Hobbling North in Faith

Six weeks since AJ injured his back. The initial three weeks spent in our friends’ house in Tandur were a blur. But it gave us the opportunity to get used to new routines and requirements as a result of AJ’s injury. We will forever be grateful to them for making it possible for us to stay.

All too soon it was time to move on. A helpful friend from church came to our rescue to tow the caravan to our in-law’s property outside Gympie. I was not confident enough to do it myself. That was a huge blessing. I had it hitched and prepped for him with AJ’s verbal assistance … a first for me. (It was time I learned what he does, wasn’t it?!) 

We then moved into the van for 4 nights where it was parked on a driveway in front of the house. 

I had a bad cough, our in-laws were ill with the same bug, and so were our children and family over the hill, from whom we had all picked up the bug. Consequently, we embarked on the road trip from  Gympie to Rockhampton without seeing any of them to say goodbye. 😒

I cannot begin to describe the process of deciding what to take along and what to leave in the caravan. That final morning was hectic – packing the car and making sure the van was in storage mode. AJ, still in extreme pain, couldn’t do a thing and was super frustrated at having to watch. The doctor had warned us to stop often. Along with my loathing of the Bruce highway, and the doctor's warning, there was enough excuse to stop overnight after only two hours of driving. 😅 AJ, being heavily medicated and with movement severely restricted, could not drive, so all the driving was mine to do. 

The first stop was at a B & B … a charming place in a little hamlet called Apple Tree Creek. We arrived at about 3 pm and spent the rest of the afternoon just chilling and enjoying the local wildlife outside the cottage. Until then, AJ had never slept through a night since injuring his back. Never longer than 2-4 hours. That night he slept through for the first time! We rejoiced. They reckoned they would use it as a marketing tool … “Man with back injury slept a full night in comfort on our cottage bed.” 😄 Here are some pics of our stay and the gardens.

We left at 10 am the next day and arrived at Gin Gin 30 mins later, where we stopped for tea. The country town bakeries all vie for awards; one bakery’s pies and sausage rolls outdo the next. AJ reckoned that Gin Gin Bakery’s sausage roll was the best he’s had! Ever! 😄

Moving on, we arrived at Miriam Vale in time for lunch. We stopped at a ‘Country Kitchen’ style diner, which proved to be a great choice for deliciousness. Decorated with family farm mementoes, it was also a trip down memory lane. The coffee was seriously good too.  

The next stop was Benaraby (pronounced Ben-ARAB-y). 😊 We had booked at a motel there and were pleased for the stop. Having arrived quite early, we decided to take a 10 km drive to view Tannum Sands on the coast.  

It was a cold, cloudy day, but the place must be a hit in the summer! It’s beautiful there. Another town that reminded me of Amanzimtoti, Kwa Zulu Natal, where I grew up.

The usual motel-equipped room was all we needed. AJ slept through another night. Clearly, he had turned a corner! Yay! The next morning, we enjoyed our oats-yoghurt-fruit (in jars) that we had carted along for breakfast, and after a cuppa, hit the road to Rockhampton.

Having heard all manner of horror stories of this portion of the Bruce ‘Highway’, I must admit that I felt queasily nervous. (Bear in mind, this ‘highway’ is only one lane north and one lane south, on a very narrow strip in places. 

The first two days on the Bruce had gone surprisingly well. I could only hope that it would continue. And it did! Yes, the road surface was a horror story – rough, potholed, uneven on the shoulder – but when I had to avoid potholes, nothing was coming from the front. We had so many people praying for our journey. Once again it was evident that prayer helps.

We arrived in Rockhampton and navigated our way to the house. It’s quite the city, Rocky (Aussies shorten every single pronoun 😄). Although it was mid-morning, the traffic was dense. The homeowners, David and Thelma, had made it very clear that they would be offended if we bought lunch in town. We were spoiled with a delicious lunch and later on an equally delicious dinner. I was able to get the run-down/intro on what was expected, and we were introduced to some of the neighbours. The next day, at 9 am they were collected for the airport and our 3-month stint here began. The next few hours were spent emptying the car and settling in. 

