Deliver me from Booligal!

Preface:

(The inspiration to take a trip to Booligal was due to the challenge sent to me by Edwina from Maisie and More - by giving photography a go, my only regret is that my toes look like skanky crab sticks, I took many more photos which I will use over the next few posts - thanks Edwina - though it was a pretty gruelling experience to go to Booligal - I am out there, making the most of where I live - which is why I asked you guys to challenge me!)

Today I gave up mother duties for the afternoon and spontaneously announced to the Cowboy I was joining him in his truck to pick up some rams in Booligal.

Where?

Booligal.

The formal name for "whoop whoop"

The town that Banjo Patterson famously detested in his poem "Hay, Hell and Booligal" :

"Just now there is a howling drought

That pretty near has starved us out -

It never seems to rain at all;

But, if there should come any rain,

You couldn't cross the black soil plain -

You'd have to stop in Booligal."

"We'd have to stop!" With bated breath

We prayed that both in life and death

Our fate in other lines might fall:

"Oh send us to our just reward

In Hay or Hell, but, gracious Lord,

Deliver us from Booligal!"

Banjo hit the nail on the head in many ways.

The trip with the Cowboy really made me aware of the drought that surrounds us and it dawned on me that the hot season is definitely upon us... grrrrrrrr

The trip with cowboy confirmed my hatred for flies and dust.

It confirmed that I don't mind living in a small town - but don't make me go out and have flies near me, or dust near me - or heat near me.

It confirmed my continued bewilderment that I ended up with a Cowboy.

We drove for 1 hour on the most boring, flat, straight hot and dusty road on Earth.

I read once that the road here is LITERALLY the flattest on Earth.

Combine that with a Banjo Patterson poem and there are some impressive claims to fame.

We drove in a truck without air-conditioning.

It was just under 40 degrees today.

I was in charge of picking up snacks for our long journey and made 2 fatal errors:

1. I bought Salt n Vinegar Chips

2. Accidentally bought a bottle of Sarsaparilla

Please note, I have NEVER tried Sarsaparilla and no-one had ever told me it was equivalent to drinking a piece of licorice.

So please imagine if you will , driving in a hot truck on a boring road eating salt n vinegar chips - getting damn thirsty and only having a piece of licorice to drink?

Cranky pants.

Scenery included shrubs, dirt, shrubs, dirt, the odd feral cat, bull and a couple of kangaroos.

When we got to Booligal Cowboy loaded the truck up with the rams, while I took photos of their heads and backsides.

I was trying to be creative Edwina - but there wasn't much scope for it!

The old bloke that lived out there came out and started talking to us.

Lovely as he was I just wanted to get back to the civilisation (and air-conditioning) of my one horse town!

The more flies that hovered the angrier I could feel myself getting.

I know it was my idea to come out here but why did it take so long to load sheep?

I didn't know.

Cowboy finished his 'sheepboy' duties and then came out and had a quick chat to the old bloke.

Little droplets of sweat started beading down my face and I thought of my little boy who I abandoned to come out here for the afternoon.

What I would give to be changing a nappy right about now.

Old Banjo came into my head and I muttered under my breath

"Deliver me from feckin' Booligal"

"What?" Cowboy asked.

"I love you" I said swiping the worlds biggest fly out of my eye.

We jumped back into the truck, adorned with flies opting to dehydrate rather than drink Sarsparilla and headed back to Hay which now seemed like the big smoke.

You can read entire Banjo Patterson poem about Booligal (and Hay for that matter) here