A Pub Called Wombat

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DAY 396

Jason had asked me last night if I wouldn’t mind helping today, driving one of the vehicles, as there are lots of straw bails over the paddocks that need picking up with the front end loader, and carting up to the hay sheds at Rockley.

So I was up bright and breezy this morning ready for Jason to come down the lane and pick me up, between 7.00 and 7.30. Just to say that Jason lives in a house called Merryville, which is a house about ½ a Kilometer away on Helen and Roberts land, which you can see from the kitchen window.

To put it in perspective, Jason could get absolutely plastered and drive home, knowing he would not need to get out on to the public highway and would be safe from prosecution, how cool is that, all because it is on Helen and Roberts land.

Anyway, Jason came to pick me up and we went in to the shed and drop of his Ute, Robert likes all the vehicles that are not being used to be inside out of the sun, for sensible reasons.

I backed the small truck out of the shed, which is an International Harvester 4 wheeler flat bed, and Jason reversed the International Harvester 6 wheeler flat bed with additional draw bar trailer, he gave me a crash course (not literally) on both vehicles and off we went.

We made a start on paddock W2, Jason on the Caterpillar front end loader and I was to bring the two trucks forward to be loaded up

The first load was thirty five nine feet bales of straw on the big truck and twelve on the small truck, when loaded we had to park the front end loader and drive both trucks up to the hay sheds a Rockley.

Once up there, we used another front end loader to off load the straw bail and stack them in the hay shed. These are straw not hay, they difference being that straw is just the stalks whilst hay is the head and the stalk.

We soon have the bales stacked and go back for another load. The late morning is absolutely baking and whilst the trucks are being unloaded I am redundant so I go and take shelter under a large tree, I have my hat on, and a gust of wind blows it off, I am mindful where I step as the very hot whether brings snakes out to bask, which I don’t have to explain how that could cause a problem.

We do another load and haul them up to Rockley and again off load the bails of straw. I ask Jason if this is food for the sheep, which he confirms it is, they will soon need to feed the sheep, at the moment they are out in the paddocks eating the stubble after the harvest but if they have no rain over the next few weeks then the stubble will not last and the stored straw becomes sheep fodder. While Jason unloads I see a familiar sight come over the top of the hill, I can see the Patrol and know that Caroline is coming to see me and hopefully brings me a drink and some lunch she stays only a few minutes as her and Helen are off out after lunch and needs to get back.

Back again but we now have to change our paddocks as we have collected all the bales, we move all the equipment and start the process again.

Both trucks are loaded now and we head back to the sheds, however Jason receives a phone message, its Eurongilly fire control room and as the wind is blowing quite strongly all farmers have been advised to stop working due to the huge fire risk, Robert soon calls and advises us to go and have some lunch, but we tell him that we will tip the load, then go and get a lunch break.

We get back to the sheds and Jason dives in to his sandwiches, but I am too hot to eat so manage a cool drink only.

Robert comes around and asks Jason to service, the Baler greasing unit and I set about cleaning Jason’s Ute, as it is absolutely filthy, there is a fire up on the Olympic Highway and the old Gundagai road, it’s a big one and there are 4 aircraft in attendance and there is constant chatter over the emergency services channel which we are all listening to.

The fire started at a place called Wallendbeen and spread North East missing a place called Wombat.

At about 4.00pm Jason tells me to call it a day so I walk back to the farm house only to find Helen and Caroline at home, I sit and have a cup of tea, they tell me about their day.

While Andy was working hard, Helen and I were off to do a few chores in Wagga Wagga, including a little Christmas shopping. We managed to get a few things done, but I wanted to pop into Big W to have a look at puzzle games for the Nintendo DSi, while I was looking a woman said to me “Your kids have got these things too have they?” I thought for a moment, should I go along with her or tell her the truth? I thought I would own up and tell her that it is me that has the Nintendo, explaining about the Brain Training and puzzles. Jokingly I said, “You should borrow one of the kids and get playing, it is fun!”

This lady looked puzzled and still asked but what do I get for a ten year old, I gave her a bit of advice and suggested that she asks the sales people for what’s popular in that age category. She seemed satisfied and wished me a Happy Christmas.

We went and grabbed a coffee and chatted about the virtues of Wii Fit, but just as we were finished and wanted to head off for a little bit more shopping Helens mobile burst into life, we had notification of a fire and thus Helen is needed at home “Just in case”. So we drank up and headed home.

We had hoped to be able to stay in town long enough for cheap Tuesday, but it was still to early to buy Pizza for our tea, never mind maybe we can have expensive Thursday or just wait until next Tuesday.

I asked Helen what her role should be if the fire comes close, Helen explains that she may be needed to move sheep, but it sounds as if the fire is too far away at the moment, so we hope that it does not spread.

Not long after arriving home, we are both in good spirits having enjoyed our brief trip, and then Andy appears for a cup of tea.

After a cup of tea and a rest I do a few small jobs for Helen, including fitting the battery back on to the lawn mover, but it still won’t start, so we will need to have another look at it, the battery may not work even after charging as it has been idle for several months over the winter.

Helen brinks over the flat bed Ute as she has a lot of rubbish from the farm that needs taking down to the rubbish dump on the farm, we load the Ute and head off with Helen to the dump, then off to Merryville to fill the 40 Litre water barrel.

We are driving from the dump and see Jason in the big truck, its 5.00pm and Jason asks us where we are going, to Merryville to fill the water barrel we say, well if you can grab your boots on the way back as we have been given the go ahead to start again and we can finish the paddocks tonight, so I need to get a wiggle on.

Soon we are in yet another paddock and I am driving the big truck around whilst Jason is loading me (or the truck I should say) with the front end loader.

We have sixteen bales left and the big truck already has been loaded, Jason phones Robert who brings the small truck down and takes the front end loader back with him, we drive up to Rockley and just as we arrive it starts to rain hard, in fact its throwing it down we managed to get all the bales put away but get soaking wet in the process.

We get back and put both the trucks away, then Jason drops me off at the homestead.

I walk through the door and instantly the girls ask if they can smell my breath, I ask you? They think I have been in the pub as we are so late, I have been working late, it never seems to enter their head that we have just had a very long day.

I do the same, as there is a whiff of wine, Helen and Caroline have been on the plonk already.

They suggest that I go and shower before dinner, I must smell, I sit for a few minutes and relax for a little, then dinner is ready, I am famished I haven’t eaten since last night, except for a slice of cake, yes I know its my own fault, but when its so hot the last thing I have is an appetite.

Today I feel content that I have made a contribution to our keep on the farm, we watch the evening news and 7000 hectares have been burnt (17.360 acres) have been incinerated, but thankfully no loss of life, the small villages in the fires way employed the emergency evacuation strategy thank goodness, but this is right in the middle of the harvest season, so crop will be lost along with machinery, but it can all be replaced.

Helen tells us that Wombat, is very small, well just a place with a pub, and a garage and a few houses, she thinks, what a nice name for a place, thankfully the fire did not reach them. Caroline explains on closer inspection of the map that we actually drove through Wombat on our way down the Olympic Highway when we came back to Woodstock in November, we must have blinked and missed it.

Dinner and desert is all done, Helen and Robert more often than not have desert, fantastic, I go shower and shave then come and sit and watch a little TV whilst having a cup of tea, Helen and Robert both retire at about 9.00pm whilst Caroline and I sit and read for a while.

We retire to bed about 10.00pm exhausted, well I am so until tomorrow we will say goodnight.

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Photos

Loading the Straw
Jason on the front end loader