MORE FROM TUMBALALA AND THOUGHTS ABOUT NEPAL

POST # 165

Last week I headed out for a drive from the property onto this country road which is east of my location. I was just past where the shadow on the road is (on the curved end of the road), when out of the blue, a truck came flying around the bend heading straight for me, and he was on my side of the road.  He must have been going at least 80kph or more, and thankfully I had only just started out so I wasn't going very fast.  He made a desperate swerve over to the left, where he should have been in the first place, and we passed each other unharmed.  However, if I would have left the property even 30 seconds earlier, I think that there would have been a head on collision.  As I've said many times, you never know when you get up in the morning, whether or not you'll be going to bed that night.  Anyhow, it made for an exciting start to the day, and there was no harm done.  As the driver of the other vehicle went by me, he seemed to have a sneer on his face which made me think that he was annoyed that I had interrupted his normal race track style of driving on this road.  Or perhaps, maybe he'll think twice the next time, before he goes screaming around that bend in such a hurry on the wrong side of the road.

Moving right along. Time for a few more views around Tumbalala.

I just love the green colour of the ground cover around the property.

Now here is an interesting photo.  This is a huge rock in the creek behind where I am located, and the unusual thing about it, is the old log perched near the top right. I can only assume that at one time in the past, the water in the creek rose to such an extent, that this log was deposited there.  If that was the case, it would have been something to see at the time. There would have been plenty of water here on the property as a result of the flood. (Note: I have left this photo large, so that the log can be seen easily.)

And next, we have a view from the back deck overlooking the chook yard.  This is a great place to spend time in the late afternoon, which is when this photo was taken.

Now here is a rather unusual rock/tree formation, and that's all I'll say.  I leave it to the reader's imagination as to what this might remind them of.

The lighting in late afternoon is always so wonderful, and it encourages me to try and capture what it looks like on the gum trees and rocks.

In the next photo, Tumble the cat captures perfectly, the mood around here, in other words, it's VERY, VERY relaxed.

From day one of my arrival, Ali the dog showed me her favourite ball to play with and so the two of us have managed to play ball multiple times each day.  I have found a good stick to hit the ball with, which is better than just kicking it, because it travels a lot farther, and Ali gets a better work out, as do I.  However, the poor ball has taken quite a beating, and even though it doesn't much resemble a soccer ball any longer, in it's current form, it's easier to send it flying into the air, and Ali doesn't seem to notice, that her ball isn't very round anymore.

Here is Ali, all set to play with what's left of her ball.

Today I have three short videos to share as well.  This first one is of Ali, after we've had another game of ball.

Next up, as I was walking down the road yesterday, I noticed this little spider trying it's best to get from one side of the road to the other.

And finally, one more video.  A small creature was wandering across the computer screen last night while I was on the NBL website.  Well, at least, some creatures are interested in finding out what's really going on.

That pretty well covers things for this week at Tumbalala, but I didn't want to end this post without sparing a thought for all of those people in Nepal right at the moment who are suffering through the effects of a 7.9 earthquake.  Having spent time in Kathmandu and the surrounding area back in 1980, I feel a connection to the people there, who are some of the poorest, yet most generous people I have ever had the opportunity to meet.  They must be going through a very rough time at the moment.  Of course, the media focus here is on the westerners who are in Nepal, however, they have the ability to leave.  Unfortunately for most of the locals, there is nowhere else to go.  Very sad indeed.


Soon, my time here at Tumbalala will be coming to a close, and I will once again be wandering to the next place.  I may or may not have computer access for a blog post on May 7th, but time will tell.  However, I certainly will be writing again on May 14th, with more news to share.

In the meantime,

Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

TEAM TUMBALALA

POST # 164

Today we have some photos of "Team Tumbalala".

ALI, AFTER PLAYING YET ANOTHER GAME OF BALL

TUMBLE AND RUFF

THE YIN AND YANG OF FURBALLS

HENRY AND SOME OF HIS HEN FRIENDS

HENRY INSPECTING SOME OF THE EGGS FOR TODAY

ONE OF THE THREE HORSES AT TUMBALALA

JUST SOME OF THE BIRD LIFE HERE (if you look closely, you'll see a grape in it's right claw)
AND...

