A day in my life …
Life is about to ramp up significantly here again – our annual branding begins next week, and with seven mouths to feed nightly, seven (big and little) workmen (and women) to feed and water daily, and a few hundred calves to tag, identify, assess, record and mother-up each day also… well let’s just say the blogging will be light on. So I thought I’d share an entire day (well a selection of highlights from a day) with you as sort of an advance apology.
You ready for a Whole Day of BB? Caffeine at the ready? Toilet breaks completed? Alrighty then…
Yesterday was a ‘paddock’ day for me. I thought I was going up the paddock (about 20km from home), after finishing breakfast and feeding poddies, to let the kids to have a horse-ride for a couple of hours. I ended up being away for almost seven hours in the toe-curling heat of a Queensland summer day.
We arrived at the ‘Top Yard’s at 9.15am – just in time for smoko. (Which is NOT about smoking, but about hot tea and biscuits and cake). Then the boys got to sorting out the cows they had already mustered… shall we see?
Okay, so that is a fungus-y gate. Groovy, no?
It was on the WAY to the yard where the action was…
Here they are – Mr Incredible on Trooper, selecting a cow from the mob.
See how the cow’s tails are all aloft – they are feeling very well and skippy, these girls.
This one is looking for a way back to the mob – probably has a girlfriend there she doesn’t want to leave. Trooper is watching her carefully – he is a very athletic horse but abhors it when the cattle get too close to him. He can skip sideways like a deer. Which is much funnier for me than it is for my husband.
Heh.
FYI the cow went where she was supposed to. And her friend probably ended up going with her too – if only you could explain these things to cows, they’d be much more cooperative!
Here is Violet carefully watching Daddy at work.
She is a real little sponge, this one. Loves her riding – as long as there are no cranky bulls around to shake their heads at her!
Dash is less keen for the mustering… well, actually, once he is saddled up and aboard he LOVES it. But getting him there… hard work for Mum. And Dad…
I don’t know why – he and Pickles have their own Mutual Admiration Society. Awww…
Here are two workdogs… they really want to be in the thick of the action. Their contribution, however, would be less than appreciated at this point.
You can see Bess’s thought bubble:
I might be thinking naughty,bad thoughts, but you cannot prove a thing!
I helped the boys process the cows – running them through a narrow race past an electronic reader to ensure all were properly identified with their electronic eartags. I did this in the full sun, in a sleeveless top. I really should know better. My overheated shoulders and grimy dial rudely reminded me that long sleeves are mandatory out here, and that sunscreen attracts dust like a magnet. Hopefully the combination of the two layers prevented any serious sunburn.
Sure was an ordinary look in the rearview mirror though!
Then the kids helped Pagi (my Dad) and Lila (our neighbour who helps out sometimes) walk* one mob of cows to another set of yards. (*riders guide them, as a herd, to a new destination along roads and fencelines.)
I delivered lunchboxes and water bottles to the riders’ next stopping point, while Mr Incredible delivered other cattle to various locations with the truck. I had orders to meet him at a certain windmill. he was a little late.
So what do you think I did while I was waiting?
Well yes. Of course. I got all Nikon-y with it. I reckon windmills are VERY groovy things with all their angles and lines and ‘spinny bits’. I got a sore neck taking photos from THIS angle..
A bokeh’d mill…
And slowing that shutter speed to catch the movement…
Fun!
Once I had hubs all fed and watered too, we headed to the yards to meet the drovers.
My Dad riding with Brangus cows, past Granite Rocks. In. His. Element.
The kids bringing in the tail of the mob…
Dash and Pickles certainly don’t get blood pressure with their rounding up techniques… mind you, it was Seriously HOT. The kind of heat that almost hurts to breathe in. A LOT of water was inhaled throughout the day – by the end, no-one cared if it was cold or warm water in the bottle. Wet was good enough.
I had to share this Blue Gum tree trunk, which stands near the yards the mob was heading to.
It is ENORMOUS. And VERY gnarly. Utterly groovy, man.
Once the cattle were safely in the yards, with access to a drink, we piled into vehicles and drove the 30km home again.
To immediately plunge into a tepid pool and attempt to cool our sweating bodies down. (A quick glance at the thermometre told me it was over 40C (104F) INSIDE my kitchen.) I don’t want to think about the sludge (a combo of sunscreen and dust and sweat) that washed into the pool – and you don’t need to see photos of me in my bathers. It happened. Trust me. I could have stayed there all night.
Unfortunately, two poddies, six horses, five dogs, one cate and four humans needed feeding. So we hauled our reluctant bones from the water and ticked off those chores before dark.
And while the corned meat and mashed spud was cooking (something easy for a weary cook), and the icy cold chardonnay was working at cooling my INSIDES down, I noticed THIS going on outside.
So I did what I do, and recorded it for y’all…
Twas marvellous.
