Holidays and Birthdays

Hello world! It's so nice to be reconnected! The internet/computer was down for a few weeks, thus the extended silence. In my head I sort of assume that my grandparents are the only people who actually read this, so it was surprising to hear that other people had noticed my lack of posts.

This weekend is Easter. Australians don't seem to be much for religion, especially out here in the bush where there simply aren't churches (or anything for that matter) nearby, so Easter has more of a social than spiritual significance. This weekend marks the last moment of calm before the official work season hits, with long days and few breaks. Some of the employees who have been here since January have cashed in on some long overdue holiday time, going fishing or making the long journey home to see family. The rest of us have three whole days off- quite a change from our usual one! The younger guys piled into a truck (sorry, "ute") to make the 2 hour pilgrimage to the pub, where they will hole up til Sunday afternoon. Personally a 3 day binge exceeds my commitment level, so I stayed back to finish my book, catch up on my blog, and hone my nonexistant pool skills. If anyone has any advice on the latter, please let me know- I am truly terrible. I think on Sunday there are plans to decorate Easter eggs and eat hot crossed buns, but there aren't many of us here, so we'll see.

This past week was April Fool's Day. Although no pranks were pulled, the Australians have several other charming traditions to mark th first day of each month. Millie, the governess, came to lunch with crosses (X's) on her hands. She said this was to prevent the kids from giving her "a pinch and a punch for the first of the month." Apparently calling "white rabbit" also achieves immunity. Nobody had ever heard of "rabbit, rabbit," but then I'm not sure many Americans have either. I, however, did remember to "rabbit, rabbit" for once.

The week before was my birthday. 25. Yikes! Although it was a fairly subdued affair, it last a REALLY long time! The Friday prior we had Friday Night Drinks at the Red Club with champagne to mark the occasion. Lucy, the 8 year old, made me a birthday cake in the shape of a horse and everyone sang Happy Birthday. It turns out that when slicing the cake, it you touch the plate with the knife you have to kiss the nearest boy. Also, if any cake sticks to the knife, you also have to kiss someone or scream under the table. Australians seem fond of kissing. Nobody told me about this until too late, so I pleaded ignorance.

Wednesday was my actual birthday and although I didn't really do anything special (apart from calling home), it was a wonderful day. We spent the morning on horseback, moving first horses and then calves. I was surprised to discover that the herd of horses moved at a slow, collected walk, whereas the calves exploded all over at a wild trot. This is pretty much the opposite of New Mexico, which usually had wild horse chases but slow, ambling cattle drives.

In the afternoon we trimmed feet (one of my favorite activities- shocking, I know) and worked with the yearlings. The next day was my birthday in America, so I technically got a 37.5 hour birthday. And THEN the mail plane came on Friday, so I got a third day full of presents and cards, making it possibly the longest birthday on record. Awesome!