...without whales. They decided not to show up but it was a great day anyway.

A mild although windy winterday (19*C) and not so many people around.

Unfortunately pets are not allowed in the nearby conservation park. But we went the Bluff Summit Walk (http://www.victor.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=175).

The only downside is the distance: we drove 550 km today!

On Wednesday it was calm and windless. Normally - I would say 75% of the year - wind is blowing mostly from the west, sometimes hot winds from the north, rarely from the east and this makes some noise. But on Wednesday it was absolutely quiet outside. Except of the sheep in the west of my property. They were making so much noise the whole day long. Crying in all different pitches. It really hurts in my ears. In the evening when I walked the dogs I met the farmer and asked him what was going on. He told me that they had 'mulesing' the lambs. I asked myself what they are doing with the tails. When I went on I got the answer.



A ute load of tails and approx. 10 dead lambs (I assume collateral damage) dumped at the dry creek.

... my favourite hen - Spotty - is sick, sitting in a corner with her feathers ruffled
... Sobby caught a stomach bug: vomiting and diarrhea all over the place
... Clare is jumping over the fence! That is a real catastrophe. Especially in the near future. When the crop on the field next to my property is harvested they will bring some sheep. I have to consider some drastic methods of training like an electric shock collar. The alternative would be to feed her until she has gained 50 kg. Then she is too lazy or not able to jump. Or to instal a higher fence. That exceeds my financial possibilities. Or to keep her inside all the time. Don't know what to do.
... good news at last: the neighbours just returned from their journey to Europe. And Sandy is still fit and healthy. Relief.

Now that I can be certain to remain in Australia I rewarded myself for all the effort and purchased ... no, not a camel (not yet). Something different. Something not only I will enjoy. Stay tuned. It will arrive soon.


Edit: No surprise. The seller returned the money without comment. I'm a little disappointed. Why don't they have the backbone to inform me what's going on? In my opinion the 'object' is kind of a failure (it was pretty cheap) and the seller is not honest enough to admit the circumstance. It's a shame. But: "There are plenty of other fish in the sea."

Finally. After 6 (six!) years of hard work, tons of paperwork and a lot of suffer (especially the loss of my beloved job) THE email from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship arrived:

..."Congratulations! You have been granted a permanent visa which allows you to travel to and remain in Australia indefinitely."...

I still have to pinch myself to assure that I'm not dreaming (like in my last post).

... I went over to the place of the neighbours. I let Sandy out so she could relieve herself. First thing was running into the middle of the street. A dead animal was sticking to the ground and little Sandy pulled and pulled until she was able to free it. She started to chew. "Stop it" I yelled as loud as I was able to. Finally she dropped the chunky piece of meat and did three jumps into my direction. Suddenly she fell onto her right site the whole body shaking. As quick as I could I run to her and carried her inside the house. Sitting there crying not knowing what to do. What will the owner think of me? Some people came and took her away. A few minutes later I received a call that Sandy has died. I was so desperate. I know that there is poison for foxes available that can kill within an instant and no antidote possible. I was crying like I haven't cried since the death of cat Kitty. Crying, crying, .... rolling from one side of the bed to the other. Finally I awoke bathed in sweat! I think I'm getting too old to take on responsibility for other peoples animals.

My neighbours are on holiday. The whole family including the grown up children and their partners are visiting Europe. A real marathon: UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy and France - all in 28 days. I think they will need an additional vacation when they return.

I was asked to look after their animals: 2 fish tanks, 2 cats (which I never met because they are pretty timid, but the food is gone every morning so it should be okay) and 1 dog. The dog that has its own character. She can roam around wherever she wants. There is no fence, no secure backyard or kennel. I discussed this with the owners before they left. In my opinion she will leave the property and will follow me when she gets bored. And when running on the street she may get hit by a car. "We won't blame you in case this will happen!" was their respond. But I do not feel comfortable with this attitude. On the third day Sandy came over to my place. I was not able to chase her away. Sobby was embarrassed and hissing all the time, Clare started to be jealous and my door showed marks from her scratching.

She is really cute but I don't want her at my place. So the only alternative is to lock her in. Better read than dead.

Some 50 seedlings are left but they are more or less underdeveloped - too small to put into the soil.
And this is how they look now - hard to discover.

Here two examples from last year - rarely watered.
The same species with daily watering.
What a difference water supply makes!

And again new visitors in the backyard. This time Red-rumped Parrots Psephotus haematonotus). I'm really delighted to discover such a variety of species.

This medium has something magic: I was complaining about the dry soil and shortly afterwards the heavens opened and brought record rainfall in June. (http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/record-rainfall-for-south-australias-upper-north/24869)
Then I whinged that the fencer hasn't come along yet. What shall I say - the bell at the gate (!) rang and the fencer brought the material. Clare welcomed the delivery with a roll.
Perhaps I should lament about the outstanding visa decision? Why do they take so long? Okay - on their webpage 11 months processing time is estimated. But the officer at the South Australian government said usually it takes 5 to 6 months. Please, dear officers at the Immigration Department, send me a letter (with the right content, please).