Nearly finished at the foundation, which is really strange, it doesn't feel anywhere near 5 weeks.

Been spending most of my time in quarentine and monitoring, which has been really good. Its been interesting to see the changes and keeping up with all the old monkeys from last time. Quarentine has been moving fast too, up to 39 monkeys now, although there not all in the actual quarentine area, don;'t think its quite big enough for that! 

Have spent many hours this week catching escaping babies from the quarentine cages. It appears that califlower (can't spell...) is the answer. The baby is now in a small cage again however as mum is not doing so well. But we have just finished another new cage, so two more monkeys have come out of small cages. Yay!

Released Shadow this week too. Which is amazing. He was in sickbay last time i was here and had no idea how to interact with other monkeys. Now he's in trees and grooming and playing (well, he groomed and played once, but thats an inprovement right?) I was so happy to see him out, had to spend an afternoon observing him and could have carried on for hours.

Last day tomorrow. Quarentine and babies. Which is good, as I can say goodbye to all the monkeys I know best. Although I am working all day as Ryan didn't realise I was leaving Saturday, but I don;t actually leave till midday so I can pack in the morning. I;m feeling better about leaving this time than I was last time, as i know I'll be back again, and i know they'll be a space for me when i do. I also think the changes have been so huge this time round and it seems like the place has the abilty to keep moving forward now,m much more so than it ever did before. The volunteers are being used better, ao more new ideas are coming in from everywhere.

We also have a vet nurse from monkey world arriving tonight, which will be amazing for the place, as she can use some of her experience of other monkeys, although not specific to vervets, to keep improving.

Lave here in theory at midday on Saturday. probably won't have as reguular net access when I've moved either, so I might dissapear for a while. 

Spent the past couple of days in monitoring and quarentuin again. Although I actaully have a day off today. Slpet in till 9am which actually seems to have made me more tired, but never mind.

Bit of a change yesturday to find the fire we had been watching burn over the hill for the past few days had made it down and was burning in next doors farm. Little bit of a hairy evening, beating it with branches to keep it from spreading through the Foundation. Don't worry Mum, we were perfectly safe, it had calmed down somewhat by the time we were needed and obivously branches are only good for the small edges of fire to stop it re-ignighting. Bit manic but I think it only took us around 2 hours, and we were all high on adrenaline anyways so we didn't notice. (Also learnt that I can actually run all the way from bottom of the foundation to quarentine and back again without stopping, at least with enough adrenaline...) Now everything smells of smoke but at least that side of the foundation will be safe from fire for the rest of the season.

Am about half way through my stay here now. Which is strange. But I know this time that, Uni permitting, I will be back next year, so its not worrying me as much as it would have otherwise. And the p[lace has improved so much that I know it will just be even better next time I come.

OK, I take back it being cold and rainy. No idea how I managed in the summer! Its so hot again.

Spent the past 2 days back on monitoring and quarentine. With new monkeys appearing all over the place. I swear they are just moving them to confuse me! I walked in quarentine a few days ago to find 4 monkeys moved to big cages and one more moved in. Then 2 more arrived that evening (Including Phoenix, one of the monkeys that we could never get to stay in his cage, hence the TB I guess. But he's a beautiful monkey) Then I went in this morning to find that the 2 boys had moved to a big cage... or so I assumed... then I went to feed them and there was only one... so then I'm wondering where my other monkey has gone. BUT this is quarentine and he could have been put down... but then surely someone would have told me?? So I get a bit confused and asked the guys on construction in quarentine if they knew. THEN they tell me that this big male is LOOSE in quarentine becuase he escaped as they were putting him in the big cage... thanks guys.

It wasn't actually that big a deal as he is a bandit so scared of people and wouldn't come anywhere near me, but still, little heads up would have been nice.

Spent my afternoon off taking photos of the moneys I knew last time, and sleeping! Its cool to see all the guys all grown up. And i think I saw Adoonsie too, not totally sure, but he looked like him and he wanted grooming (But I had my quarentine gloves on and didn't really want to give him TB!)

