A Country Holiday - Part 2

We had so much fun together on holidays no matter where we went, the larger the number of us the better it was. Swimming down at the fresh water creek was a real treat escaping the heat of the day onto the cool gravel banks which were lined with willows and other gums. Swinging and jumping into the rippled water off ropes and splashing about was an afternoon well spent. Bathing in rubber ring inner tubes and playing tag, watching mom and dad sharing a moment together while mom adorned in her yellow floral bathing cap and dad with his handkerchief with the corners tied into small knots so as to cover his head and protect it from the harsh sun was a memory we all share. At one point that summer afternoon dad had yelled for us all to hurry out of the water! Once out we looked back into the yellow stained creek and saw a long thin water snake winding its way down stream. Skimming and winding its way across the surface with its head just above the water where we had just been swimming. This may have been lethal for one of us, they are very deadly. Land snakes were also very common for this country, red belly blacks, browns and even the odd green tree snake was seen hanging in the trees which we climbed. But the cool evenings were always my favorite as the sun set and the deep blues and purples rose above the horizon with the slightest twinkling of the first star appearing in the deepest blue sky. The silhouette of the now black hills and the golden and rust sunset settled down low. Stars emerged and gained brightness the longer I stayed and watched. I loved the cool gentle evening breezes the slight rustle of the leafy trees which were now absent from the light but the solitude and sounds made you fully aware of what was now hidden in the shadows. The night sky was immense out in the country with planets visible and celestial bodies above the crisp night air and I felt ALIVE!
Glorious is this creation above me I am so minuscule in the equation of things, small and insignificant in the greater picture. The colors of stars were more than diamond blue, but now diamond white with red and green jewels packing the heavens. Clusters and bunches, singulars and double stars all sparkled with life and filled the deep blanket of space above me. My memory for such things is sharp and the aromas of life still preoccupy my senses. The aroma of fresh culled lamb being roasted on a fire stove mingled with smoke racing up the chimney stack was deliciously pungent along with the hot crusty bread and potato's. The strong smell of cattle and manure from the earthy farm is not an unpleasant odor as it reminds me of happier times and the fondness for my surrogate family. The dusty dirt mixed with the dryness of the heat reflects upon times spent in open paddocks surrounded by sheep and the rancid odor of their soiled fleece. But never the less this was a time of youthful experiences growing up in a time of innocence and raw country.
Early morning would come upon us ever so quickly with the new day birthing itself through open windows and shadows disappearing. Dew covered webs were exposed between fences and tall weeds, glistening in the daylight. The echo of moans from cows and the slight bark of a distant dog was heard in the stillness of the country. Breathe in, breathe out ah that fresh morning air would hit your lungs like pure oxygen racing down a shaft. Breakfast was mayhem in that little cottage the ruckus of hungry men devouring every crumb of hot buttery toast and gulping down pints of fresh milk with the clatter of dishes and the mad dash to fly out of those barn doors stampeding off to various principalities of the farm to continue yesterdays adventure were all part of the morning ceremonial dance. As the day warmed the chorus of cicadas hummed loudly from the canopy above and we traipsed down dirt tracks and through the bush with the crunch of dry grass and sticks under foot. Grass hoppers leapt out of our way clinging to tall grasses and the odd rabbit scurried down brittle mud holes.


The families were out together on this particular day and we were given a crash course in what to do if we marched upon a sun bathed snake in the brush. Stop and signal! Do not run! and don't panic but call or whistle then we will get to you, so with this is mind we went off to search out firewood for the fire ovens and stove. Collecting was made easier for the farm houses with so many of us out scouring unitedly putting together bundles of kindling and piling up short logs and broken stumps. We had headed out into several directions and within minutes screams filled the bush! Yes it was me. I could hear don't panic and don't run! but run was all I could do. I had stumbled into the bush by myself when I stood upon a fallen limb from a gum tree to see if I could spot everyone else. As I stretched my gaze I was assaulted by a whole nest of hornets which they had built within the fallen log. I had stood smack bang on top of them unaware. There was no warning or humming noises to my recollection. Next I felt powerful mighty stings come from those yellow insects. I ran to escape them but they followed ferociously stinging me all over. My legs were covered with what looked like hives and my neck, face and ears were all victims of the indiscriminate attack. I think mom was the first to get to me and she had picked me up and huddled me into the cab of the truck in which we had traveled to collect the wood. Sobbing with fright and crying from discomfort all had come to see what the hoo-hah was. Disillusioned they left after peering in at me to carry out their task of collecting wood with no great tale to tell of the snake that had attacked one of us, what an anticlimax to what could have gone down into the chronicles of the Children's home.
With our holiday now winding down the mood was a little somber with packing slowly and other menial duties to perform we started to say our goodbyes and let our true feelings show. We were all going to miss this place and the newly developed friendships we had established with this family we had come to know and love. Shane one of the boys around my age, my best friend shared his first kiss with the farmers daughter. Tiny green frogs we had collected now had to be let go although some never made it as we had hidden some under our beds inside a monopoly board game only to find the next morning they had dried out like peas and obviously died. Dad and his two natural sons shared time with each other bonding while restoring an old yellow rusted out jalopy which sat motionless on the side of the dirt track to the farm house. We rode around the paddocks in that car with plumes of smoke trailing behind filling the air along with our laughter.
Horses were ridden one of which had bitten Stephen on the back and well deserved I thought for his mistreatment of so many creatures. Bunnies caught in traps squealed as their last breath was knocked out of them with a final lethal blow. Hiding in lofts, watching lambs culled and night spotting kangaroo were all practises of devout and antiquated farm life we had come to know.

Mesmerised in reflection as the drive home was long, we all sat silently staring through the dust stained glass into the horizon as shadowy blurs passed us by, wondering! what was happening at this very moment on the farm which had seduced us so swiftly and whilst not even bringing back so much as one single memento but instead rich memories and the dust left on the soles of our shoes. The farm has become a cherished memory deep in the annuals of my mind, sacred and unchanged.

The End.

Rinaldo