Monty's help at work

Monty has been helping around the yard and property during his time here.

First he watched the farrier

Took a ride in the tractor

Helping at competitions

Making the feeds

Mucking out

Gardening

Riding

Unpacking boxes

Keeping warm by the fire

He also made many many friends with the neighbours 

June 2017

Well this was my last month at work and what a busy time this was. On the first of the month we had our Frist frost, it can be just like an English winters morning but the difference here is that it warms up quite a bit during the day. In the sun it can be very warm...if the wind is not blowing!

I have been very busy helping get the property set up. Been looking after the horses as normal plus setting up the tack room, gardening (lots and lots of weeding, planting and racking leaves), cleaning, adding to the burn piles, getting rid of cobwebs, putting up fences, tack cleaning.

We have also been out to Shibumi; which is next door, it has arenas and is a livery yard. I also went to the last competition with Fiorella.

I had a few days off in a row so I went into Canberra. This is the capital of Australia. This is a purposely built city there is not much history behind it. The only story I kept hearing was about the competition they had for the design of the city. You can definitely tell it is a purpose built place, but it is lovely. I took a 2 hour train to the city and first took a walk from the station into the city coming across a huge lake. First I went to Aspen Island this has a bell tower on it and while I was eating my lunch it played tunes. 

I then took a walk over to the national Gallery of Australia. This had some interesting art, I especially liked the Aboriginal art section. 

I then ventured up to Parliament House...I had to have my bags scanned before entering (like at the airport) and they took my padlock off me because in the past they have had protesters chain themselves up inside. I went up onto the roof and saw the huge flag and flag pole then joined a quick tour around the building. This told me abut the building itself, how it was built and a few intreresting facts. After the tour had finished in got to sit in and watch government at work in the Senate and House of Representatives. On leaving the building I collected my padlock and headed off to my hostel for the evening. 

The next day, was so foggy and it put a little spanner in what I wanted to do but first I visited the War Memorial.

I was hoping when I was finished the fog would have cleared. When arriving at the memorial some soldiers were practicing a few rituals they performe on special days. I arrived at the front desk at the same time as a man and the staff throught we were together and asked if they could pop our bags on the same shelf! Well we were given a map and started to wonder into the museumn then someone else asks if we wanted to join the tour about the 2nd world war so we both did. It was a very interesting tour, I didn't realise how much Australia was involved and bombed during that time because at school we only really learn about England and Germany. After the tour had finished the fog had still not cleared so I wondered around the rest of the museum. I kept bumping into the man so we got chatting, he is Lewis from Canada. We walked and talked for the rest of the museum. 

When we left the fog had cleared and I could then take the hike up to Ainslie lookout to see the city. Lewis joined me so we took a steep walk up the road to the top. The views were spectacular. 

Monty enjoyed this part of the day

We then found a better path that took us back into the city where we grabbed a snack then it was time for me to catch my trian. Lewis drove me there and when I arrive in get a knock on the door by the guard...saying are you catching the train to Sydney, I replied yes and he was like you better be quick it's leaving in 2 minutes and I was like no I've got 10 mins haven't I...no I didn't I had got the departing time wrong in my head! Lucky I arrived when I did...caught the train back to Bundanoon.

So the 21st of June is the longest day in the UK but the shortest day in Australia.

Near the end of the month Demarkus came back...he had been at a trainers yard for a while, he is still up for sale! It was nice to see him again before I left.

In my last week Virginia, Pete and I went down to Glow Worm Glen. With tourches at the ready we all headed down this path, it went down and down and down...when were we going to reach the cave? It was very dark but eventually we reached the bottom, turned off the tourches and saw a magnificent site. Hundreds and hundreds of glow worms lit up the sides of the rocks. It was so amazing to see, I could of stayed there for hours looking at them but it was time to walk up and up and up the path now!

Animals I have seen this month are;
Foxes
Rabbits
Kangaroos
A bat
Wombats

Rosellas

I had such an amazing time working with Virginia and Pete. I learnt many things about Australia and more things about horses. It was sad to say goodbye but I needed to continue my journey. I wished them both the best of luck with there new adventures in their new home and headed off on the train to Sydney to board another flight.

May 2017

Well May consisted of my adventures in Melbourne, Alice Springs, Uluru and on the Great Ocean Road; have a look at my previous posts for those adventures.

On returning from Melbourne and making my way back to work. I get picked up from the train station and taken to the next door neighbours, Bruce and Jill's. This is where I spent 2 weeks in their flat with the horses in the stables.

I settle in. On the first day back I had to go back to the old property to do the normal morning routine and start to pack up the last of the bits and make up all the feeds for the next few weeks then in the afternoon take the horses over to their new temporary home.

It was then the last day at the old property and to get it ready for the next owners I helped clean, take down some electric fencing and put up the border fence. I think everything was then ready for the handover.

Jill and Bruce have a dog called Molly and a daycare dog called Cody.

