The last week or so of the school holidays finished with a flurry of activity – but not all of it was on the Rock Farm.  A few nights in Sydney provided a change of scenery – of sorts.  I was struck looking out of our hotel window in Pyrmont that the environment around us was almost completely manufactured.  The only greenery visible was a small hedge by a pool down below, and the top of a couple of trees just visible above the street.  The hum of traffic and ventilation fans provided a constant white noise reminder that the city environment is far removed from the peace and quiet of the Rock Farm.

I couldn’t wait to get home and breathe the fresh country air, where the hum of the city is replaced by the chatter of birds in the garden.    And I think we all felt the same – because it didn’t take much to encourage the kids to join us for a walk down by the creek to recharge our souls when we got home.

There were a few little jobs I wanted to get on with, none particularly onerous.  The first was tidying up some of the trimmings along the fence I had repaired a couple of weeks earlier.  Myrtle was pressed into service and the old truck allowed me to move the large volume of branches from where they lay to some bare soil with a minimum of fuss.

Lucie the tractor was due a oil and filter change.  The Little Helpers gave the old girl a good wash – not because I like it shiny, but I find it a good opportunity to check over the tractor and identify any loose or missing bits.  Somewhere under the dust and grime we identified the key components of the engine – especially the fuel filters, which I was going to change in a couple of days.

The Little Helpers did a great job – even cleaning the mirrors!

Andrew, a local expert came out and helped me change the fuel filters on both the truck and the tractor.  I’m very glad he did, as the fuel filters on the tractor proved particularly troublesome to reseal.  We also replaced the broken hand throttle cable on the truck.  This cable not only adjusts the idle speed of the truck, but also allows you to shut down the engine.  Until now I had been stalling the engine to force it to stop.

The Little Fisherman learnt a lot of new skills – all simple stuff, but important.  His funniest observation came when he found an unused plug on the wiring loom.  He asked me if that was where you plugged in the computer to tune the engine!   I can understand why he thought that – every car we have had since he was born has had a diagnostic port… so it is only logical that you’d assume you tune trucks the same way.  I told him that this old girl was tuned the old fashioned way, mechanically, and come the zombie apocalypse, this truck would spirit us to safety!

One of the things I really appreciate on the new Rock Farm is a large shed that I can use to work on the vehicles.  It might not be heated, but it is really nice to be out of the weather, and the concrete slab helps.  It might not be pretty, and sure isn’t tidy, but we can work on that.

 

Of course the best part of any service is the test drive!  It was pleasing to note that both Myrtle the Mercedes and Lucie the Tractor both performed flawlessly.  There is nothing like turning diesel into noise…

But then again, there is somethings special about horses that horsepower can’t match! This beautiful fellow is like that breath of fresh air – good for recharging the soul.  The Little Helper and I also enjoyed chillaxing with our four legged friends.

Thinking back to our time in Sydney just a few days earlier, I was reminded of the immortal words of Clancy of the Overflow, written by Banjo Patterson back in 1889.  In that poem, a city-dweller longs to swap with Clancy, a shearer and drover.  Banjo romantically describes the differences between the city and the rural landscapes and often as I leave the city for home, his words come to me.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars.