A quiet wander. Things you find on a day out.

Night time activity. The local residents.

It is peaceful here in the evenings. Even more so than we are used too. Usually no road noises and the only lights are the ones we have put in ourselves. On a clear night the stars are very bright. (This we are used to. Starry nights in the NT are spectacular.)


But just because it is night does not mean everything is asleep.
Driving home last night from town in the dark we encountered a couple of ‘roos and wallabies. They are very dark coloured and bulky as opposed to our  lighter coloured and slimmer built wallabies in Mataranka. I captured this very short video of one of the kangaroos bounding down the road ahead of us. We were doing 35 km/hr and it was racing ahead, kicking up dust. It ran ahead of us long enough for me to grab my phone set it to video and then grab this.

A few minutes later a very dark wallaby shot across the road in front of us and cleared off into the nearby paddock in about three bounds. There is a wombat that crosses the road about 10pm as we drive home. He is chunky. Hitting one of them would be like running over a boulder. There are feral  cats and baby foxes here as well. And rabbits in the blackberry bushes behind the caravan.
We see  echidnas as well. I  haven’t managed to get a night photo of one but earlier in the week we got this photo of an echidna crossing the road. We pulled up next to him for a photo. Apparently if the echidnas are on the move then rain is on the way, None so far but you never know. Again the echidna was darker quilled than the ones I have seen in the NT.

At night the sheep wander up this end of the paddock to visit. So we hear the lambs and ewes calling each other in the early hours. Sometimes the horse comes to check us out as well. Now that we have the dog close to the van we know when the rabbits and foxes are close. She’s not fond of them.
Birds start up as the sun rises.
So …. as I said peaceful if not empty evenings and nights.

Life is good

Cheers Sue
A Ferg on the Move.

A farm type weekend

On Saturday K and his son in law oiled the new deck off the shearing shed. I was on baby duty. Mother and daughter supervised.

The shearing shed has become the social hub for visitors and family.

 

 

 

Parties, barbeques, picnics and of course sheep work happen here.

 

The deck is for loading bales of wool into trucks. The original deck and ramp weren't safe and were retired last season. Friends and family built the new structure recently. The generosity of people is wonderful.


Mr Fix It has spent the last week making the rails to go around it. They slot into wood stirrups and lift off to move bails out. The rest of the time they keep us safe.




We had planned to have bubbly on the deck to celebrate, but there was a cold wind so we adjourned to the caravan for roast dinner instead. This particular leg of lamb was very well travelled. Bred and fattened in Crookwell, frozen and transported to Mataranka,  brought back to Crookwell to share.  I wonder if the lambs smelling the wonderful aroma of roast realised what their fate is next year.  Bit unfair to cook in their paddock.

The other first of the day was our baby grandson's first visit to the farm, which hopefully will be his home soon. First sleep on grandma's bed too.



We have reacquired a dog. She comes up the hill to live with us when we visit. It was quite gratifying that she seemed to know what was going on and be very happy to live with us again. Mind you that might be because she remembered exactly where her ball is kept. She is ball obsessed and will exhaust herself chasing one.
She sat next to my chair this morning for an hour quite happily. Or should I say next to where the ball is hidden.


Anyway it is nice to be pet borrowers for a while.


Cheers Sue


A Ferg on the Move



  

Hot water is much better. Or what ever happened to quality spare parts.

Today, after a couple of days on the farm, during which the family have come out from town to do farm things, we embarked on an expedition into Goulburn for serious food shopping, children and adults all.

To fortify the grandparents for this effort I cooked breakfast and while Mr Fix It had a lay in. While organising breakfast I flicked  the gas water heater on. Out of the goodness of my heart I let K lounge a bit longer and slid into the shower.

"Can you check the water heater," I uttered past chattering teeth a couple of seconds later.
"Did you turn it on?"
"Yes of course. I wouldn't be in here otherwise."

Mr Fix It clambered out of bed and into the front boot, to find the problem. Turns out that the relatively new gas tap that switches between the two gas bottles is faulty. No gas flowing out of either side of the tap this morning. Disaster. No hot water is bad enough. But the main fridge is on gas.





Add caption

 I  struggled back into my jammies, vacated the van and went out and threw a ball for the dog who comes up from the kennels to live with us each visit. Good way to warm up. 

Much muttering. Many trips in and out of the van as Mr Fix It rigged a single way tap. .A few trips to the back of the van to check the fridge pilot light and magically there was hot water.

You can be sure I checked the temperature before I ducked under this time.
Seriously I wonder what happened to quality in parts?  So many times the replacement part lasts less time than the original. Five years from the first tap. Twelve months from this one!



The rams enjoying the shade

Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move

Travel Memories. Derby Corroboree

During one of our trips across the north of WA we managed to be in Derby on the weekend of a cultural festival. Everywhere we went in town people were urging us to go that evening. I think it cost us $5 to park the car and it was one of most interesting evening we have ever had.

The local artist had displays, the schools kids had displays of work and craft and there was  an enormous variety of food and music. We attended the night of the children’s corroboree. There were mostly kids dances as well as performances by some of the very elderly elders. The kids were dressed up and took their roles seriously. 

The little children had glow sticks that they put around their necks and then they ran all over the grounds and climbed the trees. After dark there were circles of light in every tree, moving constantly and the air rang with giggles. They chased each other through the crowd, and across the arena.

K found me a seat to watch the dancing and went to get me food. A very nice indigenous lady decided she was my friend and was really impressed with kind, polite, and helpful man.  She was very keen to take us back to her camp for the night and show him off to her sisters. I think if I had not hung on really hard I might have lost K.

I was not teaching in remote schools at the time so this was my first look at indigenous  culture. I have since attended a couple of festivals but this one stands out because it was so friendly.



Party time. Dancing to the band.

 

We had a great night.

Have to go back sometime.

 

Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move