David and Thelma, both 79, are now in Italy for a 3-month holiday. They are fit, active and full of flair! A lovely couple who are also expats, having emigrated from the UK many years ago. They too toured around Australia in a caravan for 3 years while working on and off as they travelled, and they loved it. Our plans are now on hold, but we look forward to possibly beginning early next year. God willing.

AJ still struggles to walk and to lie down. But at this point, although he is in pain, he is able to walk around the garden and do some physio-prescribed exercises 3 times per day. We had heard from David and Thelma that the nearby university trains Physiotherapists and runs a clinic for the public. They recommended that we give them a call because they are really good. Third-year students are put to the test, overseen by trained therapists, all for a lower fee if you agree that the students can work with you. Physio treatments are very expensive in Australia, so we jumped at the chance. But when I phoned, I was told that they cannot help us until the end of September. AJ was in agony at that point. (He has one good day, and then two bad.) I requested to be put on a waiting list, only to be told that it was full. My spirits were down, as we had so looked forward to getting some help while we were here. I mentioned, very quickly, that David and Thelma had thought we might be helped there. Did I detect a slight change in the tone of voice on the other side of the phone? No, I thought, I had imagined it. I proceeded to make an appointment for the end of September.

That night, the cold weather brought the rain. And did it rain?! The next day it rained for hours. It rained for 2 nights and 2 days straight. A huge weather event had built up and was hanging over the Rockhampton region, just bucketing down. The day after my call to the uni clinic, we got a phone call from them, “There has been a cancellation due to the rain. Can you make it?” “YES!”, said I. It’s only 10 km down the road, and it wasn’t driving, gale-force, rain. So, AJ and I made our way over and he got to have a physio session! What a blessing. They spent 2 hours assessing and working out what would help him, for a mere $35, compared to $175 per hour at a private clinic. We were overjoyed. 

A rather wet Kangaroo, taken from the physio room's window

Once again, we could see the hand of the Lord. He knew we would need an affordable service, close by, so he brought us here. God used the rain cancellations. And perhaps David and Thelma's name played a part. Nevertheless, God knew AJ needed at least 3 months to heal under supervision, and this housesitting is the perfect opportunity. He's already had 3 treatments, all due to cancellations. Yesterday, the therapist noted that he was the 'luckiest' patient, since he's already been able to fill THREE cancellations! Could it be God? 😊

The garden is low maintenance – only watering – easy for me to cope with. The grass never grows because they don’t usually get rain here (go figure 😆), so mowing is never necessary. (However, because of the rain, if it is needed, the neighbour has volunteered his service. People are so kind.) 

A bit of a backstory ... this housesitting gig was booked a year ago, long before AJ stopped work in October 2023. We applied for it because it was further north than we had been, and we wanted to explore. It’s also warmer here at this time of the year compared to Gympie. They let us know a few days later that we were on the short list of candidates, but they wanted two references and a police clearance. (Their two previous house sitters had been horror stories. 😣) One morning we received a call from them to say we were chosen; did we still want to house-sit for them? Yes, we replied. Then AJ’s contract ended.

When it became apparent that AJ was not going to make inroads here in Australia for Aviation work, we decided that we should cancel. It’s a five-hour drive, petrol is expensive, and we needed to find work, not housesit. The first time we began thinking of cancelling was while minding the cows in December last year. The second was in April while we were in Mt Marshall. But each time we wanted to contact them re cancellation, David and Thelma beat us to it, almost to the day, calling to check if we were still coming. They sounded so sweet, so welcoming and we could hear they were elderly. Twice we had not quite made up our minds and were still trying to determine if our finances would hold out for this trip. So, on both occasions, we said yes, through gritted teeth, hoping against hope.

Eventually, when it got to June this year, we knew we would have to come regardless. With tickets booked to go overseas, and preferring someone they could vet thoroughly, they would have struggled to find new house sitters. We couldn’t put them through that. God would help, we said. And he did! Just before we left Gympie, we received news of a tax rebate that we had thought we, as new immigrants, would never qualify for. The funds set aside for the tax man became the funds to travel to Rocky. How amazing is our Father? He knows all the details and organises the little as well as the big things. Then AJ injured his back!

