Well I'm still looking after the station and went and checked the waters yesterday which involved me getting on the motorbike and riding around the station for a couple of hours making sure the troughs were full, the turkey nests were full and starting any pumps which need to be started. Turkey nests are like lakes, but instead of being dug into the ground. they are built up from the groung so you don't need a pump to get the water going - gravity does that for you. Thankfully all is well and the cows that I saw all looked pretty good.
The weather here on the station is really really hot at the moment. Today we started at 7am and by 7.15 I was dripping with sweat. At 12.30 we broke for lunch, and the temprature in the shade was 37.4 degrees C. We had two hours for lunch and at 14.30 the temprature had risen to 38.2. Any work we do tends to be pretty slow in heat like that ! Elsewhere in Queensland there has been some pretty widespread flooding with two thirds of the state in flood. The dams in the southeast are all filling up nicely with one dam running over the spillway for the first time in 17 years ! Many places have been cut off and lots of stock have died. Here on Jessievale in January so far we have had 50mm of rain and could really do with a little more.
I've managed to get lots of things booked for when Andy & Mel come over to see me in a month. Will be doing a big tour around Queensland, Norther Territory, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales and will see sights such as the Sydney Habour Bridge (We are climbing the bridge) The Whitsunday & Fraser Island, and loads of other things too. I can't wait to do all these thing and I am really looking forward to seeing them both. I know they are looking forward too it too.
Nice to see the Indians beat Australia at cricket the other day - stopped the ozzys getting a record 17th test without defeat - I haven't stopped talking about this yet cos I usually get abuse every time the ozzys win anything. And the Australian open is on at the moment too so there is sport everwhere !
Next weekend is Australia Day (26th January) which if you look back to this time last year tells you the history of this event. It usually involves may Australians having a BBQ and a few (Lots) of beers and generally celebrating the history of the country. I will probably be having a BBQ and a few (lots) of beers out here on teh station of in the Quamby.
I've also got a new camera and will be putting up some more pictures this week including my new idea of a day in my life so you can see what a typical day for me is. It will invole taking a photo every hour or so from getting up to bedtime. I've been thinking of doing it for a while, but not had the camera to do it.
Thats all my news for now. I'm going to go and cook some tea - Probably beef and Eggs tonight.
Hope you are all well in the UK and enjoying your start to the new year.
Ed
Jessievale Station Manager
