Wed, 6th Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

The storm came over at 1am with lots of wind and misty rain through the window.

Got up at 6am as we are heading down to the homestead to help out with the cattle Rob has trapped. 26 degrees, cloudy and no wind.

Checked the rain gauge and it is empty so it was only a light mist we got here.

Hooked up the hay trailer so we can get some hay for the cattle here. As we headed down we saw a lot of water by the road so they got more rain south of us. Rob said they got 5ml.

Went to the yards where the cattle were waiting, some quiet and others still jumping about.

The resident ‘station goat’ was in there keeping the cattle under control, supposedly.

They were sorting through the cattle they rounded up, tagging, drenching, injections, branding and dehorning the girls and dehorning the boys. Boy, there are some big bulls. We helped out, Steve was doing ear tags and I was helping Richie move the cattle down the race to the crush where the cattle was held by the neck, head on one side of the doors and body and kicking legs on the other. It was very interesting and busy so no time for photos.

The sun came in and out of the clouds as dark clouds moved over us but no more rain came.

Rob loaded a huge bail of hail on the trailer and we headed home and dropped it near the water trough. There were 25 head there but they ran off when we came, they will be back for the hay I bet.

4pm 37 degrees, sky clearer up here. Had a dip in the pool and watched the cattle come in for a drink and then get into the hay.

Continued with my jigsaw and started a new book. ‘In the Middle of Nowhere’ by Terry Underwood who with her husband and children ran a cattle station, Riveren, 600km SW of Katherine, NT. Got the cattle theme happening at the moment!!

Nice evening with a good cool breeze. Dinner and movie then bed as usual.

Tues, 5th Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7.30am 22 degrees, clear sky and cool gusty wind.

I finished putting the groceries away while Steve tried out the other generator. Not running smoothly – has smoking issues. Rob has ordered a new bigger genie for here so looks like we will just have to keep the old one going till then.

I worked on my blog and caught up on emails etc.

Helped Steve change our well’s solar pump’s position. It normally stands vertical but Rob suggested we lay it horizontal and maybe it will pick up more water if our water table is low in the well. Steve made a platform for it to sit on so it is off the bottom then we added more pipe and lowered it down. So far it is pumping well and our tank is full again.

Dark clouds building in the north around lunch time.

2pm 34 degrees with a light breeze. Humid day but not hot.

Continued with my jigsaw – got a lot done but the dark trees and wolves fur will be fun!!

Finished my book which was very interesting. The author and her brother and sister were still working the station north of Lawn Hill in 2003 and were open to tourists but when I googled it the camp site is now closed.

Had our drinks then a dip in the pool.

Dinner and movie.

Still 31 degrees at 10.30pm but there is a nice breeze. A lot of flashes of lightning in the north so we might get a storm later.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Mon, 4th Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7.30am 20 degrees and the wind is still blowing and a clear sky. Had to close the windows last night as it was a bit nippy.

Got ready to head off on the bore run when Steve noticed a flat tyre. It was the spare from the van and looks like a small stick did the damage. Easily patched and we were off to check the bores.

Clouds are building in the north. As we reached the most northerly bore a few drops of rain fell then as we continued to the one to the east a light shower of rain fell. Enough to just wet the ground. The storm heading east so we won’t get any back at the cottage.

Picked up the pod again – easily filled with the wind again. Bright sunshine back at the cottage so we dropped the water in the well and the solar pump started putting it up into our tank.

Had lunch then ‘watered’ the grass again. Made an improvement, put a strap in the end of the hose so I don’t have to keep bending over to move it to the next spot. There are a few green bits growing.

Amazing videos on Facebook of the flooding in Townsville. Spotted the BMX track which was high and dry still.

Returned the pod then checked the last bore though we have had it turned off since the pump was sucking air there but we haven’t got enough cable to drop it down further. Rob is bringing some when he comes up.

We have been using the van water for drinking and have emptied one tank so Steve pumped the water from the truck in to the van. We drove down to Leonora and filled up the truck’s water tanks again then headed to the homestead to collect our groceries. As we drove in we saw a heap of cattle in the yards. Also a black goat wandering around.

