You may call me Little Bo Peep

We spend a lot of time out at the farm. It's beautiful, peaceful, and there's always wine and homemade bread readily available.

In the seven months I've been here I've been able to do a bit of actual farm work, which is a sentence I never thought I would utter. 

But alas! I have, and I like it. Let's be honest, my favorite part about it is getting to pat lambs and try to make them love me. But there's also something calming about it, not to mention I like feeling like I'm actually contributing and being useful.

Some skills I've learned that may impress some of my friends:

1. How to drive a four wheeler

2. Mustering sheep with said four wheeler

3. Droving sheep, also with said four wheeler

4. Marking lamb ears

5. Giving innoculations

6. General pushing/moving/interacting with sheep

7. Becoming an expert lamb holder (this is not a useful skill, just something I like to do if a lamb isn't fast enough to get away from my cuddles)

And I'm off to the races

Picture a college football tailgating situation. 

Now replace F150s and RVs with Range Rovers and BMWs. Get rid of that Lonestar and Bud Light and bring in the bubbly. School colored attire is replaced with a nice frock, and baseball caps become outlandish hats or fascinators.

And that is a Melbourne Cup "car park".  

The Spring Racing Carnival is a huge deal here in Melbourne. There are four (I think?) races throughout the week, with the biggest one being the Melbourne Cup. Everyone even gets the day off to attend or partake in other activities! 

For someone who had never been to a horse race, the whole experience was quite interesting. Wearing a pretty dress and fascinator while sipping champagne seemed like a pretty good way to spend a day, in my opinion. 

It also didn't hurt that I won some money on a couple races, which if you know me then you're aware what a big deal it is that I even entertained the idea of betting money. Side note: I feel very conflicted about the actual sport of horse racing, so I am choosing to focus on the champers, fashion, and classy day drinking situation. 

The day started with a big breaky consisting of things that Australians are sadly not very familiar with: breakfast casserole and mimosas. I mean the casserole, fine, but mimosas?! For a country that loves to drink, they're severely lacking in that area.

After a crash course in how racing odds work, I placed about five bets throughout the day. My biggest win was picking a horse called Hijack Hussy to win a race, which she did. The ticket below won me a few bills for the horse getting third place in the big cup race.

We left the safety of our car park area to venture out to the actual track so I could see one of the races. It was basically a writhing mass of well dressed, drunken humanity. 

But it was fun to see my winning horse prancing by!

Dolla dolla bills, y'all.

Needless to say, it was a lively rain ride back home. My chins had a great time.

Around Hamilton Island...and that time I cuddled a koala

When we weren't cruising out to white sand beaches or snorkeling in waters I was sure I'd be attacked by a shark in, we spent lots of time just exploring the island.

There was even a nice hike up to a lookout point that provided 360 degree views of the island.

Aaaand then I fulfilled my dream of cuddling a koala. 

Her name was Lola, and she was a sweet 18 month old tiny girl. Her sleepy little face was just the cutest!

I wish this moment had lasted more than 30 seconds, but alas there was a line of other people after the same experience.

Shortly after this picture was taken, I proceeded to pick up pretty much every shell on the beach. Apologies for the lack of shells, Hamilton Island.

A respite from winter's cold

Let me just say it. 

Not having summer for a year really blows. My timing with this move was impeccable! 

Therefore, it was high time for a quick holiday to a warm destination.

Enter: Hamilton Island, located in Queensland in what is called the Whitsunday Islands.

I'd been wanting to go there since Will started teasing me with pictures of it two years ago. To me, it looked like absolute paradise. 

I wanted to cry with happiness when we got off the plane and stepped into WARMTH and HUMIDITY. My god, I never thought I'd be so happy to encounter humidity again!

Ok, so, picture the mountain resort from Dirty Dancing. Now transplant it to an island instead. That's pretty much the best way I can describe Hamilton Island. It's a resort island with one main street where the shops and eateries are, and the rest is accommodation. Fun fact: Julia Roberts has a house there! And Pit Bull. Random.

There are also no cars, aside from service and official island vehicles. Everyone gets around by foot or by golf cart. Bonus: the golf carts had the steering wheel on the left side! 

Except for a couple super swanky, exclusive places, everyone on the island has access to all the hotels and their pools and restaurants. So basically it's a relaxing [not so] free for all. We stayed in very nice-sized apartment right across from the beach, which was my main objective in seeking a place to stay.

It was such a magical, relaxing weekend, and we did quite a few fun things. More posts to come!

In my new life, I go to things like the Sheep and Wool Show

Sheep are big business in Australia. 

They're cute, they bah, and they're yummy. 

They're such big business, in fact, that there are whole shows dedicated to them! Imagine a rodeo, minus the actual rodeo part. But there is indeed a shearing competition!

My favorite part was the huge building filled with row after row of show sheep. Not dirty, out in the paddock sheep. Show sheep. Perfectly coiffed, regal, GIANT. And all available for patting! 

Baah ram ewe.