School Holidays

Yes, school's been back a week here in Queensland, and its taken this long to get around to sharing our adventures or lack thereof. Restful isn't a term I would use for the July holidays this year, nor one in which cleaning, organisation or catching up were a part of....

Instead we did a bit of this: (hover over pic for details)

And quite a bit of this:

   

Weaners were processed, with the help of PeterFinlay who stepped in to help when we were short handed; Kate took control of the drafting pen levers and mum did the miles penning up and yelling BUSH (or otherwise) a zillion times (BUSH meaning which gate I wanted opened). And the drafter also got to be no 1 offsider putting cows into a fresh paddock.

No 2 offsider went with dad and "learnt" how to drive during a very sloooow and loooong drive behind weaners down the laneway. Style and co-ordination need practise :-)

And then we did it all over again the next day and the next day, vaccinating the cows for botulism, taking off weaners, branding some stragglers and then sending them bush.

We also did some of this, just for a change...(but in a different location!)

Weighed some steers and lamented the state of the season and the cattle market.....

Packed a few fatties on that front double decked trailer there and sent them on their merry way...

Took a break to admire brothers bogged loader at the bottom of a very deep hole,  one he wasn't going to be digging himself out of with that piddly little shovel (wishful thinking on his part?)

After that little adventure, we resumed normal programming and went back to this:

The horses and truck drivers not getting my memo about photographic composition, after filling the trucks with steers bound for Condamine. (no drama involving rain nor traffic accidents in this years loading).

After these nearly two weeks of driving, back and forth and chasing cows and myself and running perilously low on clean undies (never fear, a clean forgotten stash was found waiting in the clothes dryer) my expected day at home resulted in more time spent here:

  Back in the yards to tidy up those weaners we took off the week before. Joyous times, I tell you. Especially when, taking pity on the dogs who had a fair bit of pen time and taking them for a jaunt, they found something very very dead to roll in. That was a really special trip home, with the dogs in the back of the wagon. 

Yes, that pretty much covers the school holidays, with lots of dusty and dirty washing processed in flurries, and many mismatched socks worn and quite a bit of cranky mum each morning when chores were to be done before leaving. But, at the end of the day, they almost always ended like this:

Tired, dirty, happy little faces.