I have never seen someone suffer so much pain. It has been awful to observe and to feel at a total loss on how to assist him. 6 weeks on, he still battles to walk more than 20-30 steps. We are aware of the need to be patient and think positively. Projections just for feeling better are 6 to 12 weeks, and apparently, it can take up to 6 months to have no pain. Our plans may be shelved and/or constantly changing, but we do not doubt that God is in control. Priorities and the approach to daily tasks will also have to change. Even in these circumstances AJ willingly testifies as to how God is working in our lives and in his heart. His faith has been strengthened, regardless of his adversity and suffering. I admire his courage.

Suddenly, all my plans also seem feeble. My priorities have shifted. My tasks have doubled, but it’s been amazing to feel how my Father has equipped me with the energy and abilities I need. Seldom is there a moment to sit still, but I am acutely aware of the need to watch out and not overdo things. We have seen how fickle life can be, and how mortal we are. How powerless we are vs the Creator’s plans for us. Suffice it to say, He has our attention. We are listening! Yet unsure of how our future will unfold.

Again, Psalm 23 pops up in my mind …  in this life, this temporary abode, He will provide all that we need. “The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT version.)

Sometimes God brings us to a point where He is forced to ‘hobble us’ as it were, like the Eastern shepherds do with that self-willed sheep (see my last blog post). In this way, He gets our attention. If only we would listen to Him before He needs to take drastic action.

“He makes me to lie down beside still waters … He restores my soul.”

A few days ago, I read in a devotional that, as Christ’s followers, we are not promised an easy, trouble-free life…

“In this world you will [note the auxiliary verb ‘will’ ] have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16 v 33.)

and

“If you want to be my disciple, you must pick up your cross and follow me.” (Matt 16 v 24 and 25.) As an aside, this was before Christ was crucified … the Israelites were familiar with the crucifixion torture imposed by the Romans, so the analogy must have filled them with revulsion. The whole concept is sanitised for us … we blithely quote that verse, not considering the actual horror of what it encompasses. But Christ knew how he would die, and He chose to equate the difficulties of this life with ‘carrying a cross’.

However, as His followers we can proclaim, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life …and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” What more could one want than eternal life in the presence of the Triune God? Here on earth, we are beset with troubles, but with Him, we can see it through. His mercies are new every morning. With each sunrise His grace is visible.

Until next time.

Thanks for stopping by. 🌼

 

 

Clues and Signs ... Everywhere

Clues and Signs

Last Sunday saw our departure from Greens Creek to stay at (what we refer to as) ‘home base’ in Tandur for 2 weeks. It is always like coming home when we stay at this property that belongs to friends. During this stay, we will mind their French Bulldogs for a few days as they take a camping trip for a much-needed break. We love their Frenchies… they are such fun to be around!

When we arrived in Gympie from Mt. Marshall and moved into the property at Greens Creek, the clues of winter’s approach were visible. Ever lowering temps, misty mornings, yellowing leaves. It’s hard to believe how 2 months sped by.

We were aware that we had been called to WAIT! Wait, said Father God. Wait! How many times hadn’t the word come to us that we should take one day at a time, and as we wait, to strengthen our walk with Him. The clues were there that we were arriving at that place of thankfulness under all circumstances: peace that passes understanding; feeling hope, regardless of apparent gloom. Hope! That quiet confidence in His ability to work it all out for our good because we love Him and feel that we are called according to His purposes. Surety, that nothing happens without His consent and that the waiting period we were in had a reason, a purpose. Yes, we finally began to feel at peace, regardless.

However, I can be a ‘Mary’, sitting at the feet of the Lord at the start of my day for an hour or so, but I very quickly transition into a ‘Martha’ who cannot sit still and wait. So, apart from last week when I set up our new bookkeeping system, the entire period in Greens Creek was spent setting up our website store and creating content for it. I’m hoping to turn the love I have for designing stationery on Canva into a form of income that may help keep the wheels turning.

After pouring out my heart to my Father one morning in Mount Marshall, I felt that He was ok with what I intended to do. (Prov 16 v 3.) I leave it in His hands. All set to open a store on Etsy, I noticed that many creators were abandoning Etsy due to changes in the terms and conditions. I felt it best to give the platform a miss. Their problems need to be ironed out. I don’t have the energy to deal with apparent dramatic decisions to close people’s accounts and the withholding of funds on a whim. 

