i arrive at an unknown busstop after a 6 hour ride.
i get off the bus.
i look around.
an elderly woman called Margaret picks me up and we drive through the mountains. and we drive. and drive.
and arrive at a woolshed.
Gavin and Shane are shearing the sheep. I watch and eat bacon&egg pie with cucumber and lettuce. Three hours later Gav and me take the ute (truck, pronounced j-ute) up to his house where i meet Pip, his wife and Ashley(6), Isla(4), James(2) and Daniel (7 months). We drive up to the paddocks to get the hay.
Everyone is there, so many new faces and I don’t know the names. But everyone is friendly and I play with the kids, spinning them around and taking them up piggyback.
The view is stunning, it’s a clear day. I kept my camera in Gav’s ute so I cannot take pictures but that’s okay.
Afterwards we have a bbq down at the bottom of the hill.
I drive home on the back of Maeve’s & Pete’s ute and it makes me laugh out loud.
The next morning, I wake up at 6:30, have porridge with banana for breakfast and go out to the yards. We wait for the farrier but he never comes.
It’s a foggy morning, the sun is only slowly creeping through the fog.
I watch Zora approach the shy horse Bella with natural horsemanship, the way the famous Monty Robert teaches it. I actually witness my first “join up” – a natural way of making the horse approach you and trust you and it is a beautiful sight.
Zora and me saddle up Bella and Misty and go for a ride. The fog has cleared and it is starting to get hotter.
We ride through the mountains for about 3 hours and I am in awe of the beautiful sights.
I decide to bring my camera the next time.
As we arrive at home the horse selling is at full speed. I take care of the horses and feed them.
I feel at peace here.