Archive for July, 2007

Sheepish guests!

 
This is what happens when you leave the door open at our place!

Spam Lamb, our pet sheep is so bonded to me, she will go anywhere to track me down!

Our neighbours had come over for tea and as I was dishing up, we discovered we had two extra for dinner — Spam Lamb and her baby lamb!

Player’s review

 
People often ask me where I get my ideas from. You only have to go to one of our footy functions to get the best in Aussie humour, culture and community!

Here’s Gus and Wonky hosting the player’s review … “On the Couch with Mike and Caroline”.

Wonky is of course ‘Caroline’. He looks so good in a frock!

He’s interviewing John’s brother, Ben who was billed as Australia’s Air-bullriding champion.

Our mob at the Woodsdale Hall had a huge night!

To top it all we had a camera crew there who are making a documentary on country football, called Alive and Kicking for SBS TV, so you’ll be able to see some of the antics for yourself in 2008.

Woodsdale Team Photo

 
Last Saturday our team, Woodsdale, played Ross.

Before the boys ran on the field/paddock they got together for a team photo. Here’s our lot.

What a fine bunch of country boys! Yay team! (They are all laughing really hard because the captain suggested a title for a new book.) Too crass to print here — but it would not be a seller, trust me!

Cowcam

My little two year old filly, Marigold has never seen cows before.

This is her first glimpse of our new herd close up on Dad’s farm.

I rode over to Dad’s on Sunday to move sheep and decided to stop by the cows.

Marigold is an Australian Stockhorse so once used to them, she should have the natural instinct to herd them.

If left in a paddock with sheep, she will round them up.

Edith joins the mounted police!

To celebrate the birthdays of John and his brother Ben’s this month, Ben and wife, Fi flew over from Victoria for the weekend.

It was a chance to play with John’s new birthday present … handheld radios!

Ben, a member of the Victorian Police Force, gave us his best copper-speak while riding Edith.

We were on a ‘code one’ — which was patrol. But in Ben and Edith’s case, it was sheep patrol — not street patrol.

No one was arrested.

It’s truffle time!

Here’s Tiny, my trusty sniffer dog with his very first truffle for the 2007 season. Yay!

It was a soaking wet day and we were covered in vibrant red northern Tasmanian soil that looks good enough to eat.

The truffle in the bag may look like a wombat poo — but these little black blobs fetch anywhere up to $3,000 a kilo in high-end restaurants round the world.

I love the job. It’s a chance to scrabble around in dirt and muck about with dogs for two days … and hang out with the truffle girls … a great team. We have loads of laughs and the 2.5 hour drive home is perfect solo time for me to dream up characters for my fourth novel.

Natural Farming

I’m reading a great book at the moment called Natural Farming by Pat Coleby.

She’s almost 80 and has a lifetime of farming experience and some really interesting views on Australian soils and animal health. A

s a result of her book, John and I are trialling her recipe of a basic stock lick made up of natural minerals.

So far our sheep, horses and cattle have been offered it and as you can see from the photo, Marigold is enjoying it.

If you are on the land, have a vege garden or a family who you feed — this book is for you — a real eye-opener to the problems with our soils and our food systems.

This (inclement) Tasmania

We’ve got a day in town tomorrow (Gotta get the chainsaw fixed and drop a swede or two into my trusty webmaster Allan.)

One click on thisTasmania and we can see what the weather’s like from the live weather cam to give us a clue what to wear and if it’s fine enough to take the kids to the park.

It also gives a lovely view of Hobart — one described in my latest novel The Rouseabout when Kate drives her daughter Nell into town.

I’ve also started an occasional ‘Letter from the country’ for thisTasmania. Read the first one here.

Fancy pants riding!

Here’s our own home grown Tassie girl, Alice, at her very first trick riding school near Sydney on one of Heath Harris’s horses.

Even though she’s just 13, Alice starred at Heath Harris’ training complex as a novice trick rider student.

Now she’s home, Alice will be taking on our Waler, Edith to practice her tricks!

Come back soon to see more of Alice & Edith’s tricks

Teaching an old horse new tricks

 
Here’s our friend and neighbour (neigh!) Pru with her ex-race horse, Westhighland Way.

Pru and ’Westy’ have been attending horse courses at Heath and Krissy Harris’. T

he Harris’ have extensive experience in training horses for movies and has credits as long as Westy’s thoroughbred legs.

A few years ago, Pru’s Westy nearly made it to the Melbourne Cup, but injured himself in his stable before the race.

Now, in his new life, he’s found his own kind of stardom with Pru.

We think they’re stars!