Cabin is still nice. Shring with a girl called Siobhan now, who is very very quiet, quieter than me. But friendly and works hard so we're getting on well. I do feel sorry for her though as I start at 7 every morning, so am up at 6.30, and hour before everyone else. I do try to be quiet though! Lots of new volunteers have been arriving too, more guys so its more even now, which changes the dynamics of the group alot. We don't entirely fit in the cottage now though, which is annoying, we kind of spill out everywhere.

Have just contacted Daktari again to get them to send directions and time etc.

Feel like I've been running rpund all day today. Monitoring and quarentine, but for some reason bI tied myself in knots so many times I kept having to go back and forth. 3 new monkeys in quarentine, but the 2 girls and babies have gone into a nice new cage, which is much better. Although it did mean that I spent about half hour trying to get them into the small cage so that I could clean their cage without being eaten! Monitoring thankfully didn't bring up anything, although Rabi did nearmy end up in my bag...

Saw Speedling yesturday! He's grown so much, although he's still a smaller than the others. Its so cool to see him out in the trees and running round. Still haven't seen Adoonsie, but then I probably wouldn't recognise him anyway.

Had a few slightly manic days this week. I had 2 days on monitoring and quarentine on my own when the volunteer that usually does it went away. It was surprisingly easy to get back into the swing of monitroing again, although I did take notes on absolutley everything, so poor mel has far to much information when she got back, but I didn't want to miss anything! The rest of the day was spent on quarentine, which doesn't have too much to do but does mean that you spend alot of time walking back and forth up to to sick bay. They're all fairly good at taking their concoctions of medicines up there though. Spent some time with Dot, BeeBee and Batman up there, who were all on Goliath last time I was here. Skunky is also included in quarentine but not been moved down, so I got to spend some time in with him. He was so sweet the first time I went in, standing in front of me as I was trying to clean making grooming noises.

Made up for my 2 days of monkeys yesturday, with bowl washing, main feed and blanket washing. Not great fun but never mind.

This morning was de-wroming which involves trying to convince the moinkeys to take the not so tastey dewormer. Some will have it on a banana, but then you have to try peanut butter snadwhiches, apple sauce, hot cross buns, raisens, grapes, onion, rice crispies, and anything elze that we can think of. They;re far to clever, eating everything but the de-wormer. Have this afternoon off, so have just been sat reading.

Things have changed so much since the last time I was here. Far more enclosures, TB testing of all the monkeys, de-worming, acual treatments. Money actually flowing rather than being saved for the mythical rainy day, that has been here for a fair few years now. They only monkeys in small cages are ones waiting for TB testing, they get snacks and main feed is actually amazing. No more bread or cereal. Lots of bananas, oranges, cucumbers, squash, carrot, spinich, and anything else that is naturel and tastey. The babies are pretty much independant, with no one going in unless they are cleaning, delivering food etc. Josies has introduced loads of homeopathic remidies to dela with stress and whatever else they need. And Josie and Dave are always with the monkeys, which we would never have seen before. We have a vet that comes in, and one here as a volunteer for 2 weeks. Its so good to see.

Back in South Africa. The trip was as awful as always, with the bus getting in 2 hours late, and cooking us all the way! It was much nicer having a day in Jo'burg beforehand though, even if the hostel was freezing, so I didn't acutally get any sleep.

Arrived here monday to s cabin. Very much nicer than a tent, beds are good! I was supposed to be sharing with another volunteer arriving the same day  but she didn't turn up so I have it to myself at the moment. Had orientation tuesday morning, so many new enclosures have poped up, I keep wandering round and having to concentrate on where I actually am. Fed snacks on top section in late morning, and everyone has changed places, which is confusing. Shadow and Ghosite are up there now. Shadow is doing so well as well, he looks amazing and doesn't keep freaking out. Spent my afternoon catching highbrow from Skunkey and lending a hand in sickbay.

Today I was monitoring again, it was really nice to see everyone again, we'd get to some cages and Mel would be telling me about the monkey and it would click who they were or where they were before. I have to do it alone tomorrow which is a little scary but I took v good notes this morning so as long as nothing awful happens!! Bowl washing after break, which was a fun as always!! Then intro'd to quarentine which is where th monkeys positive with TB are. Only 8 monkeys in there atm, but there are lots of monkeys still to be tested. I think quarentine is where I am going to be working as its only Mel on there now.

