Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars
I'm in Australia in central west NSW in a place called Peak Hill which is where my parents live. They own and run the Country Roads Motor Inn as well as the farm where I grew up, which is a 30 min drive away. I really did forget how awful the flight to Australia is. So long and Antoinette and I managed to get on the same flights but couldn't sit next to each other for the 2nd (and longest) leg which was a bit of a bummer. We kpt meeting in the back for a drink and to exchange movie tips.
My Mum, 2 brothers and my niece picked me up at the airport and then we headed back to Tim's house so I could have a shower and then into the car for the 5.5 hour drive to get to Peak Hill. Nothing happens in this town. I went swimming in the local pool and I was the only person in there for the majority of the 2 hour session. I have also started running at night because I am not going to get stabbed or mugged, in fact in a 90 min run I will only see anywhere between 1 - 4 cars. I love running at night, I used to do it when I lived in Sydney but I don't feel safe doing it in London. There is something special abut being able to run out here without liht pollution and the stars are so bright. There will be a full moon tomorrow so the moon casts a shadow and provides enough light that I won't step on a snake :)
I went to a sheep sale with my Dad on Wednesday in Narromine, it has been years since I had last been. So what happens is that all the different lots of sheep are penned up with a sign saying what breed they are, how many of them, if they are in lamb or not, approx age and where they are from. The auctioners and their 3-4 sidekicks get in there with them and get them all moving around. One of the sidekicks does an intro basically saying the info above and adding his own flavour. Then the auctioner takes over and the bidding begins. Some of the things they say are so funny. On of the intros the guy was calling attention to the large frame and solid back legs on one pen of ewe's and said 'put them on some good pasture and they will grow as big as elephants'. The funniest part is that no one takes any notice of them, they just want to get their sheep for the cheapest possible price. My Dad was bidding on a couple of different lots, so one of the helpers latch on to anyone bidding and start whispering things like 'show your strength' when you get a bid against you to try and up the prices. Obviously these guys are on commission and they want to showthey sell the best to get more clients. There are generally 3-4 different agents selling so they are in competition with each other. Its really interesting to watch, it is really difficult to work out who is bidding it is so subtle with a slight nod or a finger being lifted being the sign. This isall happening with the auctioner screaming out and the helpers throwing in bits and pieces.
We bought 296 ewes, majority of them already pregnant. Once the bidding is done the 'ambulance chasers' arrive. These are the guys who cart your stock from the sale yards to the farm for a price per KM. They start out by talking about how the cost of fuel is going up to soften the blow of the cost of transporting them. You really are kind of held to ransom because you have to get your sheep home and they know it. A fun day, I'll post the pictures at some point. I stuck out like a sore thunb with my white t-shirt, versace sunglasses, Tommy jeans and ballet pumps. They certainly didn't come home the same colour. Everything was covered in red dust.
I went of to Orange which is a 90 min drive away to see a friend Paul who is a pilot and doing some work in the area. I hadn't seen him in 6 years and it was amazing seeing him. He hasn't changed a bit :) I also met Nick who is the navigator and got to hear about Nick's son Dominic who is dominating the under 21's cross country scene having just won a race in London and heading to the world champs in a week in Scotland. The boy has done some impressive times such as a 8.09 3000m. Fast!! I can only dream!!
The weekend should be great, Tim is bringing his fiancee Sue for the weekend, Andrew is also coming home and we will have Bellah for a few days, so lots more peek a boo games :) Paul and Nick are als coming for lunch along with my aunt and uncle and cousin so a full house.
Bed time for me. Have fun and have a great Easter
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