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. 🙏🏻

Heading toward Christmas – a catch-up

Where are we …? 

We are a 20-minute drive from Gympie, home sitting and minding four French bulldogs for the 3^rd time.

It’s been a long time since a post went up on this blog. Mental and emotional ability has been absent, due to many factors. I received a wake-up call a few days ago when I noticed what the shops were selling – we are heading for Christmas! 😱 A catch-up is overdue …

July/August

Early July saw us arrive in Gympie for the first time in almost 4 months. We parked the van on our friends’ property to stow it for the 5 weeks that we were booked to housesit for a couple in Gympie, who have the two most delightful elderly dogs … a Pekinese and a Papillon.

Here they are … 😍

Regardless of their need for medication twice a day for congestive heart failure and other problems, they were so enjoyable to look after. The oldest, the Pekinese, is mostly blind and deaf, and the other is frail. The latter fainted 10 minutes before her folks left the house … their owners apologised profusely believing little Papillon would be passing on to doggy heaven while they were away. Well, ten minutes after they left she was prancing spritely ‘saying’ “what we gonna do next?” 😁 For the entire period they were both fine! In fact, they seemingly improved over the next month. Lol. Perhaps because they didn’t get table food from us? *just saying* 😊  

The home was a haven of peace. Orchids in the garden, with fountains and goldfish. 

The house is an old Queenslander that had been moved from a small town some kilometres away to Gympie. It has been lovingly renovated and improved upon by the carpenter owner … the bathroom, so beautifully renovated, had us feeling every day as if we were on an exotic holiday. 😀😀

Mid-August found us in Coloundra. It's an hour’s drive from Gympie -- a beach town (hot spot) where the wealthy love spending weekends and holidays. A town that is always packed out. A cross between my hometown of Amanzimtoti and Umhlanga on the Kwa-Zulu Natal coast came to mind (if such a thing were possible).

We were booked to look after 2 small dogs as a trial sit for 4 days, in a retirement village, in a free-standing house with a garden, a doggy door, etc. However, two days before we received a note to say, ‘This is our temporary address until we move to our new unit.’ ‘Unit?’, we thought. 🤔 With the van still stowed away, we followed Google Maps and arrived to find the couple (who were off on a 4-day cruise up the coast) in a holiday apartment on the 1^st floor while they waited for their new 2^nd-floor apartment to be renovated in town.

They had placed fake grass on the balcony. “That is where the dogs go to the toilet. You only need to rinse it every 2 or 3 days,” they said. The next morning, I thought I’d enjoy the view over my cup of coffee. Instead, I was gagging. 🤢  The smell!! Dog pee is very strong. Washing off said carpet was no joke. Fortunately, no one lived downstairs at the time, so I washed it off right there on the balcony. We then carted the dogs downstairs every 2 – 3 hours for the remainder of our stay, for toilet breaks. 

As the couple arrived home, we thanked them for choosing us to home sit in November too (when they go on a cruise around the perimeter of Australia for 5 weeks), but politely declined the job. It had dawned on us that, should we continue with the agreement, we would be perpetuating someone else’s extremely poor choices and suffering for it. 😑

They took it well. They understood that they would need to re-advertise with new parameters. We were not partial to an apartment with dogs. The older one (15) was blind and kept walking into everything. Quite sad really, because he wasn’t used to the environment. He also had a weak bladder so there were constant spots everywhere. The younger dog is only 2 and FULL on energetic… she gave me a run for my money when it came to walkies. Far out, the cutest dog, but she has two speeds … motionless and running. The suburb is very hilly … so I was blowing like a steam engine during afternoon walks! It made me long for the days when I was fitter and jogging with Luke. 😆 How that couple look after those dogs in an apartment beats me – both husband and wife struggle to walk up and down stairs too. 😳 Sometimes you just have to wonder at folk.

At night we had to sleep with the balcony door open so that the ‘grass’ could be used. 😣 In an area with high youth crime, it made us feel rather vulnerable. (Sadly, Queensland youths are proving very innovative and are terrorising households up and down the coast and in certain Brisbane suburbs with car theft, vandalism, and break-ins.)