So, to our website I turned my attention. Hosting the store on our website means the marketing falls solely on me, whereas with an Etsy-like platform, it is all done for you. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the secret to making money online, and that part I have yet to learn and apply. But because I can’t pay someone to set this up for me, I DIY and learn as I go along. What do I know about setting up an online store? Diddly-squat! Anyhow, I hope people will look past the amateurish look of the store and check out the content that took hours to create. Perhaps someone will find something useful.

Recently, I registered LibSandy as a business for proofreading services. I then used those registration details to set up payments for digital items created by SBCreative (my pseudonym for the stationery design) on our Undeserted website. 😆This is what happens when you do things back to front! You get tangled in the details. In the end, it was all accepted and payment forms were successfully tested.

Connecting bank accounts to third-party online payment services (PayPal, etc.) was nerve-wracking! Going through verification checks; testing to see if they worked; waiting to see if said third parties had found any problems with my account and/or website. The website must comply with legal privacy requirements, but thankfully it is hosted by the reputable Wix platform which offers good explanations and help towards wording.

While at Greens Creek, AJ kept himself busy around the property. Mowing the steep lawns was a nerve-wracking idea until he began and found that the mower wouldn’t topple and handled very well. 😅 

The van always needs attention, as does the vehicle, and who better than pernickety AJ to correct things and find new ways to load our stuff?  In the interest of safety, AJ invested in and installed a new dash cam that has reverse capability too, as well as a weigh scale for the caravan and car. The scale is a game-changer! Now the guesswork is taken out of the packing and loading each time, so we can travel more safely, and IF we get pulled over by zealous traffic police, we won’t be too nervous, as we’ll know that we are within our weight limit. Weight and balance, weight and balance! That’s the secret to safe caravanning.

Surviving on one’s reserve funds makes you cringe every time a dollar is spent. But we have managed to keep it to a minimum and 10 months on here we still are, by God's grace. For our 43^rd anniversary, we decided to splurge a little and enjoyed a light pub meal at the Kandanga Hotel, originally constructed in 1914. 

Our Children blessed us with a lovely bouquet.

Five weeks into our stay at Green’s Creek, I began to feel stressed about the level of the rainwater tanks. We still don’t really know what ‘normal’ use is and we seriously try to conserve water. But when you’re using someone’s valuable water source, the responsibility runs high. I prayed a couple of times – Lord please send rain. But I shrugged off the request as fast as I made it since this is NOT the season for rain. Well, the Lord complied. "Look what I can do," I imagined Him saying with a smile. Don’t you just love it when He pulls off the improbable? We received 35 mm of rain over 5 days! The tanks were full again. Praise you, Jesus! With the rain, the temps also eased off, and instead of 1- and 2-degree mornings, we moved to 11 and 12 C. That was a blessing! One can think when it’s not that cold. 😊

Shortly after arriving at Greens Creek, we discovered a delightful walk of about 5 km along a country road winding through dairy farms. What bliss! There were two hills on this route – the kind of steep hill that makes you want to bend your back as you ascend because you can’t remain straight up. Phew! Did that get our hearts pumping. Great cardio! 

After 2 weeks we began to improve in performance, climbing without resting halfway.  On one occasion we were simultaneously discussing a political issue quite animatedly all the way up the hills. 😄 

Sadly, many a morning was just too damp and misty to walk, and by the time the sun burnt the mist away the morning was well underway with a to-do list waiting. 

With only months to go before we will no longer be housesitting but pursuing paid employment, we have also registered AJ’s business name. He will be AJ-unDESERTED at your service. 😊 At this stage, the signs are that we may move into caretaking of tourism properties, aka caravan parks and/or motels, of which there are thousands in this country. We will focus on preparing ourselves for that while we are at our next housesitting in Rockhampton. 

The next step for me is a food handlers’ course which is, thankfully, delivered online. Finally, after 43 years, I might put my Diploma training to good use. 😆 After that, I’ll need to learn to operate a few types of Reservation Software. It’s still going to be a tough walk.