The weather has been nice during the day but freezing at night, but my sleeping bag is really warm, so I haven't been too bad.

In memory of Arthur Hunt

Arthur Hunt set up the VMF in 1993 alongside Dave DuToit. Together they built up the foundation, played a mojor role in getting the Vervet Monkey taken off the vermin list and worked to educate the South African community to respect the species. He died yesturday on 18th Febuary.

He clashed heads with many volunteers about his methods and opinions (including me many many times). And he certainly had some strange ideas about the state of the world and how it all came about.

But anyone that has seen him enter sickbay with a bag of jelly beans to treat his faveourite patients, seen him sit with monkeys that would rip anyone else entering the cage to peices and just talk to them,can't hold his methods against him. His heart was in the right place. And the monkeys were the most important part of his life. Without him there would be no VMF, and all those monkeys would be dead or dying in misrable condictions.

He was a crazy crazy man, but he did good.

Hi again. I'm still home unfortunatly, but my return to South Africa is all booked and paid for, so I can't wait to get back!


A previous volunteer is doing a 90 mile walk across 4 or 5 days to raise funds for the foundation. The funds are to begin the building of an education centre and shop, allowing us to educate the local community, espcially the schools, as well as genersate revenus for the foundation. Anything you can donate will be greatly appriciated. Thank you


ETA - even if you can't donate (or if you can) it would be greatly appriciated if you could put the 'Donate' button on your blog, LJ, facebook, whereever else people might see it! To do this just click the 'share' button on the bottom right hand corner and follow instructions. (To find LJ click other...) Thanks again!

Hi. Obivously I'm still home (Well, at uni actually, but still MK bound.)

But just thought I'd come let all know that I am planning my summer. Back to see my beautiful monkeys for about 6 weeks then off to a type of conservation school for a further 4. Can't wait but am trying not to get too over excited!!

I have another account vervet_monkey that I use when I'm home, feel free to come say hi over there although its less interesting than when I'm travelling (Please don't go looking if you're family though, if thats OK? Thanks)

Kayla

These are my hostel reviews, including South Africa, Australia and Europe. They are generally the cheapest I could find, and my idea of a nice hostel is small and quiet. 

Backpackers Ritz - Johannasburg
Single Room. Big, clean, double bed. Shared bathroom. Big clean communal area. Friendly staff. Small kitchen, cheap breakfast. Dinner sometimes offerd. Transfer to/from bus station and airport.

Brisbane City Backpackers - Brisbane
4 bed dorm. Clean, bathroom in room. Clean, large bar and kitchen. Food offered. Small pool. Very friendly staff. TV room (although not always in use) Free bus to town, including transit station.

Tin Billys - Brisbane
8 bed dorm. Small, no windows. Clean, bathroom in room. Busy bar, passable kitchen. Lots of atmosphere, little quiet communal area. Next to transit centre.

Annies Place - Adelaide
8 bed dorm. Big, no windows. Clean, bathroom in room. Large clean kitchen, new bar. Nice outside seating in courtyard. Free breakfast and internet. Very friendly. Walk to town and bus station.

Victoria Hall - Melboure
3 bed dorm. Big, dirty. No communal area. Kitchen 2 rings and 1 microwave for floor of 20+ rooms. No plates/cutlery, very few cooking utensils. Few bathrooms. Not clean. No transport. Long walk from bus staion and nearest tram stop. Staff rude and unhelpful. Building works(Don't stay here!)

Narra Backpackers - Hobart
8 bed dorm. Small but clean. Clean bathrooms in corridor. Nice kitchen and tv room. Staff not around much but helpful when they are. Cozy. Close to centre.

Eaglehawk Dive Centre - Eaglehawk Neck
6 bed dorm. Large and clean. Free pick up from Hobart for dive course, at a charge if not diving. Only 2 rooms. Lodge - like. Very clean. Nice kitchen and lounge area. Large outdoor area. TV and lots of videos. Very friendly staff (She lent us her car!) Nothing close by but very pretty.

