An attractive sepia-toned map of the United States of America. Can your pets name all the states shown on the map? Certainly after our Wild West tour, they will be more familiar with the land of the pioneers in the American frontier region!

This map commemorates the first hot air balloon flight in the US, launched in Pennsylvania on 9 January 1793. One hundred years later, bicycle mechanics brothers Duryea of Springfield, Massachusetts, designed the first successful American gasoline automobile (in 1893), then won the first American car race in 1895, and went on to make the first sale of an American-made gasoline car the next year. In 1908 Henry Ford introduced the Model T and William Durant founded General Motors. As for the railroad locomotives, the 19th century was a a time of massive development by US pioneers in this form of travel. The United States Navy recognizes its birthday as 13 October 1775, the day that the Continental Congress authorized the creation of a single, unified navy instead of a patchwork of fleets controlled by individual states.

Amongst all the bright lights and colours of the season, sometimes it is nice to see the simplicity of basic black and white. This can be used as greeting cards for the season or as a backdrop for a seasonal art slide. Add your own touches of colour, or continue with the theme of black and white. Whatever you and your pets decide, it will be stunning.

Australia is a land of contrast, with areas of tropical rainforest, subtropical rainforest, temperate forest, mountain ranges, sandy deserts and salt lakes.

The smallest continent in the world, Australia is also the largest island continent! Dominating oceania, and in close proximity to New Zealand and New Guinea, Australia is surrounded by water, with the Indian Ocean to the west; Timor Sea, Arafura Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria and Coral Sea to the north; the Pacific Ocean to the east; and the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea to the south.

Historically, walkabout referred to an Indigenous Australian spiritual journey across Country, marking the transition from adolescence to adulthood. During their walkabout, an adolescent practices the skills and knowledge required of adults in their community to survive alone in the outback.

The Turkish flag consists of a red field with a white crescent moon and five-pointed star placed slightly off-centre. The crescent and the star have long been symbols of Islam, but the symbols were already used in Anatolia. The design derives from the original Ottoman flag dating from the 1700s. When the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, it took as its flag that which was used by the Ottoman Empire. During the dozen subsequent years, various refinements were made to the flag, for example, the specific shade of vivid red that was to be used. The present flag design was first approved in 1936.

The Republic of Turkey is principally located in Asia, with a portion lying in south-eastern Europe. The country is of a very rough rectangular shape, bounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea respectively. Its capital city is Ankara, in the region of Central Anatolia. Turkey's highest mountain, Mount Ararat has two peaks, with Great Ararat reaching 16,945 feet (5165 m). The mountain is believed to be where Noah beached his Ark after the great flood (Genesis ch 6-9).

The Danish flag is a white Scandinavian cross on a red background, or "field". In the Kingdom of Denmark it is called the Dannebrog, which is old Danish for "The Danish Cloth". It is in the Top 12 most recognisable national flags in the world, and its design was probably the source of the similarity of designs for its fellow Scandinavian neighbours. It holds the Guinness record for the distinction of being the oldest continuously used national flag!

The flag of the Faroe Islands is a red Scandinavian cross, fimbriated (flag-talk for "bordered") blue. The flag of the Faroes was made by Faroese students in Copenhagen and later brought to the Faroes where it was first hoisted on 22 June 1919. About a decade later, in 1931, it came into common but unofficial use.

The flag of the Kingdom of Norway has a red field and a blue Scandinavian cross with a white border. The blue cross points to the long-term ties to Sweden. The flag was designed in 1821 but it was not adopted as a state flag until 1898.

The flag of the Kingdom of Sweden is a yellow Scandinavian cross on a blue background. The exact age of the Swedish flag is not known, but the oldest recorded pictures of a blue cloth with a yellow cross date from the 16th century. The design of the Swedish flag is probably taken from the Danish flag, and its blue and yellow colours probably originated in the 14th century, when the Swedish coat of arms with three gold crowns on a blue background was created. The flag has been in use since 1521; however the current design was not officially adopted until 1906.

The classic white picket fence is a common look found throughout the verdant countryside. The mere sight of it beckons you to pass through the gate, relax in the porch swing, and listen to the chorus of songbirds as you sip a glass of ice-cold lemonade.

Autumn leaves add an attractive corner flourish to your scene.

The cool, crisp winds of autumn are blowing the leaves off the trees in a gentle "rainfall" of gorgeous yellow, orange and red hues.

Just remember not to walk over any cliff edges whilst you are intent on the wildlife below. I did, and look what happened to me!