I have forgotten just how many times we traveled between Adelaide and Naracoorte between 23rd Dec and 10th Jan, we got a bit dizzy! One way takes about 4 1/2 hours, so you do need the occasional break and we got to know the characters in the roadside cafes very well. On our last trip back down here we walked in to one and were greeted with 'One black tea and one weak long black is it?' I think they are going to miss our regular custom.
On to our sleeping arrangements..... Rick was very lucky in that he had his swag. For all the uninitiated, swags are like a one man tent mated with a sleeping bag and a thick pad/mattress to lay on, all in one, very easy to erect and fold away. They are very neat, water proof and can also have mozzi nets fitted. I have to say I will be getting one just as soon as I have saved up enough dollars.
In total contrast I had a lilo or as they are referred to here an air mattress. I decided to call her LiloLil in an attempt to make friends with it. I have to mention she looks pretty innocent, is single (very slim) but not long enough for me so goodness knows how Rick would have slept on her! Every night was an adventure, I never knew where I would wake up. We slept one night on the lounge floor, trying to escape the smell of the freshly painted bedroom. Heads towards the fire place, enough of a ridge we thought to hopefully stop me on my not so magic lilo moving around too much. I woke up with my head in the fire place.... lucky I did or I may well have ended up in the cooling unit! It was really funny and after many nights of sleep interrupted trying to get comfortable it really does make you appreciate a real bed even more than normal.
After lots of gardening, cleaning and decorating the house looked like new so it was worth the effort. We took some time off for a quick visit to the CBD and we found this
Very large cockroach in Rundle Mall
We are still a little puzzled as to why, though it is a very clever piece of art.
And then finally it was all done and we were at last here and unpacking, getting used to our new temporary home and all it's characteristics.
Quite a few 'things' need to be sorted out but it is very livable and very quickly it feels like home. We have the benefit of living on top of a hill. Though you have to try hard to remember it really is a benefit after a relaxing evening with Deb and Robert as the hill really does get steeper when you're walking home that relaxed.
Our first Saturday here and Deb suggested we may like to help round up some sheep for her brother-in-law to shear. Well that sounded like fun so we duly turned up at Kakado's property (everyone here has a nickname) and soon discovered it was going to take some time finding the sheep. The backyard turned out to be quite a few acres of bracken covered land, which was high enough for the sheep to hide in. After a couple of action packed hours we had found most of the flock and got them into the shearing yard. 5 of the craftiest ones escaped, I'm sure they were sniggering as they ran for cover under the bracken.
Pete set too getting off their fleeces and Deb showed me how to skirt a fleece. Skirting is pulling off the 'daggy bits' which reduce the price of the fleece, these bits need extra cleaning and are put in a different sack. Once I'd mastered that she then tried very hard (her patience is amazing) to teach me how to gather a fleece after it had been removed from the sheep. You have limited time to do that in as it is a bit of a conveyor belt in the shearing shed. So you pull out the legs and gather the rest of fleece on top, making sure the rump is on the top, hold onto the 'back legs', scoop them under the rest of the fleece, pick the whole thing up. Move (with speed) to the wool table and throw the whole thing (whilst still hanging on the the back legs) onto the table. I mistakenly let go of it all and it almost ended up over the fence. It then needs to be skirted, put in a sack and before you know it you're on to the next one.
A bit of trivia - Shearing used to be an all man affair so if a female went into the shed for any reason the cry of 'Ducks on the water' was heard.
In the growing heat we still needed to find the rest of the flock, which we eventually did. It only took 7 people, two dogs and a UTE and lots of patience but boy was it funny. I'm sure had the sheep realised they were going to be de-fleeced and more comfortable they might have given in more gracefully.
Sunday we headed off quite a few kilometers out of town to meet another of Deb and Roberts friends. This chap lives in 86 acres surrounded by beautiful native flora and fauna. He very generously showed us this little beauty
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| A very rare orchid, only one of 200 actually flowering now. |
It might be man-made but it is very a very peaceful and tranquil creek.
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