The Chronicles of an Outback Misfit

Well it's time I give you all a real blog and I do apologize for the lack of blog I left you with last time. My world is definitely different. In the outback I got used to getting up at 5:40am each morning (with no problem I might add! It could be because I don't have to dress up and do my hair... sorry Dail that part just sucked. I now just thrown on my jeans and t-shirt and trusty hat and I'm out the door!) I put in a 12 to 14 hour day of physical labor. I might add that I'm getting quite strong I was very impressed with myself the other day when I hoisted a 12x4 sheet of tin on top of a shed we were building for a cattle yard. But enough of me bragging about myself hahaha! We then return to the pub for at least another 3 hours of serving drinks making dinners and listening to yammerings of drunk and impaired individuals. Then it's off to bed to wake up to do it all agian the next day! All this physical labor and time outside has contributed to the most amazing tan! Sadly it's just from under my sunglasses to the nape of my neck and from my elbows to my wrists as I wear gloves all the time because it gets SO hot that when you pick up tools they burn the snot out of you! But it's a tan nonetheless and it apparently brings out the native american features in me because I've been asked so many times what tribe I belong to. Oh my! Well it's either that or if I'm from Canadia... yep that's right Canadia! Yeesh these bush people are all over the place. First of all Canadian! I don't sound anything like they do - maybe if i was from North Dakota or Wisonsin "Don't ya know!" And second of all it's CANADA!!!! Well I guess it's no different than the guy who wants to learn to speak Mexican (oh how my family will appreciat that!) Then there are things like the "Worstest trip I've ever taken", Betterer, or More Betterer! Can you believe it!? And that's not just tied to one person they ALL say it! Along with Fitted and redicleeous! I'm not making this up people! Actually if you want to pronounce it in Assie Dialect all your er's should sound like A's and if you want to further your Aussie lingo take the word my out of your vocabulary entirely and replace it with me. Hahahaha it's been interesting by all means. Oh and the word thing is pronounced thinK ~ they do know that's already a word right? It all cracks me up and I might need some intervention when I get home... to think my English was already bad now it might end up getting much worse after the next 9 months of being out here. We shall see. The alphabet is a little different as well but only two letters. H and Z. When spelling out words they say Hey-t-ch for H and Zed for Z. But enough of that you want adventure stories don't you? Well I have them!

I ate Kangaroo for the first time the other day! There are professional roo shooters and they help maintain the over population of the kangaroo's. Sounds cruel I know but if they don't they start choking out the land and the cattle suffer therefor the station owner suffers financially. Roo shooters are regulated and can't just go crazy killing roo's they have to only get a certain breed and then only a certain number per month or they get docked. It's a really good system if you have to go to those extreams and even though I couldn't do it I understand the need. I've been out here long enough to see the effects and need for it so please believe me when I say it's not inhumane. Anyway some process their own meat and just as my Uncle George makes elk and buffalo sausage they make roo sausage and so I had a cook out at lunch out on the line with some blokes not thinking anything of it and in the middle of me eating my very good sausage by the way they asked how I liked it and I said it was actually quite delicious. The then informed me what I was eating and to be honest I wasn't grossed out of repulsed. So well done me for trying something new and liking it and well done them for doing such a good job! Would eat it again!

So I must say that we are now in Victoria and are enjoying a week of relaxation and comfort. But we did not get here without some near misses and some crazy adventures. You may think I'm about to tell you about a travel story or something but those two days of travel were quite nice and very smooth thanks to the well run air system and train and bus systems of Australia. I'm going to tell you about Danielle and I's near miss at death! I'm not exagerating here it was VERY scary!!!! It all started on a very dark and stormy day... no lie! It was so black with clouds outside and thunder and lightening was everywhere but surprisingly not over us directly. We were in the middle of a cirlce that was untouched by the bad weather but it was all around us. Very strange. It was nice outside because of all this and wasn't hot as it started getting boiling outside so Dani and I decided to go on a walk. We saw the goats that live in the dam paddock and thought we could maybe muster them in but as they saw us approaching they ran the other way. No worries we didn't really care we just thought we would help. We think we are cool in the middle of no where and just chit chat and walk well out of no where comes the camel. Dani already doesn't like him and so I place myself in betweent he two and start petting it's face and talking to him. He likes it for a minute and then decides he doesn't like us at all and starts kicking and stomping and freaking out. We don't know what to do and know we can't run so we play it cool and try to leave he rounds on us and does his fit all over again. Yikes! We try to leave again this happens 4 times until we see Jonesy and she tries to help us out. He ignores her and starts chasing me around the tennis courts. I know I have to find cover because he is much faster than I am and with stomp me if he can get close enough. I find a light pole and run around it keeping it between me and the camel. He gets bored with this and goes to find Dani who is taking shelter under a tree. Chases her and get the pack of her shirt at one point but then drops her and leaves for me again. He does this over and over and it gets worse and worse each time he starts frothing at the mouth and I'm feaking. Jonesy picks up a stick and starts hitting him and he retreats to the woods. Dani and I make a run for it and all is safe after that. But man get your heart pumping! Too much for me friends! The next day we leave and now we can laugh at it but I don't know if it was the thunder or if he doesn't like Americans but it was VERY not funny at the time!

Well that's all I have for now folks. I will let you know more when I know more.

Until next time. :)