Joanna Becker

Last week we stayed in Pittsworth on George, Ruth, Jordan and Michelle's  beautiful farm overlooking thousands of acres of black soil plain country. We helped with some yard maintenance and bobcat work (Tim couldn't help himself once he spotted the Bobcat) as our way of saying thank-you, and other than that we mostly hung about camp. Dusty got over his nasty fever virus but Maxie got it so we basically quarantined ourselves and tried to keep Maxie healthy and cheery, the latter was pretty hard work! Had some wild weather as well, with storms blowing over. Good at times for flying kites... And at other times we hid in the shed away from the gale and watched the dust blow over the plains... scratching grit out of our eyes and spotting bolts of lightening. Another good mate in Pittsworth, Pete, showed us his crop for this season and gave us a tour and taste around his paddocks. Our boys picked broad beans, which we later shelled and cooked for dinner in butter and beer. Pete expla...

Dusty and I were feeling restless and homesick this morning. I didn't want to go home, necessarily, but I did want to make use of our time away by travelling and sightseeing instead of being at the caravan - the small space we have set ourselves up in really felt crowded for me this morning.  Dusty had also said that he wanted to go home to his BIG house, with a sad sigh. So, Tim suggested our first Toowoomba-area tourist destination, Jondaryan Woolshed.  The Woolshed museum features over a dozen buildings from Australia's earliest days, when Jon Daryan and surrounds were used for Merino Wool production - the first place in Australia to farm Merino Sheep.  It's more than just a sheep museum though. There are all kinds of relics, which were brought here from all around The Darling Downs, including a dairy/cheese factory, school room, tractor shed, railway line, a tea, stew-and-damper hut, and a yard full of farm animals including freshly hatched geese and baby goats. Shrie...