Grumpy Greetings from "Gundy"

An angry sky looming and a river set to swell yet again  -  "Goondiwindi"

We set out to the new place with camper van in tow.  The van had been relegated to the farm years ago; unused and destined to remain that way.  Hubby decided we'd stay overnight in the camper and give our just-arrived from overseas daughter a  look at his new property in Goondiwindi.  The place is almost eleven thousand acres.  An undeveloped jewel of a place; waiting for a man with a vision.  The previous owners are beautiful people.  But they never really made use of the land and all it's amazing potential.  It's an astoundingly mammoth task. Is my Hubby up to the task? We'll see what unfolds. 

A quick supermarket stop in town and we headed out to our property, admiring all the impressive cotton plantations along the way.  Has there ever been a season this good?

The cows arrived only half an hour after we did.  It takes surprisingly little time to unload.  After a long trip they were well and truly into the grass.  Welcome to your new home girls - all 63 of you. Now, if we could only find another couple hundred to join you - the season is great and finding good cattle ain't easy. 

We set up camp.  It rained overnight. There were three drips in the van; what a nightmare.  How could three drips make such a mess.  One o'clock in the morning I needed a 'loo' trip.  I nearly slipped arse over head on the slippery floor; woke everyone up; jolted into action.   Containers under the drips; towels used as mops, zip up the screens.  We found we weren't prepared anywhere near enough.  It became cold and we were short on warm throws and blankets.  All night tussling over the odd blanket ensued.  

Heaps of things went wrong; claggy soil sticking to everything; motorbikes not starting; car getting bogged, van getting bogged, fish not biting, encounters with snakes and a hungry goanna, weather seeing us sweat then freeze then sweat again, etc etc.  My daughter found it all good fun and adventurous;  my son took it in his stride; Hubby always makes the best of any situation; but me; I became grumpy.  I just didn't see the funny side.  I think I'm getting too old for this. 

Nicole on the trusty old postie bike

Nicka loved the place.  Although we didn't get to see the property on the other side of the road.  It was way too wet and getting bogged was a certainty.  Nicka did however see that the photographic possibilities out here are endless.  The Australian Bush and all that goes with it.  The wildlife, the flora, the huge skies, subjects too great to list.  She can't wait to come back again, armed with her proper camera gear to go shooting.  I'm so looking forward to her landscape work out here.  For today at least, she was my subject.  I'm no photographer.  But it's pretty hard to go wrong when my subject is this beautiful.   

My arty daughter posing on the tractor.  At home she had loads of fun editing & creating a postcard effect.