Busy weekend.
My weekend felt like it started on Friday with the whole day spent at the Quilt & Craft Fair with my mate Sharon. We had a great (but expensive) time, which you can read more about on Patra's Place. On Saturday morning Sharon and I set off again, but this time to the Embroiderer's Guild, where we sold some of our stash, thus recouping for me a large part of what I spent the previous day.
On Sunday, Ken and I joined the Dingo Care Network at Marysville, to go on a five kilometre walk with the DCN members and their dingoes. We arrived at Marysville just before 11 am, and took some time to have a look at what is left of this once beautiful little town. Ken said he couldn't get his bearings because all the landmarks have gone. There is only one or two buildings left standing after the bushfires, and one of those is the Bakery. I don't know how they kept it from burning when all around them was destroyed...a miracle or sheer bloody hard work on the day of the fires. We bought some lunch there to have later, and then met up with some of the dingoes and their owners. Everyone was very friendly to us and readily answered all our questions about owning dingoes. I have a heap of photos, but until I get my own PC back, I can't put them here, darn it!
After an hour of chatting, we all got into our cars and drove to nearby Mt Margaret, where it had been snowing. There was nobody else around, and we parked our cars, took a dingo each on its leash, and set off on the walk. Most owners have more than one dingo, so they handed one of theirs to those of us who didn't have our own. It was quite cold of course, but with blue sky and not snowing at the time, it was a very pleasant walk. The dingoes were very well behaved - excited to be out and about, rushing off to sniff at trees, in wombat holes, and splash about at the edges of the streams near the roads. Everyone had their dingoes on very long leads, thus giving them the opportunity to run about and not get pulled back.
Again, I was able to take some excellent photos. The contrast of the burnt black trees, the white snow and the tawny coat of the dingoes made great pictures. The constant reminder of the February fires was the only sad aspect of the day. We were told by a local resident that this particular area (Mt Margaret) will take years to recover, if ever - there is no re-growth visible anywhere, because as he put it, the mountain was completely "cooked" by the intense heat of the bushfires. Our native eucalypts can cope with most bushfires, but this was so extreme that the earth itself has been severely damaged.
Everyone had been invited to a BBQ lunch at one of the DCN members, who lives at Narbethong, a tiny country town not far from Marysville, which had also suffered great loss during the fires. This particular person lost everything - her house and all - except her dingoes, which they were able to keep safe. She is living in a caravan on the site of her home, and asked us to bring food and folding chairs. Regrettably, some of us (including Ken and I) had to decline her invitation, as it was getting late by the time we got back from Mt Margaret, and all we had time for was a quick coffee at the Bakery in Marysville, before setting off back home. We didn't get home until after 6 pm, so it was a long day, but enjoyable, despite a few sad moments. However, Ken and I are now making plans to obtain the necessary permit to have our own dingo!
On Sunday, Ken and I joined the Dingo Care Network at Marysville, to go on a five kilometre walk with the DCN members and their dingoes. We arrived at Marysville just before 11 am, and took some time to have a look at what is left of this once beautiful little town. Ken said he couldn't get his bearings because all the landmarks have gone. There is only one or two buildings left standing after the bushfires, and one of those is the Bakery. I don't know how they kept it from burning when all around them was destroyed...a miracle or sheer bloody hard work on the day of the fires. We bought some lunch there to have later, and then met up with some of the dingoes and their owners. Everyone was very friendly to us and readily answered all our questions about owning dingoes. I have a heap of photos, but until I get my own PC back, I can't put them here, darn it!
After an hour of chatting, we all got into our cars and drove to nearby Mt Margaret, where it had been snowing. There was nobody else around, and we parked our cars, took a dingo each on its leash, and set off on the walk. Most owners have more than one dingo, so they handed one of theirs to those of us who didn't have our own. It was quite cold of course, but with blue sky and not snowing at the time, it was a very pleasant walk. The dingoes were very well behaved - excited to be out and about, rushing off to sniff at trees, in wombat holes, and splash about at the edges of the streams near the roads. Everyone had their dingoes on very long leads, thus giving them the opportunity to run about and not get pulled back.
Again, I was able to take some excellent photos. The contrast of the burnt black trees, the white snow and the tawny coat of the dingoes made great pictures. The constant reminder of the February fires was the only sad aspect of the day. We were told by a local resident that this particular area (Mt Margaret) will take years to recover, if ever - there is no re-growth visible anywhere, because as he put it, the mountain was completely "cooked" by the intense heat of the bushfires. Our native eucalypts can cope with most bushfires, but this was so extreme that the earth itself has been severely damaged.
Everyone had been invited to a BBQ lunch at one of the DCN members, who lives at Narbethong, a tiny country town not far from Marysville, which had also suffered great loss during the fires. This particular person lost everything - her house and all - except her dingoes, which they were able to keep safe. She is living in a caravan on the site of her home, and asked us to bring food and folding chairs. Regrettably, some of us (including Ken and I) had to decline her invitation, as it was getting late by the time we got back from Mt Margaret, and all we had time for was a quick coffee at the Bakery in Marysville, before setting off back home. We didn't get home until after 6 pm, so it was a long day, but enjoyable, despite a few sad moments. However, Ken and I are now making plans to obtain the necessary permit to have our own dingo!
posted by Gina E. | 12:46 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home