We have a 2-week trip coming up (God willing) to get to Rockhampton for our 3-month housesitting. Because it’s still quite chilly and because we’re planning to divert inland to take our trip north, we invested in a diesel heater for the caravan. Delivered yesterday, it will be a welcome addition for those bitterly cold mornings when the inside temp of the van has had time to match the outside temp when it’s between 0 to 6 C. *Shiverrrrrs* (Queensland’s interior can get c-c-c-cold.) AJ's looking forward to installing it himself. Common consensus is that it is a must-have for quality of life during the winter. After spending a few winter nights in the van, we believe them!

Scriptural clues

Early in May, after the 3^rd occasion of coming across a verse or a reference to Psalm 23, I had the feeling that God was trying to say something. This made me sit up and take notice. A few days would pass, and sure enough … there was another. And another a few days later. The clues were there … God was drawing our attention to Psalm 23. I recalled a book I have in storage, “Treasures in the Psalms”, by Henry M Morris. I dug it out and AJ and I enjoyed a few wonderful reminders:

• The Lord is our Shepherd. We shall not want. (He knows best! All our needs are met.)
• He causes us to lie down in green pastures. (How real that was! There we were, surrounded by green pastures in a lovely home, and at no cost.)
• He leads us beside still waters, restores, indeed refreshes, our souls. (Finally, we were experiencing peace in our circumstances.)
• He guides us along right paths … (I love how the Amplified Bible puts it: [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake. Constantly we ask Him to show us the way, and constantly we feel the return reply of ‘Have no fear’. Wait.)
• Even though we walk through the valley, (that deep dark [sunless] valley of anxiety, of fear of the unknown, of facing steep financial commitments later this year …  that valley of shadows that threatens to engulf you at your weakest moment …) we will fear no evil. (Why? The rod of protection and the staff to guide is an ever-present symbol that He is never far off … always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.)

      

Also, what sheep spends hours in anxiety and sleepless nights wondering where he will get grass to eat the next day? No, he knows it's the shepherd's task to lead and that shepherd has never yet failed to lead. 

The writer also pointed out that if a sheep was prone to wandering off, Eastern shepherds of old would lame that prone-to-wander sheep, and then carry it upon his shoulders until it healed. After that, it would never leave, as it knew the sound of his voice, and sought to remain near the comforting, protective presence of the shepherd.

This is where we find ourselves at present … we only find comfort in His presence and His promises. Some days we feel as if we are hobbled. No, knackered! But He carries us through to the next.

• He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies … (we are not aware of any enemies, except those spiritual ones who wish to bring about our downfall. They are ever snapping at our heels. Eager to scupper the purpose that our God has for us. The enemy of doubt is the worst. Somewhere I read that the opposite of faith is not doubt … it is unbelief! God forbid that we are filled with unbelief. )
• You honour me by anointing my head with oil. (We were "marked" with the oil of His Holy Spirit the day that we placed our trust in Jesus.)
• My (our) cup overflows. (Even as we minimize our spending, we have no shortage of anything. In fact, we have recently been challenged to give up even that which we have – to cast our bread upon the waters, as it were. It’s not ours anyway … everything we have is from His hand and remains His to direct.)
• Only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me (us) all the days of my (our) life, and through the length of my (our) days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my (our) dwelling place. (How we long for that eternal home! Here, on earth, we are merely travellers passing through.)

To wrap up, a quote from AW Tozer: 

“In natural matters, faith follows evidence and is impossible without it, but in the reality of the spirit, faith precedes understanding; it does not follow it. The natural [hu]man must know in order to believe; the spiritual [hu]man must believe in order to know.”

We are constantly aware of the signs of His presence. Of blessings all around. The memory of His faithfulness in the past. The answers to our prayers of last month, last week, yesterday and today. Even the ‘No, not now’ response is still a reply.

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55, v 8.

Thanks for reading this far. Until next time. 🧡

        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Current update:

The above was written ready for me to post on the blog the minute we arrived here in Tandur 10 days ago.  

Well, we had our plan for this time, but the Lord allowed another. 😢

As we arrived in Tandur on Sunday and AJ exited the car he became aware of increasing agony. An hour later he was doubled over, unable to come upright, and in extreme pain. He had been aware of hurting his back three days before leaving Greens Creek, but we thought it was muscle spasm. (He had lifted a lawnmower and simultaneously twisted his body to put it down to stow it.)

