Roos, Gollars, Horses, Cows....Myella still!

Feeding the horses by truck...with the lads showing off on the bikes behind.
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Hieeeee, should be some more pics on the other entries if you're interested. From Wellington to Queenstown...some interesting outfits...

We're up at 6.30 again, I'm thinking I might not want to be a cowgirl if this is the norm. I have breakie with my new love George and we talk about scratching his feathers which is all he wants from me apparently.

By 7.30 I'm trying to get a chicken to stay out of the way whilst I take it's eggs and they're all making this funny noise like crying. Susie (English girl) tries to placate them by saying "Hello Ladies, now we're all girls here..no need to get violent." I'm a little worried they might attack me but Lin says it's ok cos they don't have teeth. Well that's reassuring then. And she's killed all the redbacks that were in there this morning. Great news.  Think I'll go milk a cow instead...

Bob and myself...yeeeharrrr!
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It's off for another ride this morning and I ask if I can change horses from that brute yesterday. This doesn't go down too well and the ranch hands look at me as if admitting defeat from an animal is the cardinal sin of cowgirls. I'm not doing very well at this I think. But Bob, my new horse is great and we get on like a house on fire. I even saddle him up myself and I'm very proud. We ride to the top of the hill that overlooks the whole area and the view is stunning. Along the way they tell us all about the local trees and plants and interestingly enough I think I'm going to get my first glimpse of a witchetty grub. But we can't find any and I'm gutted as I wanted to take a photo of one next to my toe to see if they really do look the same. (Sorry Sara). There's something called the itchetty grub too, this makes itching powder that can put you hospital. Whoa...! Aussie animals always do it to the max don't they. We're allowed to some cantering finally and this feels like the life of a real cowgirl. I'm galloping through the bush on a horse and it feels great! I love it!

Out Back...the trails.
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The ride lasts for 3hrs and everyone is utterly nackered. No one can even muster the energy for a swim! Lunch is truly fantastic and we all eat enough to sink a ship. Then it's time to decide what we want to do for the rest of the day. Having done the major attractions, Lin offers to take us into the bush to go spider, snake and lizard hunting. Wonderful I think...time to do a bit of Steve Irwin!

We start in the back garden and find a lizard which I have a hold of. Next we head up the property in the pickups with a load of grass for the horses. I stand in the back holding onto the bar of the cab and think how dangerous this is but love every minute of it. We drive round the plains throwing the grass out to the horses which charge after the trucks and it's one of the most amazing sites I've ever seen. Such beautiful animals all galloping after you...tis a wonderful thing to see.

This is my new boyfriend George.
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Later we find a scorpion in a hole and taunt it with a twig...well I don't. I leave it well alone and watch from a safe distance whilst a German lady prods the poor thing. Then it's home for afternoon tea and swims in the pool. We have a long game of volley ball between me, Ben and the Great Danes.

I give up the opportunity to see the sun set again in favor of the longest shower in the world which is very irresponsible in a drought area but hey...I was dirty. We have dinner and I fail to endear myself to Lin even further by telling her I read a lot of books. "Don't have much use for books out here...too busy." I'm never going to make a real cowgirl! I toy with the idea of staying for another day but find out it's quite expensive and I'm getting a funny feeling from the people here.

Big lizard.
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Lin tells me she likes it when the English are in a minority at the farm and it suddenly hits me...they really don't like the English. They don't pay any attention to Ben either and now I come to think of it the other English girls too. Ben agrees with me and I decide I no longer like Lin and am happy being a rubbish cowgirl.

After dins we have to go get some escaped cows in from the paddock so we head round the back of the house and get weylayed by the fantastic amount of stars. Lin starts to tell us some great star facts all of which I've forgotten, and we start to heard these big milk cows towards the farm.

Running horses!!! Brill!!
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"Awwwww...SHIT. The cows are on the lawn...Dad's gona kill us!!!" Lin shouts and I truly believe that Peter will kill us as he is the scariest man I've come across in a long time. We all run about trying to get these bloody things to go where they're meant to and I help by poking a big rump with a rake and frightening the life out of a calf. Job done.

I decide I'll go the next day with everyone else and Ben tells me about a place in Mackay up the coast that has a load of crazy people staying there. This is after I've booked into that same hostel he's talking about. Apparently there's a guy that gets ready for work every morning in a suit and sits down in front of the TV, going nowhere. Ben asked one resident (an Aussie guy) if he knew where the cinema was...the guy walks up to a map of Australia on the wall and frowns. "No mate...the cinema in town?" says Ben. The guy frowns again and puts his finger on the town of Makay.."Errrrr...no." says the crackpot! Anyway, I figure it'll be great blog foder if nothing else!

Roo pinched our crossword and finished it the bugger!
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Fri 27th Oct

By 7.30 I'm again out in the scrub, this time bringing in the horses by motorbike. This is great...feels like real mustering! Although I've forgotten how to change gear and the engine is making a lot of embarrassing squeals.

We saddle up for another ride and my backside is really not sure about this. After 3 days of constant pummeling and some possible thorns still lodged there it's crying out for a rest. This time we have a different guide that's willing to let us have a little gallop around a fenced in field so we don't get into too much trouble. I think he's being a little over cautious as I'm sure we've all got the hang of it now. I was wrong. I give Bob a little kick and...

This is a bottle tree...nice!
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"OHMIGODOHMIGODOHMIGOD.....!!!!! ARRRGGGHHHHH..."He shoots off faster than a bush fire and I'm hanging on for dear life. I'm not steering so we dart about all over the place and I nearly come off at every turn. Danny (Dane) falls off as his saddle slips and his horse disappears over the horizon with the guide chasing it! I manage to halt Bob. I decide the cowgirl thing is simply not working out.

After the plod home me and the Danes decide not to go back out again...we're done with the horse thing. So we check with Olive (Peter's wife) if it's ok to take the bikes out and she says, "Just make sure you you stick to the speed limits and the tracks." "Ok" I say, "I'll keep those boys in check," as they've been told off for going too fast before. "It's not the boys I'm worried about, you need to learn how to change gear. I heard you this morning!" I'm really not doing too well here. She narrows her eyes at me and I wonder if I might be on the menu for lunch.

Out Back...hot and then some!
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The ride is fabulous though, and the boys head off the track, go at least double the speed limit and of course, I have to keep up. I stall the bike in the middle of a very rough field and just manage to get it going again with my heart in my mouth thinking I'm soooooooo gona get it from Peter and Olive. Ben joins us and we have a good raz round before heading back for lunch and more water volley ball.

We pile in the bus back to Rocky and I leave Myella with mixed feelings...it was wonderful to pretend to be a cowgirl for a few days...even if I wasn't very good at it!

More horses running...was a very exciting moment for me hence a million pics!
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