Sidetrack area

[mrsmackpaul]

Well what a day, hot as all get out 

Lost my last Grandma last night, she was a Great Great Great Grandma, she was the one we grand children ran the wooden trucks into fridge and plaster work and so on around the house

Her husband, my Grand father was the one that built the toys and drove the old ex Army Mack EH log truck 

The end of a era,  Grandma was the last of that generation in my family

This year also marks 200 years since my family came to Australia as free settlers, we were the first white (thats a bad word in Yanky land but Im not a Yank) and up in the Victorian high country to graze sheep from the station in the Riverina district of NSW

Gunna be a big year for my family

Paul

[mrsmackpaul]

Anyway onto some happier stuff, actually loosing Grandma isn't sad as she lived a full life pretty much right up to the end, anyway I digress

Watched this video of NewZealand trucks in the 80's, if you can listen to some of the cometary as the bloke filming is talking about the 500 hp Mack Superliners, and even if you cant hear it you can sure the difference that 500 hp makes 

Now if you have never been to NewZealand you cant imagine just hiw windy and steep the roads are, doing 60 MPH for and distance over a few mile is virtually unheard of, no run ups to climb hills, it's just a long hard slog

Have a great day

 

Paul

 

[tjc transport]

sorry to hear about your grandmother Paul.        

my grandparents have been gone over 40 years.

[mrsmackpaul]

I think we are all stunned at how long Grandma was around for, she out lived my father and some of next younger generation 

Sadly I hadn't seen Grandma for a couple of years thanks to Covid and having to give notice to visit and all the bullshit rules with that

I did write letters regularly for some time, Grandma didn't like talking on the phone, and send photos etc of my day to day life

But in the last little while Grandma couldn't see well enough to read and spent her life snoozing  so I never bothered writing 

She was a tough lady from a much tougher generation

And the set backs people of her generation had make our problems of today pale into nothing 

Anyway, Pa was a joker and Grandma was the but of a lot of these jokes as were us Grand kids, unlike the precious people of todays world we took it all in our stride

Pa, Grandma's husband must of died 28 years or more ago, I  had returned from working in QLD driving dozers and working on cattle stations etc and after saying gudday to Mum and Dad Pa (and Grandma of course) was the next people I wanted to see 

Pa had just had a stroke and was laying on the kitchen floor, hell of a shock that took me years to get over as I liked him so much, big and tough like a Mallee bull and yet there he was

Never got to tell him about my latest adventures 

I never could get enough of his stories, from his trucking days, to his days growing up at Gulpa in the sawmill to farming on the Hay plains

He was in the Airforce in the Pacific and based at Port Moresby, he never really spoke about it much, he did tell me when I askec what he did in the Airforce "the planes would come in like a colander and I would send them back out like a plane"

Pa did fly planes but only to test them before handing them back into service 

I learnt year's later that Pa was part of the rescue crew to remove pilots and aircrews when landed and crash landed and all the burnt pilots and air crews played havoc until he passed away

Anyway enough dribble from me

 

Paul

[tjc transport]

how old was grandma Paul?

my mom is 92

[Mean Green]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother. The older generations seem like they did so much like all the things you said your grandfather did . Now a days it seems like we don’t do much except keep safe from the Covid and inflation our kids aren’t going to get any good stories …..

[mowerman]

Ya older generation was the best sorry Paul ya younger generation has not going to have any story’s to tell unless they want to bring up the fact they did all they could to avoid work… Bob

[mrsmackpaul]

Last photo of Grandma and myself I have, this was 2016, Grandma was still living on here own at home here

Grandma was nearly 97, I reckon Pa passed in 1994, as Grandma said to me once, "I never expected to live this long with out Pa"

Anyway she had a fair innings as they say

Paul

[1965]

My condolences to you and your family.

[mowerman]

Yeah bud letting go still hard no sugar coating it my father-in-law passed around 5years ago he was a the best… career navy anyway mom is still here and going strong I thought the same thing she would’ve been right behind him.,, strange thing she does absolutely nothing to take care of herself thanks for the the cool photo babba….. Bob

[Brocky]

Paul

What a great lady!! Thanks for the picture. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time of loss.

[other dog]

Sorry for your loss, and nice video.

[The Rubber Duck 006]

Sorry for your loss there Mate will be praying 🙏 for you and your family 

[mowerman]

i work with a guy that is 77 and his mom is still here he calls her every day god love him....bob

[Joey Mack]

It is sad Paul.  But you seem to accept the reality..  God bless you and you're family..  Jojo

[mrsmackpaul]

Thanks for the kind words everyone, 

On to something very different 

I have always fancied a bit of horse riding even though Im pretty useless at it 

So the 4th November last year I, on the spur of the moment went stuff it and booked a horse riding adventure in NewZealand 

Now the very first thing to know about me is that I haven't really ridden a horse at all for 25 years

And I never was much of a rider 

So that been said I contacted a ex dairy farmer I know that has a lot to do with horses and explained what I was upto and asked for some help

We agreed and the fun suddenly got quite real

I started doing maybe 4 our 5 hours a week

Then slowly worked up to maybe 15 - 20 hours

My two biggest concerns were getting hurt and been that one person on the trip that holds everyone else back and ruins the ride for the other participants 

Well I was, like with most things concerned about nothing 

Turns out I wasn't t he worst by a long shot and never got hurt.

