My first bush tucker

Today I was on duty - and amongst a myriad of other chores, I decided to take the girls for a walk this afternoon down to one of the dams on the property. Its about 3/4 to a mile away from the main dorm. It was an easy walk there and back and whilst walking around the side of the dam - got to eat my first 'bush tucker'. One of the girls gave me a piece of flax leaf looking thing and said to eat the bottom pale green bit - I did and it tasted not unlike a baby fresh pea skin (sugar snap). This stuff grows in a clump like flax but is thiner leaved with a similar texture to flax at the end you do not eat. The flies were out in droves but pre-sprayed my face with repellent and slathered my hands and arms so was relatively unscathed and managed not to breath in a single beast. Of course I will probably perish by some galloping bubonic plague type disease from the poison sprayed on my skin, but no fly settled on me there and back!!



Am noticing distinctly colder nights since my return. Have had to break out the unmatching duvet covers to layer underneath current duvet plus use my blanket folded in two and sox! (until I warmed up) - am moving into my 'sight to behold look' for winter LOL. Will be aiming to buy a winciette number or two when I am in Gton next and am thinking of tealeafing a blanket or two from the laundry (they have plenty to spare) as well to be on the safe side. During the day I am putting on my cardigan and taking it off all the time - gotta love autumn.



I am a week back now from NZ and it seems like a life time ago already! I think Wednesday night was the first night I spent on my own completely for 6 weeks, which was a trifle weird I must say. I felt quite discombobulated and almost didn't know what to do with myself. Solved the problem by watching nearly 6 hrs of videos that I had not the time to see before, ate cheese (casetello) and crackers for tea, with diet coke and then some coffee and monte carlo biscuits for desert and an orange and two easter eggs (left over) for supper!!! In between I sorted through two boxes of stuff and reorganised what was going where. By Thursday night I had the hang of it again and all was well LOL.



Thank you to everyone I managed to catch up with and who put me up for the night or more and fed and watered me. I will catch up individually over the next wee while. I am gutted I did not manage to catch up with everyone but a surprise (upper end GI) endoscopy at Waikato Hospital, getting new glasses and buying a house that I hadn't planned on doing, took out time I had earmarked to see the people I didn't, if that makes sense. It wasn't for the want of trying. Ah yes, I see that some of you are saying WHAT, she bought a house! As you do when you go on holiday!!!. The week after I got home, I had a txt from sister K to say that our old family property was on the market - was I going to look into it? I was in Hamilton at the time and after another prompt when I got back to Waiuku, I rang the land agent to see what the story was and heard all about the Naysmith homestead LOL. I left it at that and on Monday made an apt with the bank for Tuesday to crunch figures. It wasn't till I was driving back to Hamilton for the endoscopy that I rang a friend to see if he would check the place out with the land agent from an objective point of view. It transpired that an offer was going to be placed by another person at 4.30pm that afternoon so whilst I am having my gizinters photo'd from the inside, and under mild sedation, my friend put in an offer that the vendors accepted!! I got to see the property on the Friday for the first time in three years and then it was contact the lawyer, bank etc etc as the process bowled along. I got off the plane from Wellington on the 23rd in the afternoon, did final details with the lawyer on the way home and got the keys about 5.30pm. Spent the next two days cleaning and with the help of family and friends celebrated the purchase with an impromptu lunch in the lounge where everyone who turned up bought food, camping tables and chairs and something to drink so the place was well and truely christened again. By a lightening stroke of good luck,managed to rent the place on the Friday (Anzac day) and 5.30am the next morning, flew back to Oz. All in all a very surreal experience and am still pinching myself.



So, the old house and 1 3/4 acres is back in the family (there was a goat, sheep and steer still there when the sale went through and am not entirely sure they have been picked up yet!). There were mushrooms in the front paddocks and managed to get enough for two feeds in a very hunting and gathering moment. No 2 son and wife came down on the Friday and took a trailer of firewood from the old pinetrees at the gate that had been felled in the last two years so more bounty from the old place. (Forgot to mention by the by that my gizinters are all fine and dandy - it would appear that gallstone type attack that I had at Christmas just may have been caused by stress after all).



I came back here feeling incredibly blessed by the friends that I have and my family (and the extended clan). This holiday more than made up for the upheavals of last year and I was pleased to be able to catch up with a good amount of you who havegiven me much support over the last few months and for my aussi adventure.



Not sure what tomorrow is going to bring. I finish work after breakfast but the workmate is encouraging me to go on an expedition that will culminate with a bush barbeque with all the girls and the senior boys. They are heading back up to the Murchison area and will be on the hunt for live bush tucker so watch out all bungarras up there tomorrow. As per usual will keep you posted. Love to the happy couple celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary (our old/new next door neighbours) and to the birthday folk for tomorrow. Am thinking of you all.

Love Lynn