Exploring Coloundra was fun though. Although we could not be out for longer than 3 hours, we took the opportunity to view the area and walk along the beach. We also visited a sweet friend who lives in the area. Here are some pics from those 4 days.

After Coloundra we looked forward to a month-long spell around Gympie in our van. First, we stopped at a low-cost camp close to the Mary River.  The kids came for a visit on the paddock and enjoyed seeing the cows.

We then spent 5 days in our favourite caravan park, spring-cleaning the van and getting things done in town. I made wraps on the Weber BBQ for the first time, testing it out to see how it would work using the pizza stone. All while AJ was teaching inside the van. 😅 He bravely put up with my flitting in and out of the van, messing flour, rolling dough. 

Winter temperatures hit again as we moved further inland to a caravan park in the showgrounds of the small country town of Imbil (click to see how lovely the area is). Although the days warmed up, the mornings hovered around 4 and 5 degrees Celsius. 

AJ taught successfully from the van for two days while we were there. Then suddenly the rest of the week’s classes were cancelled. On that very day, we discovered that the phone/internet signal was non-existent. Phew. 😅 Could it be God?! The signal had gone down due to the upgrading of local infrastructure.

Imbil is enchanting. The rail trail is a special treat as it takes one into the Bellbird Reserve area – the northernmost area that these birds inhabit. It was incredible standing in that natural forest and hearing bell sounds all around. Yet, you don’t see a bird! They frequent the treetops and blend in beautifully with the trees. 

 

Our van was parked next to another nomad couple. The husband, Gary, was very social and often popped around for a chat. They, in turn, were parked next to an odd couple who were drunk by 11 AM each day. 🥴 On the 2^nd afternoon a severe storm hit … fortunately no hail. Driving rain and strong, really strong, wind gusts tore at everything. 

EVERYONE in Queensland lives constantly checking a weather app! Clearly, not the strange ones, as they had just lit a fire in their fire pit and were sitting around it grinning at everyone else scurrying around and closing everything up.

AJ was teaching. It fell to me to get the car under a nearby cover and batten down the hatches. Eventually, AJ too had to stop teaching and switched everything off, as lightning and thunder raged. The oddities were forced to flee into their caravan – after first carrying their firepit under their awning!! 😆🥴😱 Probably the dumbest thing you could do when caravanning. Their awning was not strapped down or anchored and was waving like a flag in the wind, Gary said. And their bits and pieces were narrowly missing their fire, which stood quite solidly under the distressed awning.  Says Gary, “If that were us, our caravans would probably have burned out!” 😅😄 But this couple survived that 30-minute storm, only to continue with their fire once things calmed down. Go figure! 🤣

The day after the storm, a mobile van pulled up and parked behind us. Finding our awnings facing each other, I was a bit annoyed, as they were supposed to reverse in so that their awning faced the other way. Your awning space is your ‘living room’ after all. The next morning we discovered the driver was a single widow in her late 70s. She has been travelling the country since her husband died 9 years ago. Amazing! She, her dog, and her parrot, go from camp to camp. 

The next day, a Sunday, I went to her to invite her to tea. She was battling to walk. She then told us that while setting up her awning she had stretched a bit too much and had pulled a muscle in her hip. She was experiencing bad pain. We were able to offer her a medi-rub ointment and walk her dog for her for the next 4 days. In the end it was a blessing that we were facing each other; we could check on her, take her trash to the bins, see when the dog needed to walk, and she could call out to us when she needed us. She orders groceries online for delivery to wherever she is parked, and we were able to meet the driver and direct him when he arrived. Campers look out for each other’s welfare. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to do so, and a lesson not to complain about proximity issues. 

I remember a post I once shared on social media that there are no coincidences in this world, only divinely orchestrated opportunities. This proved to be true as we were able to share the reason for the hope that is within us. She could not answer our question on whether she believed in a supreme heavenly God. She stated her uncertainty that God actually existed. She was amazed that we wanted to pray for her and let us do so. After we left, she sent us a message saying that her hip had improved faster than the physio predicted. We can only hope that she turns her eyes on Him who is her healer, before she lays her head down for the final time.

What do you believe? Do you know that ...