Most days I spent the time doing the usual jobs; riding, mucking out, feeding, paddock poo pick up, clean tack and we had a competition.

On my days off I have been into Sydney and visited the Reserve Bank of Australia museum (all about the currency in Australia through its short history). I met up with Carly (a friend I made at Sangam, India) and we spent an evening walking around Sydney, we saw a lot of light insterlations all over Sydney.  It was so amazing to see the city lit up in lights; the Opera House was awesome. 

We also grabbed some glow in the dark food, danced under umbrellas, played hopscotch and watched an astonishing thunderstorm over the city.

 The next day we met up and after a bit of shopping we took a tour around the Hyde Park Barracks museum. It was very interesting to hear how the place has changed and what it has been used for over the years.

Monty enjoyed the tour too but decided to sit in the hammock for a rest.

It was then time for the big move. I finished packing up my things, got the horses ready and loaded then we were off on a 2 and a half hour drive down to the new property. We moved from a 10 acer to a 100 acer property. It was a lovely drive watching the landscape change it became more hilly and dence with trees. We arrived in the dark...unloaded the horses and left the rest for the morning. The house was full we had some guests that were doing some work at the house, Greg and Ross. So I had to sleep in another room for a few nights before I could unpacked and settle into the permanent one.

First day at the new property. ..so many things to be getting on with. Firstly I did the normal morning routine but the paddocks were not ready yet so the horses had to chill in their stables and yards for the day, while we sorted things out and unpacked things. The previous owners came over for some time and I showed the horses to the kids. 

In the evening we all went out to the local pub for a meal and to watch the State of Origin game (an Australian game similar to rugby). The match is a game played between Queensland and New South Wales, it's best of 3 and this was the first match and NSW won.

Flies in Australia!

Okay! So! Flies!

Here in Australia flies don't know much about personal space and in my opinion are very brave creatures.

They are always landing on you and think that landing on your face isn't annoying. I even blow on them to get rid of them but they still just sit there.

The worst flies I have met so far have been in the outback...at Uluru there would be about 5 or 6 flying around your face and landing on you all the time. Even getting behind my sunglasses and in my eye. I sat there with my hands over my ears because they also liked to venture in there too and I couldnt stand that! I didn't even go when the flies were bad! I'm glad I haven't accidentally eaten one yet...but there is still time for that to happen!  

Saying goodbye to Melbourne

Only a few days left in Melbourne before I had to be back at work!

I had already said goodbye to Kelly and Joaquín. I spent the Monday with Kate and Reggie at the library so I could sort out my vote for the election that was coming up in the UK. I then headed over to Ashleigh's where I was staying for the night to drop my bag before heading up to the Eureka tower...this is the tallest building in Melbourne and has some amazing views of the city. 

I got there just in time for the sunset but it was not a very good one because of the distant fog. It was amazing to see the lights come up on the city as it got darker and darker. 

I also got to experience the edge...this is a glass box that comes out the side of the building and you get a 360° view. After finishing up there it was time to head back to Ashleigh's but someone messaged me as they were returning from work and we met to say a final goodbye. Joaquín and I took a short walk down by the river and then to the tram stop once again. It was sad to say goodbye as I was not sure when I would see him again. Ashleigh cooked dinner for us (Kate and I), this was a lovely evening, we had a good girly chat.

It was then time to say goodbye to Ashleigh (thank you for letting me stay over for the night and for dinner), Kate and I headed back to hers and went to get our nails done before it was time to head to the airport. Kate drove me there, we said our final goodbye but I know this is not the last time we will see each other, even though we have not planned anything.

Board my flight back to Sydney and arrived back at work.

Great Ocean Road - Road Trip

Day 1 - Friday 12th
The day has arrived for the Great Ocean Road road trip!!! I meet Joaquín and Kelly at the train station and we head over to Kate's, loaded everything in the car and we were ready to go. Putting my seat belt on and crash! Kate didn't see the post straight behind and smack right into it...good start! The car is ok (only a small crack) and we are all fine so off we head to the Great Ocean Road! We join it just after Torque and we come across the most amazing views of the coast. 

Our first stop was a beach in Lorne and then we took a walk down the peir before heading to Wye River for lunch but on arrival the kitchen was shut so it was a quick drink and snacks instead. Next stop was Kennet River, we took a walk up the track and there were so many birds waiting for people to feed them...one landed on Kelly's head! 

We spotted 7 Koalas. 

Another quick beach stop where we saw some rock pools with lots of tiny shells and starfish before our last stop for the day. Apollo Bay is where we stayed for the night. We were all quite hungry so checked in and went out found the first restaurant we saw...yummy Italian food. Chilled and chatted at the hostel before bed; Joaquín came in my bed for a cuddle and ended up falling asleep there all night.

Day 2 - Saturday 13th
We take a walk along the shop fronts and get some breakfast which we take along to the beach...a great morning for breakfast on the beach and a paddle.

 The first stop today was Otway National Park for a walk around the lush rainforest.