Even my gritty eyes appreciated every second of this light show.
We ate, I worked photos, failed to complete the washing up and then fell into bed.
So there you go.
A day in the life of… Bush Babe.
Would love to see what happens in YOUR day?
How bout it?
Do share links if you are up for the challenge…
16 Comments
Florence
You BB are one AWESOME chick.
Love your blogs they are so real, it makes us all feel involved. Only we stay cool and clean.
Gretchen in KS
Lovely photos, and I can almost feel the warmth (it’s hovering in the range of freezing ‘roun’ here) both from the pictures and the words. And you make me very tempted to start my own blog, sometimes. Suppose I need to look up to see if Comedy of Errors is already taken. 😉
Georgie
Thanks BB – this is my day too!! Different names, different horses, but this has been my week – and I LOVE it … 🙂 Thanks for sharing the loves of your life with us all – and stay cool
Mummaducka
My day started with a snake on the verandah trying to kill a dog, or rather the other way around, then a think about it and then 8 hours of mowing, the lawn 1.5 hours, and the rest the surrounding paddock, and I’m only half done!
Mummaducka´s last blog post ..The latest toy
Bill
BB, is it true? Those last couple of shots are actually dish water in the sink and you photo shopped them to look like sunsets?
my, oh my, oh my goodness I’m glad that you had a fun day.
JulieinOz
Thanks for the insight BB…you have a lovely style of writing that keeps me glued to the screen. Cant stop til the end then I read it again. Thats pretty good considering most of my books have book marks in them! Never finished! Should have taken your advice and got a chardy before I started reading!!!
The sunset photos are just plain gorgeous…and how come we dont hear more about the working dogs? I love to watch them and the horses work…impressive and rather goose-bumpily. But being in the city I have to wait for the Easter Show to be able to watch them…pretty sad huh!
The incredible heat up your way made the news here tonight…feeling very sympathetic and thinking of you all. Take it easy, stay as cool as possible and please give us another ‘day in my life’ as soon as you can.
Brigitte
Well, that was quite a day you had. Nothing like that around here. Especially not the heat; Poor you! It’s still winter over here – well, sort of – as temperatures haven’t been below 5°C so far. No snow like last year. Phew.
Global warming, that’s what they tell us.
Spent the day cleaning and emptying boxes as we bought a holiday home and moved some stuff there.
But BB, how do you cope cooking for all those people, ALL the time. You have my utmost admiration there; love to see a blog on what you cook. Will swap recipes with you.:)
Leenie
My blue cold fingers and toes thank you for the virtual warming. My head wants to be there on one of those horses. My rear doesn’t. Hope the branding and laundry goes well for you.
Leenie´s last blog post ..THE EAGLE HAS LANDED…and LEFT WITH FISH
Colin (HB)
Yep BB – Summer has arrived with a vengeance – well it had to come sometime.
Getting away with a coolish December was great – BUT – I am now dreading February!
Today off to the movies to see “The Iron Lady” and if it is a furnace outside after this movie, I will have to see another one, if it is a good one?
How I hate the heat at night with absolutely no breeze. I think I would get a banana bed and sleep (?) in that pool of yours! ha ha.
Have fun with the branding etc.
Colin
JENNY TALIA
Drool. Must visit again when I have my own big girl camera.
So you can take some pics like these. And I’ll say I did it…lol!
x
JENNY TALIA´s last blog post ..a lesson in bananas
pencil writer
LOVE the bottle tree! Yes. Very gnarly! And WOW! LOVE the setting sun pics! I hate the heat for you. I know our past summer was murderously hot like that for over two full months. Prayers for cool breezes, etc, for you all!
Lou
Sounds like a great day. I can’t wait for our next visit to come around.
Margie from New York
Your day looks very exciting and lots of fun, though the heat not so much. I think I’m going to start having a smoko. Cake, biscuits and tea sound good now. Though if I have a smoko every day, might put some more fat on my butt. As I don’t do as much physical activity as your cowboys, I know you don’t call the cowboys, but I can’t think of what you do call them at the moment. 🙂 So maybe smokos are out for me.
It is about 46F degrees here in NY that’s 7c to you guys. Actual nice out, no snow, though weather man says freezing rain and sleet tonight, up on the mountain where we are more than likely we will have some snow. Johnny Reb better break out the snow shovel as Margie from New York does not shovel.
debby
I love your days. Mostly what I love about your days is that you seem to fit in them. Sometimes I despair of ‘fitting’ anywhere at all.
debby´s last blog post ..Purposeful Intervention
Oopsiemumma
Those smokos of yours have added about 3kgs to my hips! So glad the mustering was AFTER our little visit. Thinking of you during the branding. Hope it’s not too messy! xo
Oopsiemumma´s last blog post ..New Yrs resolutions Oopsiemumma style
KAddy
So jealous!