Port Arthur Caravan Park - Port Arthur
9 bed dorm. 3 tier bunks make for interesting climbs to bed! Clean and friendly. Beautiful grounds. Kitchen, dining room, BBQ, TV room. Pay for showers. Feels like campsite. 2km from historic site, but very nice walk. Very nice and helpful staff. General store on site. Bus will drop off and pick up.

Canberra City YHA - Canberra
 8 bed dorm. Very clean. Backpakc lockers. TV in room. TV room. BBQ and tables on roof. Table football and arcade games. Bike hire. Smallish kitched for number of guests. Near bus station. Staff helpful when around. Clinical feel.

Wooduck City Backpackers - Sydney
6 bed mixed dorm. Large kitchen. 2 TV rooms. Quick net. Large dining area. Clean. Staff too busy to bother with you. Not particually welcoming (too many long termers male the rest feel like an inconvienance) Free pancakes for breakfast.

No 14 Backpackers - Katoomba
4 bed dorm. Cozy. Big clean kitchen. Free net (although Facebook was blocked) Very friendly staff (She checked up on everyone before we went out, making sure we'd all got lunch and sun cream/waterproof etc) No TV. Big common room and outside area.

Woolshed Backpackers - Hervey Bay
6 bed mixed dorm. Big room. Cozy. Nice kitchen and TV room (watch out for the possum!) Nice grounds, good net. Helpgul staff. Free pick up and drop off at bus station. Free luggage storage for Fraser.

Reef Lodge Backpackers - Townsville
6 bed dorm. Cramped. Nice kitchen. Passable showers, generally clean. 3 TV rooms. Staff rude. 

Wagon Wheel Motel - Cloncurry
Obivously motel not hostel. But very cozy. Good en-suite bathroom. TV with movie channel (just as well in Cloncurry, unless you're there for work, not worth visiting!) Very nice staff. Good resturant. Tea, coffee and biscuits in room.

The Cav - Darwin
12 bed dorm. Dark but clean. Reasonalbe kitchen. Big pool, bar and resturant. No TV room. Fast net. Tourist office on site. 2 showers in 12 bed dorm. 

Wake Up! - Sydney
8 bed dorm. Big airy rooms. Big communal area, lots of films and big TV. Good kitchen. Fast net. Tourist office. Stumbling distance from train station. Staff wonderful. (Probably the best I stayed in in Oz)

Jump Inn - Warsaw
12 bed dorm, 6 up in loft so doesn't feel like 12. Bright, lots of windows. Nice kitchen, if small. Small TV area. Free net and breakfast. Nice staff. No key for front door so you can be left standing for a while! Close to train and bus station, direct tram to airport.

Meninger - Berlin
5 bed dorm. Small. Sink in room. Kitchen, TV room and games room in basement, dark and smokey. Managable but not nice. Next to us stop, but bus needed to all sights. Staff OK. 

Levir - Prague
8 bed dorm. Sofa and table in room. Room OK, but right next to railway line. Small kitchen but cleanish. Smoking allowed out of window (so basically in rooms!) Next to bus and train station, but impossible to find. Staff very rude.

Hostel Havanna - Cesky Krumlov
8 bed dorm. Backpack lockers. Table and chairs in room. Nice kitchen, if small. Push button showers annoying. TV. Bike and boat rental. Internet and laundry. Close to center of town. Free pick up and drop off. Very nice staff.

Blue Corridor hostel - Vienna
14 bed dorm. No door or windows. Skylight. Not much room. Showers OK. No kitchen. Cheap net access, close to main sites. (I found it annoying, it was dark and there was nowhere to find breathing room, but as beds go it was ok.)

Abla D'oro Camping - Venice
Privite tent (cheaper than dorm). Only a tent, no power. No kitchen. Resort style camp site. Pool, shop, bar, resturant. Shuttle to Venice each day. Undr airport path so noisy. Staff helpful. Lots of children.

