Fun on the Farm

I had been asking the nurses about whether or not I could go away on the AFL Grand Final long weekend, also known in WA as the queens birthday long weekend, but I'll let you all decide which one you actually celebrate. For us, it's the grand final. It's a big deal. Unfortunately this year our beloved Eagles didn't make it and our WA rivals, the Fremantle Dockers, did. As happy as I am for them that they made it, I was going for the other team...Hawthorn. Sorry freo fans, please don't stop reading my blogs because of this. I just couldn't bring myself to go for freo, and I KNOW some of you wouldn't either if the shoe was on the other foot. Is that the saying? Anyway, this blog isn't about Freo, or the grand final really. It is about getting away...to the farm!

I must admit, after watching McLeod's Daughters I was probably extra excited about this visit. Not only was it my first time in Muka, but it was my first trip to a real farm. I had McLeods in my head the whole time, even though I know they don't have horses on this farm..
Instead I went out and bought an akubra (x3 actually - couldn't decide on a colour) or simply a cowboy/girl hat from red dot. I also invested in boots. Farm boots, which by the end of the trip were nice and dusty and used-looking. I was happy! Another item that came along, was my checkered shirt. Or a "flanno" as the Aussies put it.

 This is the donga

 Brett and I in a wheat field/paddock

 Hard work this sheep work! One was struggling so we put her on the back of the ute

 Rookie learning to ride the quad bike. So Tash came along

 I was still a rookie so I rode on the back of Brett's

 Jumping for joy, off to shoot some cans

 Both Tash and I hit our targets.

 Sheep work crew! We were amazing. Dave would say otherwise....

 Sheep selfie

 One of the many paddocks. Country beauty!

 Sheep work

 The fam minus Ryan at Noble Falls on the way to the farm

Selfie with Red

I was granted a big fat 'yes' from my doctor when I had my appointment 2 days before the weekend. She said my bloods were great and I could stay away until Tuesday and start chemo on Wednesday instead. SO GOOD. We packed our things Friday night and woke early Saturday morning to drive 3.5hrs North East-ish of Perth to Mukinbudin. The sign on the way in described it as the "Classic, Dry, Red." Accurate I thought. Anyway this farm is where my mother-in-law grew up. My husband and his family often make trips to the farm also known as Waralya Downs. A sheep and wheat farm. Excuse me to my family if I am getting this wrong. They have many memories there and I am reminded how great holidays are and of course the memories/stories they create.

It was amazing to get away. I want to say phrases like "ahh the clean, fresh, farm air..." and "it was so relaxing.." so I WILL. I loved it. I did find the air fresh and clean (apart from the dust behind a mob of sheep or a quad bike) and I had the most relaxing time just being away from the thoughts of Perth and the things associated with it...like cancer. I enjoyed sitting outside the donga drinking a cuppa. So Australian.

We got up to lots of things like riding quad bikes, shooting, driving through paddocks of wheat, moving sheep from paddocks, morning tea eating, fly swatting, red dog playing and so much more. I loved the farm so much but know that it can be such a different story in other seasons of the year. We had great weather, not too hot and not too cold (sometimes cold, but I get cold easily), so it's easy to love it now and maybe not so much on a 45 degree day in the middle of December or January

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I was sad that I now have memories in photos of a time that I went away to the farm, bald, puffy and still undergoing chemotherapy. But still joyful that I got to experience it. It sure was and still is hard to look at the photos of myself and think they don't look like me, but I guess it's all part of this journey and I can hopefully one day look back on these photos and be glad that I did what I did when I did it. Rather than waited to be 'healthy' and 'look better'. Easy to say, still hard to believe.

Hope you enjoyed the small glimpse of the farming life in country Western Australia.

Love Kendy x

P.s. Big thanks to Uncle Jeff and Aunty Tracey for having us, and another thank you to Dale and Derick for their spare bedroom. Can't forget Muka Church of Christ for letting wavey preach again and even listening to a few of my little words. So in general, thanks to Mukinbudin for its hospitality!