All posts,  The Bush

Batching

I am sitting here right this minute, building up the courage to do something I never have before.

It’s not skydiving (are you nuts?).

It’s not walking on hot coals (done that!).

It’s not learning to crochet…

It’s driving the tractor and carrying a big round hay bale to a yard.

Sounds easy?  I have driven tractors before – in fact, I took the old girl in question (tractors are ALWAYS girls, don’t ask me why) for a drive yesterday.
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(late edit: found a pic of the tractor in question – she has lots of character and quite a few decades under her belt!)

I remembered many of her little idiosynchrasies – like the whole ‘clutch doesn’t really work’ thing.  And the ‘extremely loose steering’ thing.  And the ’15 goes to find reverse’ thing too.  These things I can cope with.

It’s the ‘getting the forks into the right gosh-darned position so can lift the bale up off the stack, reverse with it balanced on the prongs, and make it to the feeder in the yard without ending up with a bale of hay in my lap’ thing that has me concerned. The old dear just refused to get into the correct position for the job late yesterday and I gave up – leaving 12 bulls with just a little bit of feed to do them until this morning.  And now….

Well I HAVE to do it.

‘Cause I am batching.

You know – where your husband is not around?  Mr Incredible has been evicted to watch the First Test (cricket) for a couple of days with his mates (I sent him off – he deserved the break!).

But I have to say that I am suddenly feeling for every single single Mum out there (read it again, it does make sense!).  I can do the feeding of all the animals as well as all the peoples every morning and night (just).  I can work out how to rejig the mower so it cuts properly (a minor miracle actually, as I am mechanically challenged).  I can get the kids to bed, and clean up afterwards, and even manage some housework.  I admit that I am not enjoying the whole ‘totally responsible for the discipline’ thing.  I am a much better ‘good cop’ than I am ‘bad cop’.

I am stuffed, but I am managing.

I am however praying fervently that the water supply don’t give out while he is gone.  That no animals go and injure themselves or require any kind of urgent attention while he is not here to manhandle them into place.  That the television doesn’t have a conniption and need re-jigging.

These are HIS jobs.

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And while I do really enjoy my little spurts of time on my own – especially if it’s with a camera…

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There are really only so many jobs I can force the kids to take on, before Family Services gets involved.

(Just kidding – that drum is empty!)

So wish me luck, as I pull on my boots to kick ‘Chelsey the Chamberlain’ into action.  Yes I did name the tractor – and yes I AM such a girl sometimes.  I am hoping it’ll improve our relationship enough for her to coax that hay across to the hungry bulls.

Call the paramedics if you don’t hear from me in an hour, okay?

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