Kym and Glen weren’t back yet. They had taken the trailer with them to pick up a secondhand lounge for the homestead and a futon for the cottage so they were having a slow trip back. We filled up the truck and the jerry cans for the generator and were just going inside for a drink when Kym and Glen arrived.

A dark cloud passed over us and dropped 4 drops of rain – Kym counted them. As it headed east though it created a beautiful rainbow.

Rob had been up past our turn off helping Clarkie, who was bringing cattle down from the other station, as the truck had an issue. They arrived a while later and we had a drink and chat about what’s happening. Will come down and help tag and give the cattle their injections in a day or two – should be interesting. I asked about the goat and he said it is a tagged one and it helps keep the cattle calm too. Mum had said that Julie has a pet donkey that keeps her cattle calm.

Steve put the other small generator on the trailer with the futon to try in case ours dies as it is still leaking oil. As they are sealed unit he can’t do much about it. Headed back home after 7pm with lightning flashing in the south-east.

Back home safely – no cattle by the road tonight. I got dinner underway while Steve got the groceries out of the truck. The wind has dropped and it is lovely and cool.

Watched the end of the Banshee TV series.

Lovely and cool when we went to bed.

Sun, 3rd Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

The wind blew all night and slowly brought the temperature down.

7am 22 degrees. Still blowing hard and bringing clouds over. Forecast is for storms for the next 4 days but only 0 to 2ml of rain if that.

Kaylene texted the Jakob had proposed to Anna in a Japanese garden while they are holidaying there. I rang her back to hear all about it. Emma has decided to go back to Uni in Townsville and study Business so both their kids have left Cairns now. She is worried about Jakob’s flat in Townsville as the flooding is so bad but a friend went by it and everything looked ok.

Got a message from Jakob then – so nice of him to let us know. He’s the first of our group’s children to get engaged, though they won’t be getting married for a quite a while yet as Anna is studying Medicine.

Rang Mum and Dad to share the news. Had a dry day but she thinks more rain is coming. The humidity is terrible of course. The rains have made their way across inland Queensland so at least the pastoralists will get some drought relief now.

Had a cuppa then rang Erica. No rain there. She had a slip in the shower -  slippery when she left the stuff in the shower to clean it – bashed her toes badly but hopefully nothing broken. Aunty Maree still in hospital. She needs a stent put in so they are trying to get it organised to be done in Brisbane.

The sky has cleared as we headed to O’Keefe bore again. Steve wants to drop the pump further down as it didn’t pump for long before it started sucking air. Got that sorted and it is pumping well now.

Found another track to follow hopping it will give us a short cut back to St Patricks well but it just turned and joined the other track further along. Picked up the full water pod again. It didn’t take long to refill after all the wind on the windmill last night. Took it back home to put the water in the our well to pump up into our tank.

Had lunch, 31 degrees and the wind is still blowing. Band of clouds on the horizon in the west.

Steve brought the pod over to the cottage and with a long hose we poured the last of the water on the ‘grass’ which is struggling with the heat. Flood irrigation rather than a sprinkler! Bit of a pain shifting it – will have to modify that!

Rick rang for a chat with Steve as he wasn’t there this morning when we were chatting with Kaylene.

Baked some cookies and a slice for our morning teas. Put in our grocery order for Kym and Glen to collect tomorrow when they go to Kalgoorlie.

Lovely temperature with the wind still blowing. Sat and read my book while we had drinks. Steve on the tablet again reading about the Bathurst 12 hour race today. The cattle wandered in for their drinks – spotted a cute little calf with white legs.

Dinner and movie. 10.30pm 28 degrees and wind still blowing strongly from the ESE.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Sat, 2nd Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7.30am, 30 degrees, clear sky and gusty northerly wind.

Drove out to check on O’Keefe bore and collect the pod from St Patrick’s to put the water in our tank.

We dug up the buried cable and then joined some pipe on to the existing pipe and lowered it further into the hole. Unfortunately we didn’t have a long enough piece of pipe and it only sucked water up for half an hour then ran out. Will come back tomorrow with a longer piece.