City Backpackers - Zurich
6 bed dorm. Big. Smallish kitchen. Nice bathrooms. Right in centre. Walk from train station. TV area and dining area. LOTS of stairs. Above cheap pasta resturant.

Lucerne Backpackers - Lucerne
4 bed dorm. Beautiful. Large kitchen and communal area. TV, games, books. Helpful staff. Right by lake and station. Bag storage. 

HI hostel - Bern
6 bed dorm. Clean and big. No kitchen but cheap meals. Free breakfast. Large communal area. In old town, on river. Close to train station (at bottom of hill big enough to have fenicular railway!)

Friends Hostel - Paris
4 bed dorm. Small. Sink in room. Only 1 shower, didn't lock. Clean kitchen. Only communal area outside. Metro into town. Loud. (This hostel kinda felt off to me. Its the only one I didn't feel entirely comfortable in)

*grins* I'm home! strange hey. I'm not entirely sure I'm used to it yet!

But anyways, means this is nearly my last post, at least from this trip (not that I'm planning the next one yet... really, I'm not.....maybe) So yeah, the next post will have my hostel reveiws, then I'm back to a life of somewhat normality!

Back in europe now. and yes mum, on my way home!

Russia was good. Went to lake baikail, which i'm sure is very beautiful... however we coyuldn't see morethan about 50m in front of us thanks to the cloud... but it did make a goodbrake from the train! wE STAYED IN A HOUSE with a very nive host and ihate this keyboard, the space bar stick and i keep hitting caps lock so ure going to have to forgive me! and ate nice russian food. tastey smoked fish and lots of meay,for achange! had a russian sauna, meaning i gotbeaten with sticks nad went from thesauna to acold poolandback again. but supposedly its good fro yoyu!

Back on the train then for 72 hours! A very very long time. 3 daysof sleeping, although neverfor very long thanks to thestopping andstating and sharing a room with four people andless room than is suffciant fora hampster! (having said that i was so tired bythesecond night i slpet for 12 hoursstraight!) Assorted looking out the window, reading, playing cards, sitting andhaving hair plaitredand re-plaited, eating anythingthat can be made using only hot water and doesn'tneedany kind of refirgeration and chatting aimlessly! (excuse me while i evict the cat...)

Then arrived in suzdal, thechurch capital. 2 churches on every street, one for thesummer, onefor thewinter! Hundredsof them, and its not that big!! WANDERED LOTS, ate nicefood, visited churches. Brought souvienrs at themarket. (And i am now capableofhaggling! And arguing with taxi driverswho don't know where there going so just driveaimlessly)

Spent two days in moscow, morechurches and exploing. Pretty town, but not the friendliest! Over night to St petersberg with adriver that felt the needto use the horn everytime we passed another train! 2 days in st petes, a tour of the city. Went tothe hermatige and lasted onkly an hour... too many people and cruise ship groups... more wabndering and exploring to excape people!

Am now in warsaw... flewviacopenhagen... if anyonecan explain that i'll be impressed. Apparentlymy bag wantedto stay a littlelonger however as it stayed behind without me! So ispent yesturday waiting for its arrival, as they couldn't narrowdown the arrival more than between 12 and 5! Today wentto thewarsawrising museum, very good. and wandered round warsaw. offto explore theopld town tomorrow thwen offto berlin!

Seeyou soon!

Heylo! Guess where I am... Mongolia! Weird huh?

Spent a week in Shanghai with Graham. Exploerd the city without getting lost once, which I thought was quite an achievement! And Graham and Rachel were very very nice and explained everything too me. Tajking me out ot dinner and too dinner with Rachels parents, which was intresting! But I saw lots of culture and art and had a good week.

Flew up to Beijing to meet up wuith my tran-siberian group. ALhtoughj was lare thanks to my delayed plane. But I got there. Spent a couple of days in Beijing. Saw teh Great wall, walked up and along it, then took a tobbogan down! And the forbidden city. Which was good if a little odd, they were painting it for the olym,pics... seems a tad streange to paint your historical relics, but hey, never mind! Beijingf itself is still kinda under construction with counters down to the olympics everywhere. But everyone seemed to think they would be finished, so hopefully they will be. We drove past the olympic staduim, which is a really weired building. Beijing is def a dirty city. We didn't see trhe sky once thanks to the smog. And wwere told it was good weather when you could see the tiniest patch of blue. It was odd and made your clothes filthy! The group in general is nice, not to many issues (just one but its ignorable).

