He's about 7 foot long; the boys were disappointed he wasn't bigger.
Sllliiinnnkkkyyyyyyy.
Well at least I got my chickens back....sort of.
He was relocated to scrub closer to the mountains.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Meet Slinky
Our little shed friend didn't like being disturbed. He went from drawer 1 to drawer 2 where Andrew was able to get a hold of him.
He's about 7 foot long; the boys were disappointed he wasn't bigger.
Sllliiinnnkkkyyyyyyy.
Well at least I got my chickens back....sort of.
He was relocated to scrub closer to the mountains.
He's about 7 foot long; the boys were disappointed he wasn't bigger.
Sllliiinnnkkkyyyyyyy.
Well at least I got my chickens back....sort of.
He was relocated to scrub closer to the mountains.
Monday, January 27, 2014
The Camel Man
A long time ago we met a man who had a dream to walk across Australia at her widest points. On March 20, 1998 D and his partner and 3 camels arrived at the feedlot. Next day, the humans drove away (D had to go to his embarkation point to begin the trek) and his 3 camels waited patiently while he walked from Cape Byron back to them and us. He stayed for a couple of weeks and worked with the camels.
It was an absolute delight for me to be up close with these animals and catch little moments while D worked with them. I tried not to interfere or be too annoying but I had wanted a camel since I was 12 years old and I was very much in awe of his expedition plans and just a little envious of his enthusiasm, his commitment and his freedom to be able to undertake such a journey. Two weeks later I watched as he walked off down the road; I stayed watching until he was out of sight, wondering what the next 8 or 9 months had in store for him and his three companions, still feeling slightly envious. I followed the journey via the trip website and letters received and was pleased to eventually hear that D, the three camels and a little extra one had arrived safely at Steep Point, WA in mid-November.
Before he left he gave me one of the expedition sweatshirts. I wore it and wore it for years and years then put it away in a cupboard when it was past wearing. It was only when we moved to the farm in March last year that, in my "must cull everything" frenzy, I finally pensioned it off. I had kept it for 15 years and thought it was time to let it go. It was no longer white; it was stained and out of shape and it smelt.
Over the years I occasionally wondered what D did after he finished the trek and what he was doing now. What does someone with such an interesting background - lawyer, Legionnaire, first person to walk from the eastern most point to the western most point of Australia - do to keep interested and motivated in life?
Imagine my complete surprise and absolute delight when I read a comment left on sliprail on Boxing Day (on my Christmas Day post) - from none other than The Camel Man himself. Somehow, in amongst the millions of them out there, D had found my blog (I can't imagine how, considering it's obscurity and small readership). Gibbo and Meg and Drew were all surprised too; we all remember when The Camel Man came to stay; and now he's written a book about the expedition, due out in a few months. I very much look forward to reading it and sharing it here on sliprail.
The Camel Man photos, papers, letters and cards have lived in this plastic bag for many years. There's more photos of the arrival and departure somewhere in amongst the thousands I've taken since then. I'll find them one day.
In the yards at Aronui, the day the camels arrived.
Walking the camels down the laneways, through the feedlot, to one of the back grass paddocks. Meg was 9 and wearing one of Gibbo's t-shirts (why Meg?). Even then she always knew where the camera was. Drew was 4 and wearing his pyjama top, tracksuit pants and thongs. He must have been hot. No hats (great parents). Gibbo was a bit thinner then too.
Many years later (May 2006) I finally had camels of my own. We bought Omar and Jasmine at a camel auction in town. They had just trucked in from The Simpson Desert. Jasmine walked up to me as I crouched on the saleyards walkway and I was completely lost in her soulful eyes as she batted her eyelashes at me. Omar is on the right. As time went on he became my favourite.
After two years of owning them it became clear they would have to move on. We took them to a nearby zoo where there was another camel and more room to roam. It was a very sad day for me.
I think he knew. It still brings tears to my eyes and makes me gulp when I see this photo.
It was a sad day for Sally too. When the camels arrived, she moved in with them. She spent all her time with them, watching them, following them and sleeping under their hay feeder. If we were ever looking for Sally, we knew where to find her.
Two days later, things got worse. Two of our dogs, Tilly and Clarabelle, got into a vicious disagreement with a very fat, very poisonous, very angry and very deadly brown snake that had been hibernating in a big pile of sticks. It was the middle of winter and the snake was full of venom. They lost the fight but not before tearing the snake into three pieces. I still find it very hard to talk or even think about the chain of events that day without feeling sad and teary. One thing I learnt though is to never ignore a barking dog, even when you think they're just playing.
These two were great mates.
It was an absolute delight for me to be up close with these animals and catch little moments while D worked with them. I tried not to interfere or be too annoying but I had wanted a camel since I was 12 years old and I was very much in awe of his expedition plans and just a little envious of his enthusiasm, his commitment and his freedom to be able to undertake such a journey. Two weeks later I watched as he walked off down the road; I stayed watching until he was out of sight, wondering what the next 8 or 9 months had in store for him and his three companions, still feeling slightly envious. I followed the journey via the trip website and letters received and was pleased to eventually hear that D, the three camels and a little extra one had arrived safely at Steep Point, WA in mid-November.