The little finches were zooming in and out drinking the water near the trough that was leaking out of one of the connections. I went in and splashed some more out for them. Then a crested pigeon wandered in and three galahs stopped by for a drink too. We have seen a few pretty parrots zooming about too as we travel along the tracks. Not the usual 28s (ring necks).

As we drove back a huge wedge-tailed eagle took off from a tree near us – majestic birds.

Had lunch then returned the pod back to the windmill – forecast for strong winds tonight so it shouldn’t take long to refill.

A flock of green budgies zoomed by as we neared home.

3pm cuppa in the pool as it is 42 degrees in the van now. Relaxing afternoon reading and cooling off in the pool. Steve had fun watching gold prospecting videos on the tablet. One chap, we think Austrian or something, put up his video of finding some gold around Leonora. It was quite funny reading his ‘translations’ when he found rubbish again and again after finding his first 3 pieces.

6.30pm still 40 degrees in the van and no wind. Sat outside to eat dinner, making the most of the cooler air. Watched the stars come out then a satellite slowly cross the sky. Pesky mozzies started so I headed indoors.

The wind was forecast to start at 8pm for Leonora, it didn’t start till 9 here and boy did it blow (35k/h). Unfortunately it brought a good pile of dirt straight in the window. The wind is quite hot but blowing from the SSE so it should cool down through the night as it should only be 19 degrees at 5am.

Went to bed with everything flapping and the wind whistling around us. Hope everything is still there in the morning.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Fri, 1st Feb, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

8am 27 degrees, gusty easterly wind, clear ksy.

The donkeys visited last night as Steve heard them eeyoring.

Relaxing morning just pottering about, reading and doing my jigsaw.

Lunch, temp up to 37 degrees, and no wind now.

The pool is nice and clean from the filter for our dip with our coffees at 3pm

Steve took the old ute and collected some more scrap and rubbish where Rob wants to erect the holding yards. I just alternated between the pool, my jigsaw and reading my book. Margaret had given it to me and it is about a lady’s life as she grew up droving with her father and siblings in the western part of Queensland. Very interesting.

5pm 39 degrees and a hot wind is blowing occasionally.

After dinner Margaret rang for a chat. They had been down to visit Kev and Linda who are having ‘fun’ renovating their house in Bunbury.

Fans back on while we watched TV tonight. 31 degrees and no wind when we went to bed.

NO PHOTOS TODAY.

Thurs, 31st Jan, 2019 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA

7am 23 degrees, strong chilly wind and clear sky – lovely.

Drove around checking out some more places to detect.

Lunch back at the van, 32 degrees, much nice and the breeze is still blowing well.

‘Charlie’ was in the fire pit again – drawn there by the scent of the steak package I tossed in there last night I suppose. ‘Cyril’ was heading back to his home under the cottage when Charlie came hurtling out of the pit onto Cyril so there was a bit of a scuffle. Cyril won of course, he is so much bigger, and Charlie was sent packing.

Did our bore run. Two tanks needed the sensors fixed. One was saying it was full but it wasn’t and the other didn’t shut off so it was over flowing. Luckily Steve is great with all those things. No cattle about today except for Holding Paddock where there were about 10 of them, 1 roo and 2 emus.

As we drove in we spotted a crane perched on top of the high tank.

Jon rang for a chat. He is doing an air conditioning installation course to further his tickets and Brian thought they could pick up some more work from the builders as the other installers are so behind. He said it hasn’t stopped raining for a week and half so he hasn’t been able to do much work any case. It will be crazy when the sun comes out and the tradies can get going on the job sites again.

Quiet afternoon doing my blog and jigsaw. It’s amazing how you can stare at jigsaw pieces and not get one to go in but walk away for a while and when you go back the pieces just seem to call to me and go straight into place.

The crane is still there while we had our drinks. The crows are upset as they usually sit on the tank’s platform. When they flew close the crane stretched out his neck and the crows flew away. Eventually he fluffed his feathers, had a stretch of his wings then flew off heading south.

Lovely breeze from the south. I read my book while Steve watched more gold detecting videos on the tablet.

Easy dinner tonight – leftovers. 7pm 33 degrees.

Onto the last season of Banshee, need to get more TV series to watch as some of the movies we watch are not very good.