We had to fly the first bit of our train journy because teh Chinese gov wouldn't let us take the trian, so arrived in Mongolia a day early. Which is vv good coz it meant we got an extra night at the Ger camp. Which are muchly fun. We stayed 2 nigths in a ger, and went walking and riding on tiny little horses but they were very good and well behaved. if a little springy, as ponies generally are! and played lots of cards hiding from the rain! Back in Ulanbaatar now. Which is an odd place. Very diffucult to describe. Everytrhing is run down but there are occasional western resturants and the odd tall glass building. And its not that big, you can see the mountains either side wherever you are (except today but thats because ot fhte clouds). Went on a city tour this morning and am now hiding from the rain until 6, when we're off to dinner then to cathc the train into russia. We leave at 9pm, arrive at the border at about 4am. Apparently it takes an age and they might not wake us up till a reasonable hour to clear customs... but then mayber they will! We arrive in Lake Baikal around 8am the next day, about 40 hours on the train! Spend a day and night at the lake, then i think catch the train again the next night for 3 days to Suzdal... although I may have that confused...

Probably wont get net accress again now till I leave russia for europe, so don't panic.

Told you I'd be back!

So now you know all the busy cattle days. They were generally sunrise till sunset (And occasionally past sunset, which was not easy, it gets dark wuick!) (And befre sunrise too actually....)

But I had to do lots of other random jobs too. Fixed lots of fences. Luckily i arrived just after the fencing had finished and only had 2 days beforei left, so mostly just the essential repairs. 2 days fencing wasn't too bad... just long (and it may have had something to do with us sitting round for 2 hours over lunch.... shhhh) and we did discover that me and libby have very limited crossovers while playing 'who am i', thankfully Chris being a meida student managed to know both sets, so we did manage to play quite well! Also had to mend bores a few times, althouhg the day i was due to help pull one it didn't need pulling after all. (It did need pulling 4 times in 2 days the next week but we had cattle in the yards so Chris and pete had to do it!) And I had to do the worst job in the world, being shoing horses! I hate that job! It took me forever and was hard and painful and when i did togglemist and affection they tried to kill me! However when i had finished and steph had said i had 4 good shoes and i could turn them out and go and drink cold coke I was very very pleased with myself. And it did mean i got to ride togglemist not mouse, which rocked coz she was a very very cool horse and mouse was a floggalong. 

Had to do lots of other random jobs too, mainly just to fill the time coz we had to work to get paid but there were no jobs that actually needed doing. So i have cleaned cars and greased them. Filled in holes made by pigs. Put out lick (a job that does need doing but Cris normally did on his own, so i was basically just keeping him compnany... and we were doing it so often that we generally didn't actually need to put any out, so i just had to sit in the car all day!) cleaned the saddle cloths by hand too, they were machine washable, but they were keeping me busy.

See, didn't you just need all that information? no? ah well!

Yeah... so i didn't go to Isa or Perth but instead ended up working as a station hand at a cattle station in Far North Queensland. Which was equally fun!

