Looking back over the past weeks and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing.
World’s tallest dog goes weak at the knees when the vacuum cleaner comes out
As the cliche goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Well this isn’t quite the case with this tale but it does suggest that no matter how big we are, there’s always going to be something we are afraid of. The world’s tallest dog, a Great Dane named Kevin, stands at nearly 7 feet when on his hind legs, but those legs still turn to jelly when he’s confronted with a vacuum cleaner.
“Owner Tracy Wolfe says he’s the ‘epitome of a gentle giant’ who loves hogging the sofa. Kevin often crouches and crawls near other dogs to make himself less intimidating – and is said to be ‘terrified’ of the family’s vacuum. ‘He won’t let it come within six feet of him. He will jump and run to get away from it,’ says Mrs Wolfe.’
“Kevin is still a bit shorter than the tallest dog ever – another Great Dane, named Zeus, who measured 1.118m (3ft 8in) and died in 2014 aged five.” (Source: “Great Dane named world’s tallest dog – but is ‘terrified’ of family’s vacuum,” 13th June, www.news.sky.com).
5 stars – some years ago I had a great Dane in my life and she was a beautiful, kind, and inspiring creature. The only thing she was terrified of was Schnauzers.
Tree of the year is something rather special
Firstly, I didn’t even know that we had a tree of the year but apparently we do, so this story is an eye opener. The New Zealand Arboricultural Association awarded this year’s top prize to a Metrosideros robusta, nicknamed The Walking Tree, which is part of the Northern rātā. The reason this rather fetching arboreal specimen took the top gong has a lot to do with its very original appearance.
“Addressing the tree’s age, the Association says, ‘It remains a mystery just how long this windswept walker has been strutting its stuff north of Karamea.’
“The northern rātā, which can live for up to 1,000 years, is one of New Zealand’s tallest flowering trees. It begins as a plant-like epiphyte growing high in the forest canopy upon another host tree. Over time, its roots reach the ground, and it eventually envelops the original tree.” (Source: “Incredible ‘Walking Tree’ is Named New Zealand’s 2024 Tree of the Year,” 15th June, www.goodnewsnetwork.org).
“Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon’s principal archaeologist, said the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented. ‘Finding what is essentially fresh fruit, 250 years later, is pretty spectacular,’ Boroughs said in an interview. ‘All the stars sort of have to align in the right manner for that to happen.'” (Source: “No lie: Perfectly preserved centuries-old cherries unearthed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon,” by Matthew Bakarat, 18th June, www.stuff.co.nz).
5 stars – apparently scientists are even trying to germinate plants from the fruit seeds. great stuff.
