11

Okay, to the news: our Koroit property sold for $155,000. A good friend of ours, Craig, had offered Jim, my brother, who has power of attorney, $180,000 a couple of weeks ago. Jim turned him down. Reason unknown.

We believe we have to move out on January 12th. We have sold Muppet and Heather to Kale, who is Aaron's bosses' son, and we have also sold the jerseys, the turkeys, the peahen, some of the geese and some of the guinea pigs. The chooks, we are giving away to Rose, who is Kale's Mum. Provided she takes the roosters, too. We don't care what she does with them, but we don't want them running around with no-one to look after them.

We still have the pigs, the rest of the geese, the pigeons, the ducks and the rest of the guinea pigs, and the German shepherds. Mowgli, we're keeping.

Brian, Alice and I were looking at a rental property in Warrnambool late this afternoon, it's $300/week, but worthwhile, so we may well move there. I love it so far, but we haven't seen inside yet, and hopefully will be doing that tomorrow night. Then there is the little matter of how soon to move, if we do get it, and what to do here in terms of quitting the place.

I've spoken to my Mum (last night) who seems glad to be rid of the property, but has no idea (and hopefully never will) of the angst this has all caused, as Brian is still tremendously upset with what he sees as Jim throwing a spanner in his works of building up a rural portfolio/Highland stud etc.

Mum is doing fine, although showing more and more aberrant behaviour socially, which is not endearing her to her fellow residents at the Nursing Home.

Brian is also madly harvesting the Warrnambool Racecourse, for which he has been subcontracted, and he's trying to fit that in between fits of bad weather and his job out at Deakin.

I don't think Brian believes in burning the candle at both ends so much as setting the whole thing alight simultaneously using some sort of highly flammable incendiary fuel. He is, as you probably know, forty-eight now, and his idea of slowing down is to see how much more waking hours he can eke out of every twenty-four.

He was complaining to me the other day about how he can no longer relax fully as he has been working so much. Even when we went to Mildura, he was still supercharged, which fact even I (thick as I am and about as unable to take a hint as a charging bull elephant) had noticed, he having more nervous tension than a two-year-old being introduced for the first time to Santa's knee.

The eight piglets Bess had in the last forty-eight hours have all died. She's not doing so well either, and we are wondering if there's another stuck in there. Or perhaps the after-birth. She wouldn't get up for a day and a night, but Porgy started screaming at her and threatening to bite her, so she did eventually struggle up and she seems better. She is still eating, thankfully - a True Edge.

Alice is already starting to feel nervous about the big gymnastics competition on the weekend down at Geelong, and the Salvation Armys Spring Celebration is on at Halls Gap next week so we'll be heading to that after the comp.

Oh, you might remember that I was writing about a young Aboriginal gentleman who taught us beading when we were in Pt. Augusta. I've just found his profile. His name is Earl Duren. He writes: "Hi, my name is Earl Duren. I am an Aboriginal person from Ngarindjeri people of Lower Murray.

"I have been painting and doing other craft work for over 10 years now. I have sold several design to various companies which produce stickers and fridge magnets etc. My art work can be found Australia wide and overseas.

"For further information please write to me at 17 Kinnane Street, Whyalla Norrie 5608 until such time as I can obtain a contact number.

"Yours sincerely

"Earl Duren."

I have a book called 801 Money Saving Tips, researched and compiled by Robin Elliser, Universal Mini-Books, date of publication recent but unknown. Robin recommends an arthritis rub of black mustard seeds, ground and mixed with an equal amount of solid vegetable shortening and rubbed on the joints. Another method mentioned to relieve arthritis pain is to soak one cup of unhulled barley in two litres of boiling water for three hours. Strain and refrigerate. Drink one cup per day.

Delight

How wonderful is new life!

To see a foal kicking its heels

as it chases after its mother...

To listen to the panicked quacking

of duckling for duck

The fiercely wagging tail of a lamb

as it gorges itself at its dam

Even the awesome sight of dozens

of baby spiders

piggybacking on their parent

Amazing how it all triggers

happiness

in me.