Although I get paid for sleeping the very next day I'm feeling as if I'm floating on big fat clouds. I'm not here. I'm somewhere. This night Kelpie 'Cooper' was whining without interruption, he wanted to go home but was not supposed to do so.

A couple of months ago I started a Small Business: looking after animals when the owner is not present (www.animalservice.com.au). So a lady gave me a call whether I can come in January caring for her horses and donkeys while she is undergoing a knee surgery. I went to her place and had a vision to see myself in 20 years: a very old (80 years) crippled woman was trying to get along feeding 3 horses, 4 ponys and 2 donkeys (in three different paddocks). Not to mention xxx sheep, xxx goats, xxx geese, xxx peacocks, xxx chooks, rescued birds in xxx aviaries, xxx cats and (luckily 'only') one dog. She moved in the pace of a garden snail - using a walking stick to get along. No, definitely no: this is n o t the way I want to live (suffer) in 23 years. I love animals, they are my life - but I don't think that it is possible to care for a zoo when standing with one foot in the grave. "I'm okay" she repeated several times. "Only my knee hurts." She really believes that she is back on her feet three days after receiving an artificial joint. No, no, no. This was an impressive lesson I was taught yesterday. I will concentrate on planting native shrubs and trees and revegetate my 8.5 ha property (without stables and paddocks).

2 night shifts as a veterinary nurse are done. I'm feeling pretty confident and hope they will call again. I'm still not member of the University - I was hired by a recruitment company. But I got one foot in the door and perhaps I will get the oppertunity to achieve a full time job. It is not easy to work here. Any job needs a qualification! The Australian employers are always looking to the curriculum vitae (cv)/ resume and it is necessary to have a professional to do this work. European are very different and wan't be accepted. It costs some Dollars but at last it paid off.

Today I was allowed to enter the hall to the Holy Grail!

I chose the place where I'm living because of the close distance to South Australia's new established Veterinary School at Roseworthy Campus: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/vetsci/. Unfortunately I'm not eligible to work in my profession as veterinarian (the Australian authorities are not recognizing my German/Austrian qualification). But it looks like I get the job as a nurse on a casual basis - the interview went pretty well. Fingers crossed.