So yeah, I did lots and lots of random things. My job genrally was to muster the cattle, process them and then walk them out again. This meant running the hosrse in in the morning. Tackingup, feeding etc. then load up the truck and drive out to the paddok we were mustering (the place was half a million acres!) The chopper would generally already be going by the time we got there and we'd just sit round all morning. (OK, so we were holding the cattle, so they didn't all go running off after the helicopter had moved them to the right place, but it felt like sitting round all motning) Once all the cattel had been collected we stared walking them down. I had to work the wing most days, so trotting up and down pushinmg any wandering cattle back. Depending on the paddok this could take between 2 and 6 hours. Some were easier than others coz we couild walk them down a fence, some we had to go right through the middle of the paddok and were much harder. Once we got them in we would puch them into the cooler. Depending on the time we would then begin to cut out cows and claves (or just go back and collapse for the night) meaning you had to be atching 300 million things at once. Movng to help push the cut out beasts into to yards and making sure the ones already in the yards didn't go running to join the mob again. This could take all day for a big mob and generally involved lots of frustration (Although normally towars the cattle, not us, for a change!) Once we'd got them all into a yard we'd push the rest of the mob up too. Then we had the fun of draughting them off. Sorting them into differant yards. The most diffucult part of this being pushing them from the backyard into the forcing yard, which invriably left us all pissed off, too hot and sick of cattle. Thankfully my job was only yarding up, so i then just had to push them through the forcing yards, which were much better desiogned than the backyard and meant i could do it on my own when i needed to. (but did like it much better when chris was there to give me a hand, if only for cinversation when we were waiting round) Once they wwere all draughted we'd start processing them. Which meant needling everyone. Preg testing the cows. Branding, de-horning, ear-tagging the weaners and calves and castrating the steers. Generally i had to yard uop again, but got lots more frustraed coz i always had to do that on my own and it was a very badly designed yard. I'd run round in circles all day and get no-where, making chris come to give me a hand coz otherwise we'd still be there now! (The managers couldn't yard up that yard alone either, yet asked me to do it everytime. Just one of the annoyances!) The calves were a pain too, but that was generally more funny coz they are only little and the others aren't doing much that needs them through quickly, so i had more time and when i wasn't fast enough we'd all just chanse them round and round. When everyone was processed and sorted we'd walk them all back to the repective paddoks. (Like mustering but in the other direction)

Spending so long out on horses was good fun. But very very tiring. I actually maagd to wear holes in the arse of my jeans from riding so much. And wore down the skin on my knees till they bled! (Thankfully at the end of a weeks riding, with a weeks processing to do, so i had time to regrow skin!) I learnt the reason for riding one handed, it m,akes lunch diffucult ot eat if you still have both riens. And fully apprciate the wonders of a quiet horse, and one that knows its job, when trying to eat lunch, ride and walk cattle at the same time! Plus the advabntages of vegemite snadwichs over cheese or anything that doesn't stick to the bread. Honey ios good too but more sticky. Apples work better than oranges coz they don't need peeliong, but if its a boring walk at least peelong an orange gives you something to do. Anzacs are by far the best cake-busicuit thing and anything with chocolate on top is bad. And roping saddles are evil and i much prefer stock saddles but the roping one was the only one with shosrt enough striupps!

OK, now my fingers hurt.. but i'll prob be back tomorrmow to continue boring you

*jumps and bounces and jumps* I went diving on the Great Barrier Reef! And it was exactly like tv! We saw nemo and a turtle and a barracuda and a yellow striped fish that I can't remember its name but it was cool. and there was coral (obivously) and it was so warm! 27 degree water is much nicer that 14! (oddly enough!!) Oh and shrimp and some little squid. It rocked muchusly! And I remembered everything and it was a guided dive so i didn't get lost and did you know you can get flippers for your hands if you can't use your legs!!

I had a good day yesturday! Off to Mt Isa tomorrow, fun! Out into the outback again. They got confused somewhere with my work, but I think i now have a job over in Perth (Thats a really long way!!) I just have to call them tonight!

Fraser Island was so much fun!! I had to book a guied tour coz I couldn't find a space on a self drive one, but it was really good! We went all over the island, spent most of the first ay in the truck, driveing thriough rainforests and across the beaches and ovr the dunes. We went swimming in saltwater pools on the beach and then a freashwater creek leading onto the beach. We wadeed all the way up and then floated all the way down and (Mum, don't read this bit... promise?) We saw a puff adder (OK mum, its safe again now) and the sea is so so powerful and huge waves and we went drive along the besch and had really nice lunch anf I didn't have to make it! And then we went to the camp site for dinner and I ended up with a tent all to myself, but they were real tents with real beds. And we saw lots and lots of dingos (Which admittedly was a little scary when I had to get up to the loo in the middle if the night!!) and ate dinner and I met a girl whos going to Southampton uni next year! Which was a pretty cool coincidence! Then we spent the next day at 2 of the pools. Which was really cool. The water was so clear and at the first one we saw turtles and we went swimming. The second one was a rainwater pool and surronded by exfoliating sand, so now I am all smooth and my feet don't hate me as much as usual.

