Please post more VLM pics, I can never see too many of them!!

I am speaking from the point of view of my Belgian friends (and myself) here. I was in a Belgian aviation chatroom on Friday and we were discussing “Airliner World”, and the feedback was that not enough coverage is given to Belgian airlines and airports, only in the columns on the news pages, I was told. My Belgian friend doesn’t post on here, but those were his views and I agree with them. We see alot about other European countries and America, so something about Belgium would be nice.

That’s a good photo, and he’s a lovely colour.

Originally posted by Geforce
Well, Europe is becoming a tropical region :). 36 degrees in Belgium (region around Antwerp), even in Lapland there are reports of temperatures up to 28 degrees!!! Enjoy the weather, drink a cool glass of water. No beer!

I do think the farmers, the firemen and the IT’s would rather have some rain. Our gov’t has already begun to warn people about the dangers of this kind of weather.

Belgium’s sun and warm weather will abruptly cease at 1pm on Monday 1st September, especially around Antwerp and Mechelen and Oudenaarde and Oostende…

Definitely looks like a bulge to me Kabir.

Kev – I love those photos, Duke sounds an ideal dog, and it’s good that people are prepared to give rescue dogs another chance. I have an Auntie who only ever takes rescue dogs, her current dog is a Springer Spaniel, a hyperactive breed, but lovely nonetheless.

The only sheep dog types I have ownership experience of are Belgian ones. Avoid the Tervueren and Groenendael, they have an inherited personality defect which can make them suddenly become very dangerous and unpredictable (it’s called “rage syndrome”). From a veterinary point of view, the German Shepherd is a wreck. They are prone to hip dysplasia (an inherited malformation of the ball and socket joint of the hip, in some cases the “socket” part is not there, rendering the dog severely lame). They also suffer from haemophilia and, I believe, an inherited digestive defect. The Border Collie is a superb dog if you can make time for it. Walks in the park are no good for this breed, they need their brain exercising as well!! Training classes, obedience, agility and flyball suit them perfectly. If they do not get kept busy, they have a tendency to take out their herding instincts on everything, including children!!! The Old English Sheepdog suffers from similar problems to the Tervueren and Groenendael. The Labrador is one of the most placid of breeds on the whole (not counting my dog!!) which will take as much or as little exercise as you can give him (or her), and is usually long lived. But in the end, the choice is entirely yours Geforce.