Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Camera-less adventures

yes I KNOW. I did it again. Left my camera at home.

Like the title suggests, the past few days have been busy, and filled with all kinds of adventures and "fun".

The end of sports day saw me bring home four (had a spare!) tired children clutching a handful of ribbons each, and the start of the school holidays.

Before 7:30 the next morning aforementioned tired children, and their horses, were loaded into a truck heading off to my parents place, where a yard full of cattle demanded our attention. During Sports Day, The Husband and various other family members and friends, went mustering, and I am pleased that I wasn't there after hearing reports of the action of the day.  Luckily, a helicopter turned up when things were looking a little...pear shaped. Oh! for a camera!

Mind you, had I been there, I have no doubt that I would not have had a chance to take any photos!

So, we drafted the cattle  - sorting out the ones to sell and the ones to go back to the paddock. Fairly drama free, and I got the easy job (ie sitting in the shade!) of recording their weights as they went across the scales.

The girls and I then got to take the non-sale cattle back to their paddock on our horses, which was great adventure for the girls. Oh how I wish I had my camera - they looked so cute all mounted up and serious about the job at hand. Georgie managed to fall up in the best possible way - without injury or tears, and I didn't even get off my own horse - I reached down and grabbed her and plumped her back on her pony, and off we went again.

The real adventure started on Sunday: Oh how I wish I had my camera! The sale cattle were to be loaded onto a double deck road train and be on their way before dark. Just as we started to load the cattle, it rained. We got soaking wet. Just as the last beast went on the truck, it stopped raining. (insert appropriate swear words). We took the truck driver for a nice cup of tea (and to calm the nerves of all concerned - many thousands of dollars of cattle standing on that truck, and our income for the next 12 months!)  and waited for the ground to dry out a bit. So after smoko and ruminating on world matters, it was decided to "give it a go". The truck and its three trailers moved maybe 40 metres, before the heavy ground won. Graders and tractors were fired up, and after much male head scratching and discussion, one trailer was unhooked and with the use of all motorised horsepower available, the truck and two trailers crawled away from the yards and down the flat. Our body truck was brought in to move the third trailer, however it too needed a tow - all this watched by an avid audience of kids, Granma and myself (not being of any use in proceedings whatsoever) a safe distance away from the action.

Finally, just after sunset, the two trucks drove off under their own steam, and under one kilometre down the road they were kicking up dust. I believe that truck driver might have been having words with God and his sense of humour as he hooked his third trailer back on!

I am pleased to report that the cattle made it to their destination safely, and in around 90 days I would imagine they will be gracing a supermarket shelf somewhere (the trials we have to go through to get the food to your table!)

Today I am undertaking far less adventuresome activities like washing, stripping beds and wondering where the month of April has gone as I have to do a BAS sometime in the very near future! I don't think I need photograph any of these tasks....

Speaking of tasks at hand, I hear the washing machine calling me. I best go and empty it, and refill it...again and again. Horoo!

5 comments:

  1. Hats off to you. Thanks to amazing people like you us city folk get great quality AUSTRALIAN beef...Thank you my dear country friend xxx

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  2. Oh Sharon, I can well imagine the frustration. So pleased it all ended well. Six decks! We talk in body loads down here on our 'hobby farms'! And I guess you still haven't had much in the way of decent rain, I shouldn't tell you but we measured another 35 mm yesterday. Very wet ground everywhere.
    If I don't talk to you beforehand, have a lovely Easter.
    PS. And don't forget your camera!

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  3. I am grateful for all that our primary producers go through to ensure such fantastic quality for us city slickers to eat - your efforts do not go unnoticed over here! :-)

    Now .. next time, DON'T forget the camera!

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  4. Your words paint a great picture of country life but some camera shots would have been tops. It is always the way, no camera when classic shots appear in front of you. I enjoyed browsing through your blog. Thank you for the work that you do to get the meat into the shops. Its a shame the supermarkets rip us off and you too probably.

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  5. What a great story, and although this is not your typical day, it is amazing how a day differs from one part of the country to the other. You should be proud of what you do. I was proud to take my kids to the RAS (Easter Show) and explain to them about all the processes their food goes through to get to them. I loved taking them to the dairy. My Aunty and Uncle used to be dairy farmers, and it is amazing to think that that milk went all over the counrty. They now farm Limousins. And I loved the cows when I was a kid.

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