Ten of us went and I had a ball, I absolutely loved it, great people from across the world and sites and smells I can't really explain

So the 22nd of January 2023 at 3.00 am I head to Melbourne to catch the kero kite to Queenstown NewZealand 

What a adventure, I would recommend for anyone if the chance ever arises to do something crazy like this, jump in and have a go 

It is so easy to find excuses to not do things, believe me even up until I was on the plane if something had of happened and I couldn't of gone I wouldn't of been upset, I  was fairly nervous about this whole episode lol

Paul 

[tjc transport]

a good "guide" or outfitter matches the horse to the rider. a very experienced rider gets a rowdy or rambunctious and hard to handle horse. 

an inexperienced rider gets the extremly tame horse that a 5 year old would feel safe on. 

[mrsmackpaul]

So very true, the riders that claimed to be good horse breakers and the like were all cock sure amd up front at the start but after a few day or so they slowly worked their way back thru mob to the rear

I ended up the front on the last couple of days

Like most things in life, I learnt mamy years ago it is much easier to understate my ability and just work hard than it is to over state my ability and have to try and prove it 

So what is a out fitter, as what do they do in north America?

In Australia it is someone we might buy our equipment from, I get the feeling this isnt the case in the states, it is a business that people might engage to take them on a long ride, would I be correct in my thinking ?

 

Paul

[tjc transport]

yes sir. here an outfitter is a person that usually owns large land mass and runs paid hunts. he supplys everything except for clothes and guns. 

[mrsmackpaul]

Did you know

 

 

🐶  L E S T   W E   F O R G E T 🌿🌺
Meet 'Gunner' the stray kelpie who was found 81 years ago #OnThisDay 19 February, 1942, under a destroyed mess hut in Darwin  after an airraid and became adept at warning of Japanese planes up to 20 minutes before they arrived!!!! He could tell the difference between enemy and friendly aircraft and saved a great many of lives 👍😄

AN AMAZING STORY.... The six-month-old black and white male kelpie was found whimpering, having suffered a broken front leg, under a destroyed mess hut at Darwin Air Force base 81 years ago, following the first wave of Japanese attacks on Darwin. Air Force personnel took him to a field hospital, but the doctor insisted he couldn't fix a "man" with a broken leg without knowing his name and serial number. The doctor repaired and plastered his leg after the air force personnel replied that his name was "Gunner" and his number was "0000". Gunner entered the airforce on that day.

Leading Aircraftman Percy Westcott, one of the two airmen who found Gunner, took ownership of him and became his master and handler. At first, the dog was badly shaken after the bombing, but being only six months old he quickly responded to the men's attention. About a week after, Gunner first demonstrated his remarkable hearing skills. While the men were working on the airfield, Gunner became agitated and started to whine and jump. Not long afterwards, the sound of approaching aeroplane engines was heard by the airmen. A few minutes later a wave of Japanese raiders appeared in the skies above Darwin and began bombing and strafing the town.

Two days later, Gunner began whimpering and jumping again and not long afterwards came another air attack. This set the pattern for the months that followed. Long before the sirens sounded, Gunner would get agitated and head for shelter. Gunner's hearing was so acute he was able to warn air force personnel of approaching Japanese aircraft up to 20 minutes before they arrived and before they showed up on the radar. Gunner never performed when he heard the allied planes taking off or landing; only when he heard enemy aircraft as he could differentiate the sounds of allied from enemy aircraft. Gunner was so reliable that Wing Commander McFarlane gave approval for Westcott to sound a portable air raid siren whenever Gunner's whining or jumping alerted him. Before long, there were a number of stray dogs roaming the base. McFarlane gave the order that all dogs be shot, with the exception of Gunner.

Gunner became such a part of the air force that he slept under Westcott's bunk, showered with the men in the shower block, sat with the men at the outdoor movie pictures, and went up with the pilots during practice take-off and landings. 

When Westcott was posted to Melbourne 18 months later, Gunner stayed in Darwin, looked after by the RAAF butcher.... Gunner's fate is undocumented 😢

[mowerman]

Love horses I don’t know anything about them  see lots  of them and my travels and I have a few of them on my mustang   I have always wanted to work with them good for you paul glad your getting it done I’m afraid I’m A little jealous have a ball bud 

[mrsmackpaul]

From something sensible to something not so sensible 

At a piss up last year and got roped into playing the game "Goon of Fortune"

Now to be fair I had never heard of "Goon of Fortune" and I didn't really have it explained to me 

End result a couple of old jokers that should know a lot better ended using a tractor to hold them up and rest on 

And some how ended up on the grass in a short amount of time

 

Slept like a baby for few hours

Stirred occasionally and could hear my mate snoring away

Life was grand, hang over lasted a week 

A proof men never grow up no matter how old we get 

Paul

[Joey Mack]

so your Mate smile's when he sleep's???   

[mowerman]

Oh, by the way, Paul, that was an amazing story about gunner I had never heard that. Thanks for the post…. Bob

[mowerman]

26 minutes ago, Joey Mack said:

so your Mate smile's when he sleep's???   

I think you better leave this one alone, Joey ha ha