After a sleepless, agony-filled Sunday night, it became apparent that it was worse than muscle spasm. I took him to the emergency department the next morning early. After several tests and investigation, they assured us it was muscle damage and to rest at home.

But after another night where he could neither sit, stand, walk, lie down, much less sleep, we rushed to the doctor on Tuesday. He was sent for a CT scan, and sure enough, the doctor’s prognosis was confirmed. AJ had a slipped disc.

Agony is a meek word for what he was (and still is) enduring. With heavy medication, we were told that all he could do was rest and …. wait! There is a 50/50 chance that he would heal with no lasting pain. If not, a future operation would be the way to go. We are praying for a healing touch from the Lord.

Words fail me for the turmoil of emotions that beset us in the following days. What about work prospects? What about our van life? Will he come right? Why did this happen? If only he didn’t do that activity that day …! All the usual questions and thoughts came flooding in that beset a person after an injury. 

The dogs arrived for 4 days, but they were a welcome distraction that had me running and operating to a routine. After 4 days, their owners picked them up and promptly insisted that we stay in the house until the 2^nd of August, as they were not planning to come up for the next weekend. Speechless, we accepted. This huge blessing will give AJ a chance to remain in bed as much as possible and to heal for a good 3 weeks instead of 2. God is so good to us through this couple’s generosity. 

Many more blessings abound ... the Lord is our Shepherd, right? All our needs are met! 

• We had just recently found a South African doctor, who has been incredibly supportive towards us. 
• We have State Medicare, so we have only paid small amounts for medication.
• We have friend's rallying to support and to pray. 
• AJ was able to load, hitch and tow before the worst pain kicked in. If it happened while we were at Green's Creek things would've been so much more difficult. 
• We are able to stay here where it is peaceful and comfortable, and we have all we need. (Green pastures ... quiet streams.)

It's a week on and AJ still cannot come upright and walk properly. We are assured that it will improve, but only over 4 to 6 months. I first thought that I would need to go on to the next housesitting alone. But he wants to go along. However, the van will be stored for the 3-month duration. We have a friend willing to tow the van to store it at our in-laws' property. AJ cannot drive or risk operating anything mechanical, and the van requires a lot of manual labour. 

Our two-week trip into the western reaches of Queensland will have to wait for another day. Now is the time to heal. Fortunately, the next housesitting is light work with no pets. We are solely there to care for the home. Time to heal indeed.

Thanks for stopping by. We appreciate your prayers at this time. 

AJ and Sandy 🌼

Alpacas, Cows, and Christmas Wishes

Where are we? 

We are still in the Gympie region.

Minding four Alpacas

Towards the end of Nov, we had secured a housesitting to look after four female Alpacas. We parked our caravan in the driveway of the home, bid the couple farewell an hour later, and then set the van up so we could live in it for the 7 days that we were there. We did not need to use the house, since there were no other pets. It began to pour with rain which was truly a blessing. And did it pour! The Alpacas appeared even more comical with their wet hair. 😂 

They were skittish and mostly unapproachable, but by the end of the week they had begun to be used to us. If we carried treats, they would come. Alice, the leader of the pack decided if all was safe or not. If she came forward, all would. 😁 Here she is ...

On a morning I noticed that one, Mona, had an eye infection. After chatting with the owners, they decided to call in the vet. When he arrived later that afternoon, we had secured all four into the smallest enclosure so that she would be easier to catch. The vet nonchalantly asked AJ to assist him, by holding down the animal when he has her in his grip. However, in the process of getting a grip on her, she turned her body and spit, and AJ copped it good and solid! 😂 Full-on frontal spit – from his hat to his toes! 🤭 Afterwards the vet laughingly said, “I didn’t tell you they spit because I needed your help!” Good man! Lol. Fun fact: Llamas kick, Alpacas spit. 😅

During the procedure of treating the eye, the vet found he needed a different instrument and it was in his van… he said, “Hold on AJ, I’ll be back.” Well, with her neck released, she tried to stand up. You have no idea how powerful those animals are, as small as they are! AJ found himself losing his grip and had to apply more shove to keep her down, with huge encouragement from the two onlookers… the vet and I. 😅 But I think it was the fear of being spat on with green goo for a second time that helped adrenalin to kick in, so she stayed down! Oh yes, she stayed down! Regardless of his 66-year-old upper leg muscles burning for a release. 😂😁 

Another fun fact: Alpacas always poo on the same spot. And their poo can be used immediately as compost in the garden. And when one goes to the toilet... they often all do, apparently. 😊 

Shovelling the poo pile

Alice, cooling her feet and chillin.

