How unlucky can a person be? Think my perfume must be some sort of snake attractant ! With 8 people living here I am starting to get a bit of a "why me"complex ...
We were lucky to have some friends from Sydney pop in for the afternoon 2 days before Christmas. Feeling very countryfied and brave, we went for a walk to show our friends our property. We went through lots of long grass, and at times I even took the lead (which is a bit scary with all the slimy creatures around). Not a snake to be seen even though a beautiful hot day.
On return Dylan calls out that there is a Tiger snake (second dealiest in the world) under my car. Of course we can not find it anywhere until our friend commented that they heard a "hiss"coming from my engine. You've probably can imagine where this is going and yes thats correct- it was curled up in my engine. Worse still it had come from the veranda of Mum's house and Dylan had almost trodden on it.
Greg, my hero forever, turned on and reversed the car and the snake slid itself out from underneath and took off into the garden (so not ever gardening again!).
Chrstmas eve we go to get some chooks from a farmer and he recalls to us many a scary story of tiger snakes and their dealiness. Of course then I can't sleep as my mind plays tricks on me imagining that there is a snake in the bed, but I try and stop myself from paranoia and eventually drift off for a few hours before dawn.
The boys have a rubber life sized snake that they have been known to leave on the grass to freak me out (gotta love boys don't ya!), and Christmas morning whilst talking on the phone I walk out the door and across the front of my shed and and here is the bloody rubber snake beside my foot. I stop to double check only to realise this one has a different colour belly and I once again absolutely crap myself (sorry for the graphic language but terrifying scene here) and scream holy murder and run like a ,no doubt very graceful and fast athelete back into the shed. My scream caused the snake to head towards me, which freaked me even more as I only had sandals on. I spent the rest of the day in gumboots, inside and out, and think I will forever.
I hope this is just a spot of bad luck but by the time Greg and Dylan came to look for it, it was long gone. However as it was right next to my shed, which has a hole at the bottom wich can lead to inside, I am now even more paranoid its in my bed! Do you think I can buy anti venom on ebay to keep here???
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas
Gosh is it that time already? Really? I cannot believe as I sit here in my shed that it is the 22nd December. Probably has somehing to do with the fact that my mind and body doesn't know its December at all.
Is it because I sit here shivering in my shed house and I know December is Summer and I am used to being STINKING hot in Sydney? God I have only had ONE day here where I did not have a jacket on! Is it because it doesn't feel like that time of year yet?
Or do you think it could be due to the fact that we arrived here to start a new life at the end of September, so I feel like it is the beginning of the year? I am wondering why everyone is so burnt out and ready or a break where as I feel like its about March .
Perhaps its because half my stuff is still in boxes and I have no Christmas tree or many decorations.......
Lastly it could be that I am in denial as last December was without doubt the worst period I can remember with the loss of 2 very special people and the near loss of a complete stranger before me
Either way I am not ready for Christmas in any way but want to wish you all a fantastic Christmas and to let you know I am thinking of each and every one of you. I do very much look forward to seeing many of you next month when Dylan competes in Sydney at the Youth Olympics.
Sorry about not sending a card but by my calendar expect it about September 2009 - should feel like its Christmas time about then :)
Is it because I sit here shivering in my shed house and I know December is Summer and I am used to being STINKING hot in Sydney? God I have only had ONE day here where I did not have a jacket on! Is it because it doesn't feel like that time of year yet?
Or do you think it could be due to the fact that we arrived here to start a new life at the end of September, so I feel like it is the beginning of the year? I am wondering why everyone is so burnt out and ready or a break where as I feel like its about March .
Perhaps its because half my stuff is still in boxes and I have no Christmas tree or many decorations.......
Lastly it could be that I am in denial as last December was without doubt the worst period I can remember with the loss of 2 very special people and the near loss of a complete stranger before me
Either way I am not ready for Christmas in any way but want to wish you all a fantastic Christmas and to let you know I am thinking of each and every one of you. I do very much look forward to seeing many of you next month when Dylan competes in Sydney at the Youth Olympics.
