just got... irc.nzdance.net: Closing Link: Caryl[ircip2.mibbit.com] (User has been banned from NZDance.Net (Session limit exceeded)) Never had it do that before!

It is supposed to be good for clearing green water. You can buy it as an extract too.

Who is breeding strippers?

Very nice pics. Like the ferns. Is your brother the one in white or black? 8)

Personally I have found them all to be less than ideal and, as said, they do scratch the glass easily.

An article and pics for the AW would be appreciated (or I could use what is here but would prefer pics without your name through the middle. You would be fully credited in the magazine of course). I assume the "vac" is a small, bagless, vacuum cleaner? You would also need a good sized extension cord. Anyone know of any battery operated machines suitable to take "out in the field"?

What sort of inlet does the filter have? Is there some way to put a larger wire cage around it to catch the majority of the gunge before it blocks the filter?

Ah I thought you meant gunge on the bottom and the water was green. I have seen that type of algae floating in ponds but don't know what causes it :-? Does the pond actually have a filter or just a fountain? Some fountains have very small filters attached. I can see something poking up which I assume is a fountain you turned off to take the pic. I wonder if some water movement would help.

Good to meet you. Hope you enjoy your time here.

See how much shade it has and how much plant is in there? The silk tree overhangs and makes a mess (so I have a LOT of gunge on the bottom) but the water is clear. It is not always though. White or pale fish can get melanomas if they have no place to hide (decks, lily leaves etc) from direct sun. This pond has overhanging decks at either end (about a metre) so there is a lot of water under there as well. These stop the water from freezing over totally in winter as well, so does the waterfall.

You do realise they can breed for several months without a male required? They can store sperm for several more droppings of fry without needing to be impregnated again. Sisters are doin' it for themselves :happy2:

I often think my pond has not done much until I look at the 'before' and 'after' pics then realise how much everything has grown! Yours is looking good preacher.

You will find lots of pics of my pond in the coldwater section. Have a look at the entire Photobucket pictorial of the build from scratch here I have had my pond 5 years and have yet to clean it at all. A lack of plants will not be helping. The green gunge build-up on the bottom is natural. I happily leave mine there although I am aware it will need to be thinned out eventually :-? If you have a lot of overhanging plants or trees these will be dropping leaves into the pond, adding to the gunge. Trim them back or cover the pond. If you plant a lot of plants to cover no more than 3/4 of the surface, it should help keep the water clear. Too much direct sunlight will make the water go green. Unsightly but good for the fish. The white ones especially sa it protects them from cancer. If the pond is not too big, or an awkward shape, you could put shade cloth over it. Either up high like a shade sail, or shade netting down low just above the water line. My pond is full of oxygen weed which I pulled from the river that runs through the middle of town - free. I also have a number of lilies. I will go and take more pics of the pond as it is now. At some times it goes green then it goes crystal clear again.

Are you in a hurry Joe? Conference is in Tauranga this year (June) and Grant and I will be attending. I am sure many from Auckland will be driving down and could bring a tank with them. We could bring it back with us.

Isn't it good to be able to see how different tanks have developed? Looking good!

As pointed out in your other thread Will, your tank is too small for 2 bristlenoses.