Too soon, the week was at an end. We went off to stay on the cow paddock rest spot for nomads, just outside of town. There we are off-grid, but goodness gracious, off-grid does NOT work for us in 35 C heat! 

We sweltered through the second day and sat under the awning, praying for a breeze, but the next day, long before it was time to head off, we packed up, parked the van outside Nadya’s house, and sat in her air-conditioned space until 4 PM when we were due to check in at our next homesitting — looking after 24 cattle. 😅

Cows, cows, cows ... and 1 bull. 

December kicked off with us receiving three days of patient instruction from the farmer. Ahead of the time, we had thought, aaah, it’ll be fine! It’s a different feeling altogether when you’re in the feeding camp with 24 cattle! Standing near that huge Brahman bull, while he gives you the once over with his eyeball, makes you wonder if this was a good idea after all.

These beasts are the farmer’s delight… his hobby, his pets, as it were. And says he, “These get a little treat here”, and “These get a little treat there”. And “they love a brush!” And “this one loves a scratch behind the ear, while this one loves a stroke under the chin.”

 

Monday morning, bright and early, the couple were due to depart to Brisbane to catch their flight. Placing the list of the cows and their ‘personality’ description into our hands, he says ‘you’ll be right, we have full confidence in you both”, and off they went! Gulp! That afternoon we prompted each other through the prepping of the feeding camp for the next morning. The next morning arrived far too soon. As we made our way to the feeding camp, each of us silently mulled over the approach to the task. But all went well, and we heaved a sigh of relief. We did not linger to scratch, stroke, and brush. No siree. We hightailed it out of there to our first cup of coffee of the day. No coffee ever tasted that good after having a bull eyeball you, to check you out! Fortunately, the pellets and molasses and fresh lucerne were more interesting! 😂

On the second morning, we noticed that Cassie the cow’s limp had gotten far worse…she was hobbling! What to do? The farmer had pulled a ‘thorn’ (more like a splint to us) from between her toes on her left leg. Clearly, there was still something there and the infection was getting worse. Her foot was swollen. We contacted the owner by email and had to wait for a reply. He contacted the vet and let us know how things would work to get poor Cassie seen to.

A relative would arrive mid-morning two days hence (poor Cassie had to hobble till then) as he was a cattleman and would help us muster them into the catch stall. The vet was only available for a site visit that day, at 13:00. The day before the vet’s visit, we were instructed to open a gate to a smaller paddock after their morning feed and to close the gate where they usually depart from to the larger paddock. That caught them all for the day, in the small paddock. The next morning, 4.30 AM, true to form, they were forced to line up towards the catch stall to get into the feeding camp. Only this time, we would not arrive to let them in. There they would stand until the relative and vet arrived. This broke my heart. They were bellowing away, calling out, “Where’s our breakfast”, until I couldn’t take it anymore and emailed the farmer. He phoned us and suggested we put a few bales of hay over the fence to keep them happy. At least they had access to water. 

The old catcher

The new cow catcher

It was a blistering day! The sun was merciless. We waited. And we waited. The relative cattleman let us know he was running late. The cattle stood. We waited. The sun beat down. The flies even let up. Just too hot. The cattleman, just when he was due to arrive, let us know that he was 40 minutes away! 😩 

The cattle stood. We waited. It was 11:30, but it felt like 14:00. Finally, he arrived, and we made our way down. And there stood Cassie, near the front of the queue. All they needed to do was close one gate and she was where she needed to be to enter the cowcatcher (my name for it 😅). Cassie plus 3 other cows were closed up, while the rest were let out to feed.

