Hello Claire 
@outlander 🙂
Housework isn't exciting, but it sure would be exciting to have it done 🙂
You know what the hardest thing I find about aging is? I don't feel old in my head! I keep telling anyone who'll listen, I'm old . . . I think I'm just trying to tell myself!
I think the baiting and trapping is bothering me more than I let myself believe. I really do hate it, what gives our race the right to decide what other races can or can't be. The stupid thing is, if they cull off the dogs, what's going to cull the pigs? I've never come across a dog in the forest, but I've come pretty close to a few pigs and it's them that frighten me!
I could go camping when it's safer, but then, it's never %100 safe anywhere. The main reason I really want to go now, is to give us something to do, somewhere to go. If the dogs have to be on lead, then I figure it would be better to do so somewhere different.
I've just come back from the next town over, took back my movies and got a bunch more out. The Post Office was shut, mustn't open on weekends, but there was a parcel ticket in my box. We ended up going to 3 different spots for a lead walk. The first, a river crossing on the highway, I pulled into because I couldn't remember/figure out if I'd past the turn off to the spot I had in mind or not; the river seemed to have a lot more water in it then I remembered - I'd only ever pulled in to this spot once, being on the highway it's not the sort of spot I'd choose to walk the dogs; but last time I remember a lot more dry river bed, plenty of room to walk, this time it only seemed to be under the highway that was dry, the river seemed to magically appear to 'flow' again either side - I wonder if that's done on purpose?
When we got going again I saw the turn off I had in mind not far down the road, I decided to go there too. Last time I'd tried to go there the road was cut off as they were doing something to the bridge - I thought for sure they'd be finished by now, but . . . the road was still cut off, though it had one of those 'local traffic only' signs on it. Local - that's a pretty vague term, I consider this place a 'local' weir, as it's only about 1/2 an hour from my place - so I snuck through 🙂 I drove up real slow like, checking things out very carefully to make sure no workmen where there. All the big machinery was parked up and it seemed deserted, so I pulled into a track on the opposite side to my usual {I wasn't game to drive over an unfinished bridge ;)}. Again it had to be an on-lead walk, I know the farmers in this area often bait and trap when the state forests are. I had both dogs on leads, well two leads tied together - we work pretty well together really, sometimes we do end up in a bit of a knot, but when I stop so do they and we just get un-knotted 🙂 It's a bit slow going, that's all. We wandered just a little way and I thought there would be no-one there as I wasn't sure how legal my driving there had been - when across the weir I saw someone was camping! I know that's not allowed there, and then I saw a dog there as well - so . . . time to leave again.
I was a little low on fuel, so had to continue along different roads towards home {instead of going back to the highway}, and it takes me into town from a different direction; one that takes me past the local showgrounds. I've tried to go into the showgrounds before, to take the dogs for a run, but there's always someone there {the council allows camping there}. I noticed it seemed pretty empty, so after I passed it I did a U-turn and went back and in! I'd never been into the showgrounds before - there's something different 🙂
It had a fenced paddock, a really good diamond wire fence - dog proof! . . . better than the official off-lead dog park!!! So finally the critters got a chance to run 🙂 I thought the place was deserted so I decided we'd have a bit of an explore. I let us out of the paddock and headed over to the stalls. I could see where they kept the poultry and pigs and went through to a thick sand floored horse arena. It didn't look as if it had been used for a while, going by the grass growing through the sand, though I think they have a show every year.
I was looking around to see where we'd explore next when I noticed the camper trailer, all set up, including towels hanging on a line behind it. I had noticed a bicycle leaning against a small toilet when we were in the paddock; I thought it was strange as it looked like a perfectly good bike - why would anyone leave it there? I think, as the toilet was a little ways from this camp trailer, they were using the bike as a quicker means to get there.
So, it was time to go home. Just like it's time to stop raving away at you now. I've got 3 loving critters all hanging around my ankles! It a bit past their tea-time and I'm still writing 🙂
Lots of love to you Claire
Nanny Niqua.
