Looking for Beauty

During my married life I've been called upon to do some pretty unlady-like tasks, and have done the best I could at the time.  Saturday night was one such time.  My hubby asked me [very nicely] if I would consider being his off-sider on a feral pig hunt.  Well, what could I say.  Much of the time I am able to do my own thing, so I didn't like to say no.  I'll spare you all the nasty hunting details, but suffice to say it wasn't for the weak of stomach!!  We spent almost five hours driving around a large property, only going back over our tracks twice - around almost 2,000 acres of wheat and half as much grazing oats.  We even took a picnic.  Now, don't go getting too excited - there was nothing glamorous about this picnic, no Michael Bublé playing in the background, no chilled champagne, no cucumber sandwiches, or cherry pie.   But, I refuse to allow myself to only see the negative part of this.  We arrived at our destination some time before sunset, and there was the prospect of seeing wildlife other than aforementioned feral pigs!!  I was told about a large dam, with resident swans.  I am sure the producers of our 'reality' show, The Farmer Wants a Wife would have made this scene look so much more romantic, but I still found it pleasant enough to share.

My husband does a lot of work on this property, mostly mustering cattle.  He has told me often about 'the swans that live on the big dam'.  Well, I finally saw them, and they have a family.  This is not the best photograph, zoomed in to the hilt, but I'm sure you will see what I'm talking about.  The water birds were there in their droves, so lovely to see, after all the dry years.

We managed to get to another small dam just before sunset, so I couldn't resist a few more shots.  There is always something magical about the coming up and going down of the sun!  During the night we saw lots of other birds - bustards [plain turkeys], tawny frogmouths, but sadly, it's not brolga country.

I know much of what I see is rather dull compared to the beauty others have, but it's amazing how much you appreciate the little things.  Just recently we've had the privilege of the company of this Ibis.  He seems to have taken a liking to the area just outside our immediate houseyard, wandering around each day without a care in the world.  I have named him Ivan [I don't really know if it's a male or a female to be honest], and perhaps in time he'll bring a mate to meet us, Irene maybe??  We've also noticed a lot of activity high up in one of the trees, as Maggie and Magnum [our magpie couple] start to make preparations for another family this season.  Each afternoon about 5.00pm [like clockwork] they swoop down waiting for the handful of dog biscuits I throw on the ground for them.

I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things I've seen in the last few days, despite their simplicity.