Camel Talking

I visited the camels today. Gibbo and I took chooks to the Allora club show and while we waited for the judging to take place we ducked back to the zoo where they now live. I went in on my own and made my way straight to them. The anticipation quickened both my step and my breathe.


As soon as I saw them I broke into a big smile. Jasmine made her way up first; she looks just the same – those long sexy eyelashes make her look so feminine. It was those eyelashes that first caught my attention on sale day nearly three years ago now along with her inquisitive nature that made her come to the front of the pen while her mates all hung back.


Omar took a little longer to make his way over to see me but once he did I’m sure he remembered me. I thought he looked a bit sad and I sensed a sadness in him. I patted and scratched and rubbed him in all his favourite places and he just stood there with his eyes half closed and lapped it all up. He followed me all the way along the fenceline as I slowly made my way back to the entrance. My last glimpse as I turned away was of him stretching his lips and mouth toward the sky and delivering a loud (and I’m sure, smelly) rumbling belch from way down in his stomach.
I walked back through the shop and the lady asked me if I had enjoyed my visit. I told her I’d only come to see the camels and she said “oh the devils who keep pushing our fences over?” I told her that I used to own them and she said I should have told her when I came in through the gate. She said that when they first came, the girls gave Omar a hard time (Jasmine and the other resident camel, Jedda). She asked me if I thought if they’d grown much and before I could answer her, I started to cry. Embarrassed, I mumbled something about how well they looked and left the shop.

I’m pleased I went to see them as I've often wondered how they were doing. I was glad to see them in a big paddock looking lean and clean with no sign of the mange they sometimes suffered from here at home. My hands were shiny and dirty from massaging them; my eyes were wet and I felt both happy and sad at the same time.

Another Poultry Show

Allora Poultry Club Show was held today. We got up early and boxed 18 young birds up and set off. On arrival we quickly penned the birds then had a good look around at what else was on show. BJ was there again with her beautiful red silkies, a colour that I’m very keen to produce.

Her silkies have magnificent size, shape and head crest. She told us that until she introduced the T bloodline to her hens, her stock looked like ours does – not bad, but lacking in body and crest size. We recently acquired a T cock – but he doesn’t mate naturally - so we’re about to learn how to AI chooks – I wonder which one I’ll end up holding.

There were some very cool looking Indian Runner ducks on show, standing at the back of their pens like embarrassed teenagers, not really sure how to stand or where to look and trying to appear invisible. They almost look like their hands are in their pockets - and their pants are half way down their bums in true teenage fashion.

We had a cup of tea and a hotdog before heading off to see the camels (see next story).

When we returned the judging wasn’t finished so we walked through the shed and had another good look at everything. We watched the judge do his thing, then went and had lunch and more cups of tea. We sat and talked to M&T who also had some chooks in; Gibbo nursed K on his knee for ages; she leant back against his chest and played with his cap and chewed on a plastic spoon.

I went to the car and had a little nap; the two early starts in a row were starting to take their toll. Finally the judge finished and the presentations were made. We ended up with 3 firsts, 3 seconds and 2 thirds. Our silkies look nice but they have a long way to go to be consistently producing really good quality birds.

Showing poultry is a good hobby for a couple to have. We enjoy looking at other people’s fowls and seeing what we can aspire to. It also means we get to spend a day together.

Kat would have been proud to see that Gibbo dressed the part and blended right in.

I just love this photo - I took it at exactly the right time, just as the shaft of sunlight came through the roof - and the duck was in perfect position. There's something a little sad about it...

Drew and I rose early on the 25th and went to town for the Anzac Day Dawn Service. We left home at 20 to 4 and picked up S then went to the cenotaph. The crowd built slowly and quietly; people greeted and acknowledged each other in hushed tones, footsteps crunching on the stones on the road. I stood quietly in the concrete gutter; the stars shone in the still dark sky; a gentle autumn breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and lifted the hair on my neck.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, there were several hundred people there, babies wrapped in blankets, toddlers perched on shoulders and children holding their parents' hands. The service commenced at 4.28 with a short march from the ANZ bank corner, down Patrick St to the cenotaph. It was eerie to see the group, illuminated by street lamps, snake its' way to the crowd, accompanied by a lone drummer. A sombre service followed and the haunting sound of The Last Post and Reveille rang out on the pre-dawn air. The ceremony was over by 5am; people quickly disbursed, still talking in hushed tones.