September

The 1st of September saw us celebrate a year in Australia. We are immensely thankful to God. We have had a year of good health. We have experienced falls but without injury. We have always had food on the table and fuel in the tank. Only God knows the reason for the major car accident we had, but we walked away from it in one piece. Yes, we have PTSD on the roads, but God has kept us safe. We have met amazing people and have made friends wherever we have stayed. We have been given opportunities that few enjoy in their latter days. As we travel the road ahead with all its unknowns, may we always bring honour to the One Who keeps and guides us – Jesus Christ our Saviour.

The last weekend in Imbil we visited the town of Kenilworth, especially the famous Kenilworth Dairies and the Bakery for their respective delights.

In the small town of Kandanga we had a picnic lunch with our children and grandchildren. A happy day indeed.  

On the day we were booked to move off from Imbil, AJ was due to teach from 2 PM. We had booked a spot for 5 days in the very next town, 10 minutes away. Arriving there around 11 AM, we found their signal to be non-existent too. We had no plan B, with AJ having to teach in 3 hours! A music festival in the area effectively ruled out any caravan park. They were all packed out. We quickly phoned up our friends who had offered for us to park on their property whenever we needed to (it’s where we are now, home sitting 4 Frenchies). We headed here and AJ was set up just in time to give class. 😅

Because this home sitting was two weeks off, they kindly offered for us to camp on their property until they brought the dogs up from where they live on the coast (this is their weekend retreat). We were SO thankful, as that meant we no longer had to pack up and move every few days. 

AJ got to do some work around the property, keeping himself busy with the rake, and more. I had a chance to catch up with work online, do our washing at Nadya’s (they have town water, whereas this property relies on scarce rainwater), and also helped her with some grandparenting duties, aka, child-minding, fetching, and transporting. 😄

While we’ve been in the area: 

• AJ had a birthday that our kids got to share in.

• We arranged to have our van weighed again after some additions to our set up. It was touch and go. 😣 With a bit of adjustment regarding where to place certain loads and with less water on board, we met the legal weights. 😅😬 Luckily the toilet doesn't need water. 😄

• We also managed to attend ‘Grandparents’ Day’ at the grandchildren’s school. What a blessing!

• We visited Cooloola Berries farm nearby to go strawberry picking and enjoy an afternoon treat.

Homesitting duties

Soon it was time for the dogs to come up. We are now in the middle of this 2-week stint, thoroughly enjoying their quirky personalities. 😄 Of course, we move into the house with the dogs, so it allows us the chance to spring clean the van, catch up with online planning, and do things we often don’t get to while on the road.

I’m embarrassed to admit that a little while ago I was rather verbal about not housesitting anymore. Since then we have accepted bookings until mid-May next year. 😅 We love our times in the caravan. It truly is our happy place. We love the minimal lifestyle that it brings, even though every move (literally) must be carefully planned, or else. 😆🤭  The reality is that, in this current economic climate, homesitting helps us to survive. During these past months, not only our needs but also our wants have been met by pure providence from above. We are incredibly thankful to our Father. Some months have been dry, and some have seen many days of income.

I am still planning Sandy’s Essentials as a side hustle. Step by step will see me arrive at a point whereby I’ll be able to start selling a small range of products from the van. God willing. 

We appreciate your prayers for AJ’s work. His contract is to be renewed and is overdue. A certain number of training days per month are a must to meet our needs. These past months we have walked a road of reliance on the Lord even more than we ever thought possible. It’s strangely calming … it truly is a peace that passes all human understanding. And even then, we only really get it right every other day or so. So prone to anxiety, we are. John 27 v 14 is a promise that we hold on to...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. ... I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This week we received good news …  our permanent visas are approved and we have been requested to pay the final instalment. Thereafter we wait for the issuing of the official visa, which allows us to remain in Australia indefinitely. Four years from that date, we will be able to apply for citizenship, if we so wish. Also, for ten years from the date of issue, we need to be totally self-supporting. Regardless of whether we become citizens or not.

Completely reliant on the Lord we will be, for guidance, wisdom, work, health, safety, and more.

Next month we are housesitting in Hervey Bay again, for the same couple we sat for last October. We are looking forward to their immaculate yet functional home. There are no pets so we will be able to explore the area a bit further.

Until then … thanks for stopping by.

Blessings 🌼

AJ and Sandy