All posts,  The Bush

Bulls, butts and counting blessings…

It’s easy for us to start taking the great things in our lives for granted, isn’t it?

When we get so hectic and frantic and busy in our lives, we sometimes fail to properly absorb the very things that make our own world so special.

I know I get like that – when the washing pile and the bills and the ‘in tray’ start overflowing… it’s why I take photos really.

The following series was shot in an hour – on Mother’s Day, as we mustered and treated some bulls to prepare them to travel to a ‘tick free’ area.

Not a job that sounds awfully beautiful, is it?
bulls_6022 eThe bulls in the Bull Paddock working their way into water mid-morning. (The mill and trough are out of shot to the right).

bulls_6029 eDash poking along quietly on ‘Chimmy’…

bulls_6030 eDash likes to chat. Doesn’t matter if no other human is around… his dog Diamond is in on many conversations…

bulls_6031 eI wonder if she is following instruction here?

bulls_6035 eMy husband on Trooper tailing in more bulls from the northern fenceline…

bulls_6058 eBulls in lovely paddock condition heading over a rise towards the yards…  perhaps you have to have worked with beef cattle to be able to admire those bottoms. I don’t know.  Trying to look through my ‘city eyes’ I can see that perhaps some nappy wipes might come in useful. Heh.

bulls_6063 eHubs and his team of helpers – Jet, Dani, Diamond (the ring-in) and Cruel.

bulls_6067 eViolet and Dash helping push the boys along.  It was a glorious bush Autumn day… you can almost SEE how clean that air is!
bulls_6099 eDo you know that I have hand-fed each and every one of these big boys? (The ones in the foreground!)

bulls_6092 e

It’s true – as weaners (straight off their mums) I bring them all home and spend time with our bull calves (and heifers too) in the yards, making sure they have decent temperaments.  It’s one of my favourite things to do – a time of year that coming up again very soon!

bulls_6100 e

Yards in sight, and the boys happily checking out the bulls.  I cannot tell you how relieved we are still feel after the very late rain this season.  I cannot let myself imagine what this same scene might have looked like otherwise…

bulls_6108 eA cool drink for the horses at a small trough in the laneway before the yards…

bulls_6112 eI wasn’t privvy to the trough-side banter, but apparently my husband was being amusing…bulls_6110 e

He does it with a very deadpan expression.  Makes him even funnier.

Then the drafting out commences… the kids ADORE this part.

bulls_6147 eViolet gets almost lost among all those bulls – I admit looking at this pic it does look a little scary, but she is never nervous and while the bulls do have the occasional dust-up amongst themselves, they always manage to avoid the horses.

bulls_6148 eShe follows her bull through the mob…

And OUT.bulls_6152 e Nice work!

bulls_6150 eCal got gate duties this time… Dash and Violet had to take turns, except Violet kept forgetting to share.

bulls_6169 eDash finally got a look in, and he and Chimmy showed their skills…

bulls_6136 eChimmy has some skills and put in some great turns – Dash stayed on top, which is always a bonus!

bulls_6142 eAnd what did I do, to help, I hear you ask?

Well, you know, I TOOK PHOTOS.

I called out encouraging things to the riders.

And… I checked out the mob for temperament issues.

bul;ls_6141 e All good here!

I am a vital cog in the action.  (Said she with a perfectly straight face).

😉

 

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