We dropped two kids home then went to have breakfast somewhere but our restaurant of choice wasn’t open – not surprising at 5am. I left Drew in town at S’s place and drove home. It was still dark when I got home so I crawled into Drew's bed and wrapped myself in his soft blue striped blanket and had an hours sleep. I woke up and had breakfast, fed the chooks and went back to town for the street parade at 9-30.

Three horses led the procession......

followed by different bands and returned servicemen organizations, followed by the schools.

Drew marched - the older students marched holding hands with a little person either side of them. It was a lovely idea and gave the school a very inclusive feel and it made my heart swell.

Once at the cenotaph a much longer ceremony that this mornings took place; a new monument to the soldiers killed in the Korean and Vietnam wars was unveiled and the names of all the soldiers from the district who have been killed in times of conflict were read out. Speeches were held; wreathes were laid. The army CMF men stood, wooden and silent, at each corner of the soldier statue. I thought I was going to faint so I walked out the front and away from the crowds.

There’s something about the Australian flag that really stirs something inside me; I guess that’s what patriotism is; it makes me proud and glad that I’m an Australian.

I'm a Leonard Fan

I'm a recent Leonard Cohen convert, a new fan, a devoted follower of the smooth as silk voice - then again, maybe I'm not such a new fan. I've been reading a bit about him in the last little while; he was in Brisbane a few months ago and a columnist I like to read wrote about his concert, his songs and lyrics. Something in my memory shifted and I started to wonder if it was the same Leonard I had listened to in the late 70's/early 80's. My boyfriend and I would play tapes in the player of his Holden ute - but I can't remember whether it was Leonard Cohen or Lynyrd Skynyrd I was actually listening to. I started to think it was more Skynyrd than Cohen - because after listening to my new CD (The Essentials) I'm sure I'd remember these songs. Then again, that deeply mesmerising, mysterious and sexy voice of Cohens' does touch a chord with something inside me from long ago so maybe it was him. To listen to him through a set of quality headphones would be awesome - especially Hallelujah. Almost hypnotic. Drew also thinks LC's voice is hypnotic but not in a positive sense - he thinks it's the worst voice he's ever heard, depressingly awful, and he has to hit the off button when he gets in the car. Ha! The youth of today has no taste in music!

Sleeping Arrangements

This is where the two dogs have been sleeping; it's a very cosy arrangement and Coco puts herself to bed when she's ready. They go to bed about 8-30pm and we let them out around 6am.

Gundi comes to Visit

My Dad's dog, Gundi, has come for a two week visit while Mate goes on holidays with Mum and Peter. I got a detailed rundown on what the little fella gets for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as his sleeping and toileting arrangements. He gets mince and sausage in the morning, a bone at lunchtime and mince, liver, can food and milk at night - and crumbles during the day as well. He eats better than we do! Things went off the rails already at lunchtime when Coco, after stashing her own bone, came and stole Gundi's. Later, I found Sally chewing on one of them (the bones that is).

The cat is so not impressed at having another dog in the house..............

My First Quilt\Throw

One of my favourite blog girls of the moment has a post last week about how she whipped up a quick throw for the couch. I thought I'd do the same. She used 4 x 16inch squares; I'm using 7 x 10inch squares in shades of purple. I haven't made a quilt before and it won't really be a proper quilt when it's finished. I'm just going to put a bit of batting in the middle and a back on it, secure it in place with a few feature buttons and use it on the couch during the winter.

Busy Weekend

Another busy weekend disappeared. Gibbo played over 40's cricket on Saturday; I spent hours in the garden again, re-potting, spraying, planting and trimming; Drew mowed again. The autumn days are magnificent and the garden is a real delight to be out in. It's very peaceful and calming - I just wish it wasn't quite so big. We went out for dinner with friends and we cleaned up over at the chook pens. We got a first place with a black pekin rooster at the local show; the two silkies we entered didn't win a card.

I thought this was funny when I read it in the paper last week. I've been thinking lately how Drew doesn't seem to care too much if his hair is untidy and messy - he used to be very particular about how it looked - but after reading this article I now realise that the whole aim is for it to intentionally look messy. It was a lightbulb moment for me and I think I can officially say that, in the hair department at least, he's a stereotypical teenager!

Pondering

Megs found out yesterday that she didn't get the job she applied for. Today, she was offered another job at the same location as the other, at the same pay rate, so she's pretty happy. She had to move a week of training and give up the planned week off after the party but that's no big deal. It's for 7 weeks so she'll be able to save plenty of money to go and see Chris when he goes to Canada at the end of the year.

