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that their bodies have trouble adjusting to the rapid changes in weather. We certainly have had that - days of heat wave (okay, 23 degrees does not a heat wave make, but you have probably not experienced years living in the South-West of Victoria, where we have a seven-day-summer), and then yesterday it POURED and was very cold (especially if you were caught out in the wet!).

Any body trying to adapt to that will expend a lot of energy. Energy=stress. Stress, unannounced and unanticipated, takes a toll, and does not leave much room for everyday stress. It's the old flight/fight story. Because we can't do either, our bodies stress out, and that takes a large toll on us.

Back to the real world...

Now here's an interesting snippet - September 17s edition of The Weekly Times on page 44, talks about furphys. Never heard of them?

"The Furphy Farm Water Cart is an Australian icon. (Click Here to learn more and see a picture.)

"The original Furphy Farm Water Cart was made in about 1878 and produced in thousands for more than 100 years.

"The carts are enshrined in Australian folklore.

"They have given the "furphy" a unique meaning - a rumour, gossip or by extension a false story.

"The origin of this was the troops in World War I who used to gather around the Furphy carts for a drink and to swap unconfirmed information.

"These traditional water tanks remained in production at Shepparton's J Furphy & sons until 1983.

"Today, the genuine cast iron tank ends of a Furphy tank are keely sought by a legion of collectors at farm clearing sales.

"They bring ever-increasing and sometimes seemingly outrageous prices.

"Remarkably, the tanks have proved to be so durable they are still in use today.

"The era of manufacture can be readily dated by noting the details of the inscriptions on the dished cast iron tank ends.

"Furphy's still offers a popular tank re-barreling service where a new galvanised steel barrel is fitted to the original tank ends using a unique blacksmithing technique.

"The result is a renewed tank with many decades more of useful life as a water transfer unit."

Furphy's still produce engineering marvels for the farm, and are also now compiling a book (hopefully published in 2005AD) revealing their history.

We now have five goslings, and I bought two darkish Indian runner drakes for $20 each tonight. A gentleman from Koroit happily gave me three excess bantam roosters, who are gorgeous! Poor Trilliant is still not well, and has not fully recovered from the beating by the Chinese geese. He is still in with the guinea pig, and each day I make sure there is food and water within reach. He also gets turned and moved, to which he objects as much as he can, but he can only move his legs a little back and forth.

We are about to sell the Friesian bulls, who are getting very large indeed, and look superb with all of the Spring grass they have been munching in the paddocks. A young gentleman by the name of Struan Pearce from Wesfarmers Landmark has been very helpful. He is trying to get us the best price possible, even researching selling the bulls to a bloke in South Australia. What a sweetie this guy is! I hope he prospers in his career, he deserves to. He went to the trouble of trying to chase down a neighbour, so that we could (possibly) use his loading race to get the bulls on to a cattle truck. Don't you love it when someone goes the extra mile for you?

I have not located where the cat has hidden the kittens she has had, but will keep you updated.

Talk about cheek! Caution, our miniature daschund, scared off a full-grown goose who wandered into HER yard yesterday. I mean to say, this dog is one quarter the size of a feisty feather!

In my mind

In my mind is

the perfect house -

although it changes, that

is a part of its perfection

The verandah,

the swing,

the grapevine and wisteria

climbing around each other

like an old married couple

Warm wood,

comfortable old house smell

deep dark still cellar

light airy attic, with dust motes dancing

bedrooms of bliss

a princess' palace for my sweet girl

a romantic hideaway for us

and a haven for each guest

kitchens of country comfort

big old ornate stove

black and hot

jars and bottles each an art form

filled with taste-bud tempters

and mouth waterers

and the garden!

oh! the garden!

rolling lawns of emerald

a creek flashing silver

and all the colours of Aladdin's Cave

flowering in gentle sunlight

a gazebo

white, Chinese,

padded seats, coolness at Midday

a dam

filled with trout and yabbies

and beautiful waterbirds.

So goes my imagination

it's not a bad place, really.