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Goodness, Rusty!
That was most upsetting.
I know it happened ......but was caught off guard by the song.
I noticed that each soldier took "his best mate's horse" .......
I should think it was precious little consolation that one didn't have to kill one's own horse.
Maybe it would be easier to be with your horse when it died?
I suppose there was no "practical " alternative......
But I sometimes wonder what were we fighting for?

Hello, Elle!
Yes, sorry, it could be an upsetting song, but I thought Bogle did it well.
He wrote several anti-war songs.
It was the Australian Government that forbade the return of the horses.
I am not sure of their reasons, but in 1956 at the Melbourne Olympic Games, no horses were allowed in to Australia because of their strict quarantine rules/laws.
I wonder if there is a connection?
The Melbourne Olympic equestrian events were held in Sweden.
(Good question for a pub quiz!)
I am kind of sorry I mentioned shooting the horses now.
How did I get on to that, at all?
Have you found the "Wimbledon Poisoning Mystery" yet?

A Very early good morning, Rusty!
A dreadful night here.....no sign then of the temperature dropping .....although it is supposedly going to become cooler during today.
I have been up sine 4.45 am, because of the heat!
I have been trying to read up on Australian horses after the end of the First World War.
It would appear that the Australian authorities refused to take home their horses mainly because of the cost?
Although it does state that when some individual soldiers offered to pay for their horses' transport themselves, it seems this was refused.
That rather contradicts that it was money that was the problem?
But there is mention of the "best" of the horses being sent to Britain...and in other instances of the horses being destroyed for horse meat (apparently in high demand and worth a lot of money)
A terrible fate for the brave horses who worked their guts out for their "owners" during the conflicts.
Different articles that I read did vary in content..........
I didn't find any reference at that stage to quarantine regulations.
Although I dimly remember about the Olympic Equestrian events, in 1956, talking place outside Australia, for that reason.
Yes, I've also read about the mysterious "poisoning" of the young tennis player from Weil's Disease.
It sounds far-fetched?
But I still don't remember anything about it!
It seems to have passed me by!
Right....well, I had better go see if there is any sign yet of transport to the park...!
I do hope your day is cooler?

Good morning, Elle!
It is cooler now after the rain.
I think the Australian Government thought there was no need for the horses to come home because mechanisation was taking over the work that the horses had previously done.
And Australia also had a huge feral population of horses.
I think there are over 400,000 wild horses in Australia.
And a huge population of feral cats.
I have to go out later.
My grandson is graduating today and I am meeting him and family later in town.
Hope you get rain soon!

Hi, Rusty!
No rain as yet ...but, thankfully , it is definitely cooler!
The sun disappeared just as we started our walk, and quite a strong breeze got up!
Much fresher! and far pleasanter out walking.
That is good about your grandson.
What was he studying at Uni?
You didn't say what time you had to go out......I hope I have caught you in time to say have a good day with your family - and enjoy your grandson's Graduation!

Hello, Elle!
I am not going to graduation.
I have to meet them after it is over in a posh restaurant.
I am just having a coffee though.
Posh restaurants are not for me.
My grandson graduated in accountancy.
I think he is doing a Masters next year.
Is that the right terminology?
I read a bit more about Australia and animals.
They used tracker dogs in the Vietnam War.
When the War was over, the dogs were forbidden to go home to Australia, due to the quarantine laws.
They say that homes were found for them in Vietnam.
I hope so.

Rusty, I know you don't spend too much time watching television, but there's a programme on tonight that might interest you. It's at 8pm on the Yesterday channel - Heroes Of The Somme, with archive footage, interviews and so on.

Hello, Malone!
I get the Yesterday channel and I shall record it.
Thank you for letting me know!

Hi, Rusty!
It looks like rain now ...or is this wishful thinking?
When our daughters graduated , on neither occasion were we allowed more than two tickets to attend the ceremony.
As you are doing, relations and friends wishing to celebrate with us had to meet us afterwards.
That in itself will be good though!
You will enjoy participating in your grandson's success!
"Heroes of the Somme" was on BBC1 last year.....I have a feeling you might already have seen it?
I remember our discussing its being on at the time?
Shades of Lyn MacD!
I think it is also on Youtube.
I think I might stretch to a coffee as it's cooler - I havent' had a hot drink all week!

P. S. Rusty!
We have thunder......and an agitated dog!