country life

Clearing ground. Or should I say reclearing ground on a yard in the back of a ramshackle cottage in Australia's midwest. That being the part between the outback and ocean, but much closer to the desert. 

The dirt here is almost the same red as desert country and its laughable now that I recall being stoked to be on it. I never knew then that the stuff will permeate your entire being. Literally, the cracks in your skin, yourclothes, even the food you eat. If you look hard enough you will notice that everything in the midwest is  bright rust stained. 

Not that there was much visible in the yard that day. The weeds towering above a thick mat of Kikuyu grass. The solid blade slasher was eaten it away. It was kind of work, but mostly an exploration. Kind of like gold mining, for which this place was best known. At any point in time, a clump of grass or patch of weeds could reveal a rusty old machine, or part thereof. There was literally no telling. But as this property had previously been occupied by an old lady and had laid unoccupied since, it was not likely that valuable blokey stuff would be found.  But in these money grubbing times of the flipper a whole range of old items could prove valuable. But for me, with no interest in the vulgar stuff, I was looking just for the sake of colouring in the missing pieces of this little home's history. 

I know'd it first sold, after being stolen from the local Aboriginal people, around the turn of the previous century. So the old cottage, commonly described as a miners type cottage, has probably existed in some shape or form, for over a hundred and twenty years. 

So what interest would an older property owning fellow from over east have in going west, I hear some people ask. Well firstly, he's a particular type of fellow that shuns "success" as commonly portrayed in commercial media. Beyond that my only daughter moved here some months ago, so there's that. But beyond all this, the prospect of owning a little hut with no electricity or running water gets me buzzin'. Add a fit out that's plane, features kerosene lanterns, oiled wood panelling and earth rendered floors, and I'm hootin'. Dig further and you'll fi d a soul that revels in peace and space. Peace to listen to birds conversing in the shrubs, dogs sparring from blocks away and people working some distance away. Of course, this property means work too. A retirement project of soughts, a job I can lose myself in for weeks at a time. There'll be time out to travel and catch up with family and go sailing, for riding my chopper and camping out, or just kicking back by the fireplace, to read, drink coffee and talk to the dog. 

Well, this is all supposing right now. Supposing I win the auction tomorrow and supposing I stay healthy enough. But right now its looking like a great way to live a life.