I have been busy. 800 lambs, about 3 or 4 hundred more that were more calf than lamb. Sort and process the other 1600. It was hectic, it was hell, it was fun. I am glad to be done but I am also sad. No, I didn't leave a new girlfriend in the shearing shed. Sadly as the sheep work finished so did Cam’s tenure at Ciavarella farms. Cam is an incredible character. He is a type of man that could only survive in the last wild parts of the world. I suspect that he is a cash only enterprise. He is a little paranoid. He is an amazingly talented mechanic but he is also an admitted drifter and a bit of a heavy drinker. Cam is a true gypsy. He taught me a lot in the short time we shared and I returned the favour. I will miss him, and I know that I will see him again before I leave Australia. That fool left his yabbie traps behind and I know that it was not an accident. I also know that I will return them to him.
All the endless sheep work had mildly blinded me from of my long standing tenants about life. I firmly believe that every day I am alive something amazing and awe inspiring happens to me. Maybe it is just a sunrise, maybe its a smile, maybe I save a whale from choking on a golf ball. I dont know what it will be, so I try to keep my eyes open and soak everything in. I know that it is impossible to catch everything but the things that I do are still pretty amazing. Like the ewe, who after giving birth promptly decided to adopt the sick and starving orphan that had been wandering the paddock all day. Or maybe it was the german nurse. The look in his eyes when he wrapped his hand around the little twitching legs of the just about born lamb that was having a bit of trouble getting out of mom. Maybe it was the rainbow that appeared to be landing a few scant feet away from the door to my shack. Each one of its colours more vivid and powerful than the last. Better yet, the howling winds and machine gun rain that followed it. I know that when I'm seeing those things, I am in a good place.
I also know that I am doing good. My successful management of the sheep situation has lead to an increased role with this family. A role I am comfortable with and one that I strongly feel I can excell in. Which is good, I need to stay occupied. It is in of itself a distraction, but it is a healthy distraction. It is also a distraction that allows me to slowly and gradually find solutions to the things that still vex and concern me. However, I am starting to sound a little bit narcissistic so I better lighten things up.
As I previously mentioned I am living with a young Italian couple. After I had finally finished working with sheep I decided to give myself a much needed cleanup. I was in desperate need of a haircut and my beard was reaching homeless man territory. So I asked Mabel, the young Italian woman, if she could please cut my hair. I had watched her trim her husbands locks and she did a very nice job. Well, I have given you that much. RJ needs hair cut, RJ asks ameatur hairdresser for hair cut, the rest you can pretty much fill in yourself. The storyline is a comically recurring event in my life. Like each one that preceded it, this one was also special. Mostly because we were almost at the finish line. I could see the checkered flag. When Mabel moved the trimmer away from my ear I didn't suspect a thing. When I heard the blades buzz and chew above my head, I suspected that nothing was awry. When she grabbed my head and forcefully held it against her chest, I grew suspicious. When between her sobbing cries I could vaguely translate, “I made a small mistake”, I reached for the mirror. When I looked down at the fairly large patch of hair that had fallen onto my arm, all that was left to do was laugh. So laugh I did. We all did. A kitchen full of wandering travellers, laughing in unison at the bald patch on my head. I have had hundreds of haircuts. This is one of the worst looking. This is one of the best.
Take it easy.
Location: Leeton, NSW, Australia
Status: The baldspot boss is permanently smiling.
What was your reason behind quoting Avicii? Because the next line of that song is, "And that's fine by me..."
ReplyDeleteSo I'm wondering if you're using the Swedes words in their original context or do you intend for them to stand alone...
The reason is that I like the song. Music can mean so many different things to people. I realized I was running a risk when I used lyrics for a title but to hell with it! This is Australia!
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