Sorry about not sending a card but by my calendar expect it about September 2009 - should feel like its Christmas time about then :)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sheep rescue
For gods sake I don't even like sheep. I mean I love all animals - truly I do but some more than others and sheep.........well they are pretty much down the bottom of my pecking order. Koalas, possums, ducks, galahs and bunnies - and of course the devine cuteness of the platypus are of the highest order with the Paccas. I digress........
Anyway the boys had been down the creek area and found a sheep on its back and unable to get up. Either had fallen down the hill or been biten by a snake (lower in pecking order than sheep). We contacted the adjoining property owner , who leases his land to the sheep owner (Boo Hiss) who did apparently go looking and couldn't find it. Either he is blind or total dickhead (maybe both). He told owner of property sheep has gotten up and is ok so we are all happy :)
Connor, late in the afternoon, finds it still there and we can not do anything as it is dark and cold and dangerous. I racked my brains as to how I could fix this (did I mention I have a God complex?) and after much debate with self, decide best option is to ask different neighbour to bring quad bike and come have a look. Greg disappears at this point as later tells me I needed to do this myself (nice guy!).
So here I am on the back of a quad bike for the first time and trying to be cool and farm competent, so we ride on the bike and I hold on to the side bars - did not want to hang onto his waist and appear too girly! We get to the sheep and he stands her up and she eventually bears her own weight and we guess perhaps just got stuck and once she is back on her feet she will be ok. We put her (now called "DAISY") on the back of the quad lying down and I sit in front of her with her back legs in one hand and front in the other. Oh crap now I have to get close to stinky sheep and ride quad with no hands to hold on. Still I do it fine and do not complain and get a sore butt trying to hold on with my thighs ! I digress again....
Basically we nursed this sheep for 8 days. We hand fed her, covered her in a blanket, forced water down her thraot and even took her to the vet on day 6 and paid $107 , which now in Vic this is about 5 hours pay, but my higher self tells me I have the means to save her so I must. Day 8 after calls to 3 gatherer type neighbours (not hunters!) poor Daisy Doo Doo (new name) had to be shot. Cam and I in tears and a total mess, and now she has a lovely grave on the hill.
Moral of the story....don't rescue sheep! And yes everyone told me this .
Anyway the boys had been down the creek area and found a sheep on its back and unable to get up. Either had fallen down the hill or been biten by a snake (lower in pecking order than sheep). We contacted the adjoining property owner , who leases his land to the sheep owner (Boo Hiss) who did apparently go looking and couldn't find it. Either he is blind or total dickhead (maybe both). He told owner of property sheep has gotten up and is ok so we are all happy :)
Connor, late in the afternoon, finds it still there and we can not do anything as it is dark and cold and dangerous. I racked my brains as to how I could fix this (did I mention I have a God complex?) and after much debate with self, decide best option is to ask different neighbour to bring quad bike and come have a look. Greg disappears at this point as later tells me I needed to do this myself (nice guy!).
So here I am on the back of a quad bike for the first time and trying to be cool and farm competent, so we ride on the bike and I hold on to the side bars - did not want to hang onto his waist and appear too girly! We get to the sheep and he stands her up and she eventually bears her own weight and we guess perhaps just got stuck and once she is back on her feet she will be ok. We put her (now called "DAISY") on the back of the quad lying down and I sit in front of her with her back legs in one hand and front in the other. Oh crap now I have to get close to stinky sheep and ride quad with no hands to hold on. Still I do it fine and do not complain and get a sore butt trying to hold on with my thighs ! I digress again....
Basically we nursed this sheep for 8 days. We hand fed her, covered her in a blanket, forced water down her thraot and even took her to the vet on day 6 and paid $107 , which now in Vic this is about 5 hours pay, but my higher self tells me I have the means to save her so I must. Day 8 after calls to 3 gatherer type neighbours (not hunters!) poor Daisy Doo Doo (new name) had to be shot. Cam and I in tears and a total mess, and now she has a lovely grave on the hill.
Moral of the story....don't rescue sheep! And yes everyone told me this .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