I spoke to her today during her lunch hour, while she was out buying shoes to wear to court next week and ordering sushi. It warms my heart to hear (and picture) her going about her business, talking to the sales lady, paying for the shoes, ordering and paying for the sushi, using all those manners. She's an adult; she's a working girl and it's still sometimes hard to believe that you give birth to this little person; you love them and care for them all those years and they grow up; for 12-18 months they can't stand you and sometimes you can't stand them either; and they leave home to start a new life away from you; and somehow they survive without you being there with them every day; and suddenly they graduate and find a job and start a career and buy a car and turn 21 but you still talk to them 3 or 4 times a day, either by phone, email or text; and you turn around and the next one is nearly 16 and growing taller and not doing his hair any more and gets frustrated with you and rolls his eyes at you (but still texts you from school all day); and you're closer to 50 than 40 - and you wonder how did it all happen so quickly? where did it all go?

Then you find yourself blogging into the atmosphere because you want someone to talk to but you don't really want to talk to anyone you know because NOBODY REALLY LISTENS ANY MORE - they're all too eager for you to finish speaking so that they can tell their own story; so you just talk to yourself and you think a lot and you write it down because it feels good to get it out.

The Working Week

Back to work for the week and now it's over. Drew mowed and snipped at the office and home. We had a public holiday here today for the show but we still ended up at the office. It's hard not to live and breathe the place. Gibbo and Drew went to town to play a few rounds of beach cricket for a television news film crew (they were on tv tonight in a very short segment - Gibbo smashed the ball, Drew got bowled and Andrew was interviewed). I went to the office while they were away to weigh trucks in.

I also did a bit of gardening but a storm blew up and in and chased me inside.

This is a beautiful crimson red climbing rose that I planted in an old terracotta pot. Roses and I don't really go hand in hand but being in a pot might help the relationship. I hope so, cos I really like this one.

We managed to get half an hour in over at the chooks, rearranging matings and pens. The black silkie group look great together and I'm looking forward to some pure black chicks. Tom and his group of white girls have settled in and we made a buff group up too. The partridge girls are still without a rooster but I think one will come from Victoria soon.

The photos we took last week for the meat promo weren't suitable so we took some more yesterday. I had a better hair day this time (maybe?). When I look at myself without a fringe it doesn't seem like me. The clients also want to use it for a newspaper promo.

Easter Wrap Up

So we had a great weekend. Friday was spent cooking and gardening, eating, playing poker and cutting out maps. Saturday, Gib went to a poultry auction and came home with some wyandottes and leghorns for himself and two black silkies for me. The rest of us went to town and did a bit of shopping. It rained again Saturday afternoon. We had friends over for dinner and (more) poker. Megs and I wrote her resume and letter for a new job (same work, different location, higher position). Sunday came and went with more cooking, wood splitting, gardening and eating. We had sushi for dinner. I really need to work on my sushi technique. It tastes good but I need to pay more attention to rolling it round like a circle, not round like a square.Monday disappeared quickly. Drew went to the movies. We did a run through outside of where the bar, bbq's, tables etc will be set up for the party. I finally came to the realisation that this thing of mammoth proportions is really happening; up until now it hasn't really been fixed in the front of my brain - it's just been floating around at the back in a haze. Now that it's locked in I've also realised that it's going to cost twice as much as what I (hadn't really) thought. I had a figure of what I hoped it would cost but that barely covered the grog let alone the 23kg of wagyu steaks. I have readjusted my expectation upwards and have allocated the money, both in my head and in cell F8, so I'm cool with it now.

The weekend was over all too soon and Meg and Chris headed back about 3 o'clock. It rained again Monday night, beautiful soaking rain, gentle on the roof; Drew and I went outside and sat watching it for a while.

Gibbo and Mare invite..........

150 invites printed - 150 maps glued to the back. I hope they don't all come.

The end result is a very cute invite; the photo was taken at the Bunyas when Megs was 3 or 4. You can't see in the photo, but she was wearing shorts with the black and grey cowboy boots that Gibbo brought back from America in 1991. She wore the boots everywhere she went, no matter what the rest of the outfit looked like. It's a very different story now. It was all too much for some.

A Good Dinner on Good Friday

All Hands on Deck...or at least a Rake

As usual, there's a long list of jobs to do in the garden. Megan and Drew picked up Gma and she helped rake the driveway.

Some did more than others!
Lunch was quiche and salad.

It started to rain just after lunch so I went out and spread about 50kg of fertiliser in the garden beds. It wasn't cold out, just wet. The rain fell gently and it was absolutely perfect timing considering that Doug had done the lawn only the day before. I ran the sprinklers as well to give the fertiliser the best start.