We waited. The 4 cows stood patiently. Two hours later, the vet arrived. I had called twice to find out why it was taking so long. The second time I think the tone of my voice gave my dismay away. Twenty minutes later she arrived… friendly smile, pony-tailed and bouncing on her feet. But did she handle that cow?! She caught her in the catch first time, bringing that headlock down into place. She managed the block and tackle to hold her fast with ropes and examined the hoof. A couple of (gigantic) jabs later, Cassie was good to go. Was it 15 mins? All that, for 15 mins. 😅 I had stood aside observing, far from the action. AJ was there in the thick of it, lending a hand where he could. In fact, at one point he saved the day when the cattleman inadvertently gave Cassie an escape route. AJ was a star throughout. The next day Cassie was way more comfortable, and two days later she was walking normally. Quite the experience for two greenies.

Cassie being treated

On the second day of our stay, we also copped a hail storm like no other. It was our first time to experience such huge hail stones. It was a miracle that the van was not pockmarked afterward, and even our awning was out because we were unprepared for  the suddenness of the storm, as well as its intensity. Frightening, to say the least.  

One hailstone broke through a skylight in the house and AJ had to give it a temporary fix. We always pray that destructive storms would not come our way. We got the tail end ... they were few but mighty. In Gympie proper there was massive damage. Poor people.  

As the days progressed, we grew more comfortable with reading the cows. I began to face my fear and gave the odd one a brush and one morning even managed a cuddle. Yes, cows can be cuddled … on their terms. 😆 AJ patted those who were interested, and overall, things went well. We were grateful.

Cuddling a cow

The calves are a favourite

Deb insists on a brush

We had one incident where the cows were pushing and shoving at the closed gate before their feed, and Eric, a small calf, was pushed halfway through the barbed wire fence. There it lay, half his body on this side and half on the other, unable to get up and extricate itself. Being closer to the poor thing than AJ at that moment, I reacted instinctively to help it. Remembering at the last minute to do everything slowly, and feeling rather fearful, I lifted him by the side of his belly. Finding his feet, he stood up. The wire had done some damage, but thankfully not too much or too deep. Poor baby.

The sunrise is spectacular from the house. Three weeks flew by. 

While we were here, we had our caravan serviced to maintain the warranty. Oh my goodness, we did not know what we were in for. The whole van had to be emptied. Luckily we had access to a shed for storage. 

We sorted through everything, cleaned it thoroughly, and then packed it all back again. It took a week! 😣😖 And all while we had a heatwave going. 😅

It was such a good feeling though when it was done. 

The farmer and his wife arrived yesterday after island hopping, and we are hanging around on their property to watch the cows again for two days when they go to Brisbane for Christmas with their daughter. On the 26th, we head back to Tandur to look after our favourite four-legged friends, the French bulldogs.

Merry Christmas 

Christmas and all its customary celebrations are only days away. Over the last few weeks, we have been part of a team at our church, working on a Christmas Lights display project, to tell the community the true Biblical story of Christmas. What a blessing to see families come through and read about the wonder of the gift of the Christ-child born long ago. Many Bibles were accepted. Tracts were given out. And of course, the humble candy cane delighted each child (and some adults too! 😁).

 

At this point, we would like to wish every one of you, our family members and friends, a blessed Christmas season. May your barbecue be blessed, your trifle be a success, and the Christmas cake last into the New Year.  May your joy be complete as you gather with loved ones and enjoy each day to the full, wherever you might be, as we ponder the wonder that was the miracle virgin-birth of Jesus Christ.

Image by Kevin Sanderson from Pixabay

We know that the actual day of Christ’s birth is unknown and that the day assigned to the celebration was merely an attempt to Christianize pagan traditions. Nevertheless, it is a celebration we can enjoy to the full, knowing that God sent His only son to be born fully human. He grew to be a man, to teach us about the Father, and to demonstrate God’s grace and love. This is mind-boggling — to know that He willingly obeyed His Father, even unto death on the cross. But He arose victorious, having overcome the enemy, so that we can have a gate through which we might enter the Kingdom of God. This gate opens to those whose hearts are turned towards Him, and who acknowledge that Jesus is the Saviour, the Son of God. The ultimate, priceless, gift. 

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2 vs 9-14.

 

Merry, Merry Christmas to you.

Thanks for stopping by. 🙏🏻