 Back on the road again for a stop at the oldest mainland lighthouse in Australia.

 We also looked for whales but we didn't see any. The main stop for the day was the 12 Apostles...even though it only has 7 Apostles and never have there been 12 it still has that name! 

We arrived just in time to see a spectacular sunset, we climbed 86 steps down Gibson Steps to a beach where we saw only one apostle. Joaquín was taking a photo of the 3 of us girls and a wave came way to close; Kelly and I ran away but Kate decided to launch herself 10 feet into the air and dive into the sand! Which was so so funny! 

(This is the moment just before it happened.)

We then saw the other Apostles with the sunset, which was so beautiful. 

The last stop for the night was Warrnamabool, on the dark drive there we drive through Peterborough! 

Arriving at the accommodation we have a great night drinking and laughing in the pub below.

Day 3 - Sunday 14th
This day mostly consisted of driving back to Melbourne. We took an inland route which was quicker than going back the way we came. First we did take a stop at Bells Beach where we sat and enjoyed the view and the surfers for a while. 

On the way back Joaquín said I'm going to take a nap, well that didn't happen when the 3 of us were singing at the tops of our voices to the whole Chicago musical soundtrack. Last stop before Melbourne was Torque for fish and chips by the beach as we missed stopping here on the first day. We had such an amazing weekend taking in the great sights and sounds of the Great Ocean Road.

Melbourne - Part 2 - 08.05.17 - 11.05.17

8th May
Arrived back in Melbourne from Alice Springs...I went back to Kate's and saw the boys (Lofty and Reggie). We forgot all about swimming so it was a mad dash out the door for swimming lessons. After swimming it was homework time then monopoly time but it was a short game as it was bed time for the boys and I had to sort my bags out. Made my way to the hostel and had a great nights sleep.

9th May
The next morning Kate picks me up with Reggie and we head to St Kilda's beach for a stroll along the promenade and a dip in the sea (only ankle deep...it's definitely not warm enough for a swim).

 After we head down to Brighton (yes, again I am still in Australia). This beach had about 100 beach huts lined all along it, beautifully and individually painted.

After a great day at the beach I got ready for a meal out with Joaquín...I was shocked to learn last week that he has never eaten Indian food so I took him for Indian. We had Aloo Gobi, butter chicken, paratha (a bread) and rice. I think he liked it, I know I did. After dinner we went for a drink and we chatted for hours before I had to get the tram back to the hostel.

10th May
This was quite a packed day - first I was off on the Neighbours tour, Kate and I had a great tour guide - Natalie. She was great, talked all the way to "Ramsey Street" about the programme and characters. 

I learnt that it is a real street that people actually live on, not a set...they have around the clock security. The residents have to keep their blinds down all the time so it looks the same when they film there. They also have to apply if they want to change anything about there house/garden so that it can be written into the script. We then took a drive to the studio and as we arrived we passed some filming - I won't say what as I don't want to give it away to those Neighbours fans reading this as it will take 3 months for that to be aired. I also got to meet Ben Nicholas who played Stingray, he even signed my card for me and my mum. 

On returning Kate and I went to Ashleigh's (another friend from the India tour) and went out for pizza. It was great to see her again and catch up. Kate and I then went to 'Naked for Satan', a bar with an amazing view of the city, we watched the sun set then the moonrise. It was free drink night at the Turf (another bar) so off I went with Kate, Kelly and some guys from the hostel...we drank, played pool and danced. Wanting an earlier night we all left, Joaquín walked me to the tram stop, missed the first one and waiting and waiting for the next one when a queue formed in front of me...there was an accident on the tracks and no trams could go anywhere...ended up getting a taxi, so much for an early night when I get to bed at 2am!

11th May
Phillip Island trip...another day tour today. I got picked up from my hostel, the last one to board the bus. There was 6 others on the tour some from the UK the others from Singapore. Our first stop was Brighton beach to see the huts and this time I learnt that the last one to be sold went for over $300,000 - they have no electricity and you can't stay in them over night. The next stop was to look out over the peninsula but it was quite a foggy day so we couldn't see far, it was then off to lunch. We stopped off at a winery called the Green Olive, the food was delicious. 

I had a glass of wine with bread, crackers, cheese, hummus, meatballs and a rice salad. Our next stop on the tour was Moonlit Sanctuary which run conservation programmes for endangered Australian animals. After wondering around we hopped back on the bus for the main and best bit of the tour...Phillip Island for the penguins. First we stopped at a beach to stretch our legs. Then penguin time...we sat on a platform above the beach and as the sun was setting the penguins started to come in from the sea, we watched groups of them waddle up the beach and went back to their homes and others that didn't go out that day. 

Me with my tour group.

It was amazing to hear the noise they made when they were calling and greeting each other.  After the full moon had risen (another spectacular sight) it was time to head back to the hostel. What a fun day out this has been and an early night was needed for the super exciting weekend ahead!