Nearly got stuck in Hervey Bay coz they mucked up my bus booking, and of course on the only bus that was full. I've never been on a full bus before, why'd it have to be the one they don'thave my booking for. But I ended up with a seat coz there were a group of 3 that only had 1 seat, so they all stayed coz they didn't want to go seperatly, so i had a seat.

Am now in Townsville. Finally got an e-mail from Rachel about a job, apparentky they were in her spam folder.... but she has promised to have me a job offer by tomorrow, so all should be OK!!

And everything is now covered in sand, including me coz i ot straight onto the bus from fraser and have yet to shower in my internet finding panic over not having a job (well, only a little panic, but enough that it oevetook showering neds)

In Hervey Bay now. having been to Brisbane to see family and enjoy a room all to myself and no shower queue!!

Really enjoyed Sydney, spent a few extra days there. Ex0ploring the harbours, musuems, and the Zoo! Very very good fun!

Off to Brisbane then staying with my cousin. So nice to have a room to myself! Spent the first day there in the city, met John who also happened to be in Brisbane, to pick up my referance and find out how everyone is doing at the farm. Make sure the horses had been ridden since I left! (They have so its OK) And see Woz and Rock and make a fuss of them. Met Janet and Hannah for dinner then too. Spent the next day wadering round Southbank and up to China town, seeing the bits of brisbane i didn't last time.

Am now in Hervey bay, off to do 2 days on Fraser Island tomorrow, which shold be good fun. Will then hopefully be off to Townsville... maybe Cairns, to do some diving before getting a job again. Hoiwever I've yet to hear from the people meant to be getting me a job and I was hoping to start in a week, so I will have to keep trying to call them!!

Grrrr, still can't upolad pics, sorry! 

Sydney now! Very much fun. Went to Sydney Harbour toady, saw the opera house and the brigde. The opera house is vv pretty, I didn't think I would like it as much as I did but I kept catching sight of it out of the corned of my eye. Very good. Walked across the bridge, pretty again, and wandered round for a while. Then went ot hte aquarium, I've decided I want to be a Platapus! They're so cool!!!!!

Booked my China flights and I'm now excitable!

Am in the very beautiful Blue Mountains now, having finished my time in Canberra.

I didn't hold much hope fpr Canberra before I arrived, having being told by the people I met before going that it resembled Stevenedge (wow I can't spell that!!) Stevenidge?? Hmmmmmmm, well, a boring pre-fab type city. I absolutely loved it. They planned it completely, so everything 'fits' nicely.  And it was planned  so that it sorta blended in with the surronding bush. So even though you know you are in the capital you don't really noptice the buildings until you're on top of them. Quite literally for Parliament House, it has grass on the roof! And huge very beautiful lake in the centre. Really really nice. I spent lots of time in all the museuams and galleries. Spent the entire day at the War memorial, which was really really interesting. Particually the Anzac memorial, I'm slowly learning about the Anzacs and begining to get why the Aussies seem to like htem so much.

Was planning to go to Sydney then, but managed to pick Mardi-Gras weekend so couldn't find accomadation anywhere. (It took a few days to reaslise why, I can indeed be an idiot!) So have come to the Blue Mountains for a few days first. So so beautiful. Did a nice long walk yesturday. (Most definatly technical!!) All along the cliff edge and down into the vally. Much simpler walk today meandering round the veiw points. But no I am very tired (Having for some reason been wide awake at 5am and therefore up by 6!) and my feet hurt.

Am about to walk back into the town centre to book my flights to China, which os very exciting. Fly into Shanghai on 8th June (ish) spend just under a week there with Mums cousin, then off to Beijing to do my Trans-Sib tour!

Oh, and I will upload photos when I get acess to a pc that wil let me do it!

Kayla