Animal Rescue - got nothing on me.

Lilly and I were riding around the edge of one of the dams looking for cast ewes or ones hiding in the grass. A movement in the water made me look over and I just assumed it was a fish flicking up. Another small movement at the bank made me stop the bike and look harder. This dam is one that is used for pumping – so has very steep banks and is not graduated – it goes to 20 feet deep very suddenly. The water had dropped a lot in the last month or so – so the waters edge lapped up against mini cliff faces – all of about 3 or 4 feet high. There huddled on a ledge no wider than a few inches wide was a tiny day old lamb. It must have been walking with its mother on the top of the bank and slipped. I can’t imagine how lucky it must have been to have landed on the ledge and not into the water and drowned.

The challenge in front of me was that this skittish lamb was sure to leap into the water and drown if it saw me approach. So commando style, I crawled up the bank and through the grass over the top above the lamb. I had to lay flat and reach down across the incline to a full stretch to be able to get close to the lamb. At the nano second I launched myself further to reach it, I hoped feverently that I would not lose grip on the ground and slide down into the freezing green depths of the dam – lamb in hand. Thankfully this didn’t happen, but I did end up with a struggling, mucus encased lamb in one hand and facing a precarious unbalanced position far too close to the dam waters than I had ever intended to be. A bit of belly crawling backwards saw me sitting on the dam bank covered in mud, gras stains and new lamb poo – but triumphantly with the lamb in arms. The poor little thing was wet and exhausted and I knew that its mother will have given up on it – so took it back to the orphanage – a special set of small pens in the shearing shed where all the orphaned and mis mothered lambs are taken. They are fed and within a few days hopefully matched up with a mother who has lost a lamb or one who can support another.

A special experience for me was to introduce birth to the kids. Mum brought one of the ewes into the hospital paddock – close to the orphanage. She had been cast for hours and had lost strength in trying to lamb. It was getting very dark when we checked on her again – hoping that in a safer spot she’d be able to finish herself. She wasn’t dilated enough and the lambs head was very big. The kids all looked as the legs and tiny nose showed. It took both mum and I to pull – and mum had to assist with the head to come out. The lamb slithered out and covered us in afterbirth. The kids eyes were as large as dinner plates as they watched – and to their credit none of them said yuck or gross.

We all rolled home dirty and smelly – another day on the farm – but a valuable lesson for the kids.

Pici of Jodi and Lilly on one of the bikes.

Off and Away

Hi - we are off camping and visiting folk for the next two weeks - so I will be posting after this.. ( and where we are going has NO internet.. urggggghhhhhh!)

Off to my Mum and Dads now - then camping at Girraween for 3 days, then up to Noosa to visit Jan, and then camping somewhere up there...the school holidys really aren't long enough!

Weddings and frills

We have just been to a beautiful wedding – that of Xanders mum and dad – Bec and Eli. Xander comes for sleep over when Donna comes to look after the kids for our rare date nights. Set overlooking the Brisbane River at Bulimba, they had a gorgeous backdrop for photos and for guests to enjoy quiet drinks and nibbles.

Bec arrived in a boat resplendent in a fitted red dress, he long hari twinned in ropes and tied with fresh daisies. She carried a possy of daisies and simply glowed. I haven’t been to a wedding for years an d listien to the vows again – the look on the young faces of that couple, eager and innocent, full of hope and joy.

Weddings really are a reflection on your own thoughts toward marriage –what you see in it – what your hopes are. I found myself bleary eyed, the tears constantly running. I can’t explain why or for what reason. Morgan made me laugh – he said loudly to Lily, Mummy isn’t sad – girls cry when they are happy. I was happy for Bec and Eli. Delighted that they had made their commitment in front of their friends and family.

My two monkeys looked great in their finest – Lilly proudly showing off her broken arm in her satin gown. I am glad I bought the gorgeous dress and Morgans matching waistcoat, bow tie and pants. We’ve used them for just about every good occasion and dinner we have been to for a year. Sad days ahead – in not too distant future – when they don’t fit any longer. The kids had a table to themselves. I am not sure how many kids the chef was expecting – but the food for them kept coming out – at last enough chips, crumbed chicken wings, nuggets and sausages to feed 50. After four soft drinks each, I had to put a stop on their sugar consumption. They were starting to go just a bit mad and wer peaking in their sugar high as the speeches were set to begin. Young Xander – bless his heart, told Lilly off for being so noisy during his dads speech.

One of the funny things that happened at the wedding was that I met one of my first art teachers. A red haired lady came round lighting the red candles at each table. Her precise and neat blouse and prim jewelry gave her away to me – 20 years on mind you. I approached her and asked if hshe were an art teacher and her eyes glittered with recognition. I spoke about my writing projects – in particular the Reclaim Sex after Birth one. Its funny – once you mention you are writing something in that genre – it allows often complete strangers to open up and tell you details of their sex life that would not normally ever be discussed this side of a bottle of rum.

I also met Donnas new boyfriend and he was everything I had expected – cheeky , chatty and delighted to be in the company of the very lovely Donna. It seems happiness is everywhere – and out of my many fiends – Donna is one who deserves as much as the universe can dish out.

We decided to leave after Xander and Lillys tiff and leave the cake cutting and rest of the speeches to be said in relative silence. It was well after 9 in any case – so coupled with a sugar high, I think they did well to get that far.