Before he left he gave me one of the expedition sweatshirts. I wore it and wore it for years and years then put it away in a cupboard when it was past wearing. It was only when we moved to the farm in March last year that, in my "must cull everything" frenzy, I finally pensioned it off. I had kept it for 15 years and thought it was time to let it go. It was no longer white; it was stained and out of shape and it smelt.
Over the years I occasionally wondered what D did after he finished the trek and what he was doing now. What does someone with such an interesting background - lawyer, Legionnaire, first person to walk from the eastern most point to the western most point of Australia - do to keep interested and motivated in life?
Imagine my complete surprise and absolute delight when I read a comment left on sliprail on Boxing Day (on my Christmas Day post) - from none other than The Camel Man himself. Somehow, in amongst the millions of them out there, D had found my blog (I can't imagine how, considering it's obscurity and small readership). Gibbo and Meg and Drew were all surprised too; we all remember when The Camel Man came to stay; and now he's written a book about the expedition, due out in a few months. I very much look forward to reading it and sharing it here on sliprail.
The Camel Man photos, papers, letters and cards have lived in this plastic bag for many years. There's more photos of the arrival and departure somewhere in amongst the thousands I've taken since then. I'll find them one day.
In the yards at Aronui, the day the camels arrived.
Walking the camels down the laneways, through the feedlot, to one of the back grass paddocks. Meg was 9 and wearing one of Gibbo's t-shirts (why Meg?). Even then she always knew where the camera was. Drew was 4 and wearing his pyjama top, tracksuit pants and thongs. He must have been hot. No hats (great parents). Gibbo was a bit thinner then too.
After two years of owning them it became clear they would have to move on. We took them to a nearby zoo where there was another camel and more room to roam. It was a very sad day for me.
I think he knew. It still brings tears to my eyes and makes me gulp when I see this photo.
Two days later, things got worse. Two of our dogs, Tilly and Clarabelle, got into a vicious disagreement with a very fat, very poisonous, very angry and very deadly brown snake that had been hibernating in a big pile of sticks. It was the middle of winter and the snake was full of venom. They lost the fight but not before tearing the snake into three pieces. I still find it very hard to talk or even think about the chain of events that day without feeling sad and teary. One thing I learnt though is to never ignore a barking dog, even when you think they're just playing.
These two were great mates.
So we lost two camels and two dogs in the space of two days.
Twelve months later, within two days of the date of losing the other two, we were burying Sally (she suffered a particularly bad dose of pancreatitis from which she didn't recover after one too many trips to the death pit for a late night snack); and replenishing the dirt on Tilly and Clarabelle's grave. In time we'd also bury St. John, the miracle burnt and singed wonder cat, rescued from a fierce hay fire, but that's another (painful) story.
So didn't this turn into a morbid post? Well not really. I loved the camels and we all loved the dogs and cat. It's almost nice to go back and re-visit them in pictures and memories. And smiles and tears. And I finally wrote The Camel Man post.
Well That Got My Blood Pumping
I went looking for something over in the shed. I opened a drawer. I wondered why it was so heavy and hard to open. This is what I found. I got quite an adrenalin rush.
Isn't it beautiful? Now I know where most of my chickens went. Into his belly. Remember the 17 I took over there a few weeks ago? The next day there were 2 left; 10 were gone and 5 were dead on the floor - and the mesh was still on top of their cage. Two days ago I went to feed those 2 and the 8 that were in another pen. There were only 2 left in it; 4 were gone and 2 were dead on the floor. Mesh still on top. So 4 left out of 25. Crossbreds of course. No silkies. We figured it was a snake; we just couldn't find it. Well, guess what. I FOUND IT...........
I poked him a bit to see how big he was. He's pretty big. I wanted to catch him and move him but G won't have a bar of it. He wants to relocate him too, except we have different ideas about what that actually means and how you go about it. He won't even look at it.
See it's mouth on the left, just under the white edge. You can see where it's tongue kept flicking in and out.
I think I need to call one of my brothers to come help. I grew up with snakes and lizards and wildlife - eagles and hawks in the bedroom, pet shinglebacks and blue tongues and frillies. We had a pet carpet snake in an old bird cage; we used to feed it green tree frogs. Mum was more terrified of the frogs than she was of the snake. She would dress the lizards up and the boys would take them to pet shows. My father once climbed out on a big gum tree limb to retrieve a carpet snake to bring home to show us - the limb broke and he ended up in the river with the tree limb and the snake. He drove home, soaking wet, with the snake wrapped around his arm, tightening itself all the way. I can remember us trying to wind it off his arm. He also once brought us home a very cranky old male koala that he'd found and caught. It was in a hessian bag, making a ferocious screaming sound. Not very cuddly at all. Once we'd all inspected it we took it back to the river to let it go. We learnt a lot of things from my Dad.