A KOOKABURRA SITTING ON THE FENCE

SOMETIMES A WALLABY PASSES THROUGH

THERE ARE, OR SHOULD I SAY, WERE FRESH GRAPES TO EAT.  YUMMY!!!!

ONE OF THE MANY VIEWS AT SUNSET


And finally, a little action at the cat/dog door to keep the house sitter amused.

Well, almost done, but the post wouldn't be complete without a video of Ali with her ball, or what's left of it.

That's all for today.

Happy trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

NO HUMANS

POST # 163


It has now been 10 days since I dropped the owners off at the airport in Armidale, after which, I went to town to pick up a few supplies and then return here to Tumbalala.  And I've not seen even one human being since that time. Being the only human around, helps to take the focus off of all the crazy things humans do and say.  It's rather refreshing, and I am enjoying it as much as I possibly can.

Out here at Tumbalala, the closest town is 22km away, and even though there are neighbours here in the countryside, they are a fair distance away, so it's really just me, Ruff and Tumble the cats, Ali the dog, Henry the rooster and his 8 hen friends. Certainly there is more than enough company here to keep me both happy and amused.  In addition to all of these critters, there is an amazing amount of bird life, that are a real treat to observe.

I was hoping to put some photos into this blog, which I usually do via my email account, however for some reason in the last few days, Yahoo hasn't allowed me to open my mail.  It's just another one of those things that we all take for granted nowadays, and when it's not working, it becomes a small annoyance.  However, I try to take it in stride with all of this electronic paraphernalia that has taken over our lives in recent years.  I expect at some future date, it will all be rather useless and/or not that important to us all, which seems like a  bold statement to make however in the greater scheme of things, I think there are much more important issues on the horizon than whether or not one's email account is being uncooperative.  Be that as it may, for this blog entry at least, it means NO photos.

Last night, just prior to bed, I went outside and gazed up at the stars which is something that I like to do just before retiring, and when I was looking at the Southern Cross, I noticed, or should I say re-noticed an area right next to it which is like a black spot in amongst all the stars.  For what ever reason, the name of this spot came back into my head.  It's called the Coal Sack which I happened to remember a friend telling me about way back when I first arrived here in Australia in the late '70's. It is an area of opaque gas that obscures the stars that are behind it (behind from our earthly point of view that is), and it is about 600 light years away.  It would take ten times my current life span, travelling at 186,000 miles per second to reach the Coal Sack.  Wow!!!  These are the kinds of things that occupy a human's mind when there are no other humans around.

And finally, this blog post wouldn't be complete without a mention of Mike Ruppert who died a year and a day ago.  He was on my mind because of the date.  I wonder what he would have thought of the state of the world now?

Perhaps by this time next week, Yahoo will be co-operating, and if so, I will fill that entry with some photos from around the property.  Until then,

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

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Late update.  Yahoo is finally back on line so I thought I would post two photos.




Mike Ruppert and Rags from a post last year.

The Thoughtful Wanderer and Ali taken a couple of days ago.

GOODBYE TO SALAMANDER BAY-HELLO TO BALALA via NEWCASTLE

POST # 162


It already seems like ages ago since I said goodbye to Baxter, Bam Bam and Tilly at my previous house sit at Salamander Bay, yet it was only April 3rd.

My friends John and Linda hosted me for a couple of nights at their place in Newcastle, and from there I boarded a train to Uralla.  Upon arrival, I was greeted by Alan and we continued our journey to Tumbalala, the name of their property in Balala NSW.  Deni, his wife welcomed us when we got to Tumbalala.

                           
                                                            TUMBALALA

                                                                   

They both left yesterday, and so I am now alone here.  Well, I'm alone as far as humans go, but I have plenty of company, with Ali, the boxer dog, Rough and Tumble the cats, Henry the rooster and his eight hen friends, and plenty of other bird life, so I may be alone, but I am anything but lonely. The property is 22km from the closest town which is Uralla, so the peace and quiet is magnificent.

This will be a short post and I will try to be more elaborate with my next one.  I am on limited internet out here in the country, and so I think I will be keeping my posts shorter than normal over the course of this house sit.

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer