Sideswipe: Oct 9: Dob in a Gazebo!

Dob in a Gazebo! Spotted in Waipu. Photo / Supplied

Deckchair and cowbell ... what more does a bird-scaring Fox need?

Jamie Fox, a graduate of Bangor University in Wales, has scored a job as a human scarecrow in a field in Norfolk. The 22-year-old has been employed to scare partridges from a field of oilseed rape at Aylsham because conventional birdscarers have not worked. As well as wearing a bright orange coat, Mr Fox uses an accordion and a cowbell to frighten the birds. Mr Fox, who graduated in the summer with a degree in music and English, earns about £250 ($492) a week scaring the partridges from the 4ha field. "The farmer said to me,'Bring a deckchair and a good book'," he said. "I ring a cowbell and I've even played the accordion, but the ukulele doesn't seem to have any effect on them."

The lighter side of philosophy

•"Stop saying, 'You've waited all your life for this'. Everyone's waited all their lives for EVERYTHING. That's how time works." (Caitlin Moran)

•"Complaining about what someone tweets about is like calling up the numbers in classified ads and shouting, 'But I don't want piano lessons!"' (Ricky Gervais)

•"I think maybe the key to eating healthy is not eating any food that has a TV ad." (Mike Birbiglia, US comedian)

Horny cows send signals to 'bring the bull, I'm in the moooood'

A sensor implanted in some Swiss cows can detect when they are in heat. When a cow is in "the mood", the device sends a text message to the farmer, who can then arrange to have a bull brought in to mate. Apparently this is all necessary because cows are in the mood far less often nowadays. That's believed to be a result of the stress of farmers constantly milking them. (Source: CBS Local)

Aye, but it's noo how to spell eh

Did anyone catch the new L&P TV ads over the weekend? I presume that the advertisements, which finish with the line, "Bit different aye?" were written by either someone Scottish or a pirate, because where I come from, it's spelled "eh".

Dangers lurk everywhere

A reader writes: "How frightening that must have been for Hannah to find a Bobcat in the playground. I wish I had been there. I always miss out on the fun. I am a 68-year-old kid who just loves watching diggers and stuff. They didn't have them when I was smaller. Still, I suppose, with all the adults there, they would probably have spoilt my fun and made me keep clear! I hope that Hannah didn't walk or drive to the playground as that may have been dangerous too."