I'll let you know how we go with the relocation.
Isn't it beautiful? Now I know where most of my chickens went. Into his belly. Remember the 17 I took over there a few weeks ago? The next day there were 2 left; 10 were gone and 5 were dead on the floor - and the mesh was still on top of their cage. Two days ago I went to feed those 2 and the 8 that were in another pen. There were only 2 left in it; 4 were gone and 2 were dead on the floor. Mesh still on top. So 4 left out of 25. Crossbreds of course. No silkies. We figured it was a snake; we just couldn't find it. Well, guess what. I FOUND IT...........
I poked him a bit to see how big he was. He's pretty big. I wanted to catch him and move him but G won't have a bar of it. He wants to relocate him too, except we have different ideas about what that actually means and how you go about it. He won't even look at it.
See it's mouth on the left, just under the white edge. You can see where it's tongue kept flicking in and out.
I think I need to call one of my brothers to come help. I grew up with snakes and lizards and wildlife - eagles and hawks in the bedroom, pet shinglebacks and blue tongues and frillies. We had a pet carpet snake in an old bird cage; we used to feed it green tree frogs. Mum was more terrified of the frogs than she was of the snake. She would dress the lizards up and the boys would take them to pet shows. My father once climbed out on a big gum tree limb to retrieve a carpet snake to bring home to show us - the limb broke and he ended up in the river with the tree limb and the snake. He drove home, soaking wet, with the snake wrapped around his arm, tightening itself all the way. I can remember us trying to wind it off his arm. He also once brought us home a very cranky old male koala that he'd found and caught. It was in a hessian bag, making a ferocious screaming sound. Not very cuddly at all. Once we'd all inspected it we took it back to the river to let it go. We learnt a lot of things from my Dad.
I'll let you know how we go with the relocation.
An Eyeful at the Eiffel
Is this really my little boy? He looks so.....grown up.....and handsome......and cosmopolitan......
French Connections
A little bit of trickery at The Louvre.
Ughh......
The best creme brûlée ever.
The view from the front door of the 160 year old apartment; Picasso once lived next door.
Ughh......
The best creme brûlée ever.
The view from the front door of the 160 year old apartment; Picasso once lived next door.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Meg's Been Baking
Meg baked a three layer sponge cake for a dinner party dessert in Tba tonight. It looks magnificent.
The hard part was trying to keep Harry away from it!!
The hard part was trying to keep Harry away from it!!
A 4 Day Weekend in France
Waiting with Freya before her class. I love this. I think it's very art house. Freya is a friend from Uni in Brisbane. She's doing a semester overseas.
Getting cultural at The Louvre.
Getting cultural at The Louvre.
Home Again
We're home again already! From the time we left to the time we finally arrived at our destination we spent 11 hours in the car - apart from 2 food stops and the small matter of two flat tyres (at once). We had a small bbq farewell function then turned around and left this morning (Friday) to drive back again, back to the office and an Australia Day bbq.......and now we're finally at home, sitting in the lounge chairs. The cricket is on tv and G is snoring his head off. Don't worry G, cricket puts me to sleep too!!
This is how Gibbo changes two flat tyres at once....lucky we had the boys with us or it might have been me on the ground. With only one spare tyre we were in a bit of trouble. Lucky we weren't too far from civilisation.
Calling the cavalry to bring a spare spare tyre.
Inspecting the damage. G's opinion? Old tyres. My opinion? The rate at which we traversed the Development Road. It was a fast and wild and and rough trip.
The cavalry arrived.
All fixed and we were on our way again.
We went to the new lease property; with access to water levels like this it should never run out.
Finally made it to our destination at 6pm. Walking to the guest quarters for the bbq.
Meg's Skype interview went well; she will now begin the process of applying for a work permit for a resort in Banff. Her visa for Turkey has arrived (April/May trip).
Drew has trained it to Paris where he and Freya hung out at The Mazet; bar fights......
This is how Gibbo changes two flat tyres at once....lucky we had the boys with us or it might have been me on the ground. With only one spare tyre we were in a bit of trouble. Lucky we weren't too far from civilisation.
Calling the cavalry to bring a spare spare tyre.
Inspecting the damage. G's opinion? Old tyres. My opinion? The rate at which we traversed the Development Road. It was a fast and wild and and rough trip.
The cavalry arrived.
All fixed and we were on our way again.
We went to the new lease property; with access to water levels like this it should never run out.
Finally made it to our destination at 6pm. Walking to the guest quarters for the bbq.
Meg's Skype interview went well; she will now begin the process of applying for a work permit for a resort in Banff. Her visa for Turkey has arrived (April/May trip).
Drew has trained it to Paris where he and Freya hung out at The Mazet; bar fights......
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