The Ups and The Downs

We start out yesterday at nine in the morning. Anne takes us on a tour of her property. She points out the black currents that need to be planted. The black currents that need to be unplanted. Where the unplanted need to be put. The place where the dead branches need to be moved. The gum tree to be dug out the fire wood to be organized. The rhubarb bed to be weeded. And then she says to get to work.

As we are going to the forest to remove branches we find a wallaby foot that is stuck in the top of the fence. I think it attempted to hop over to get some nice food when it's food was caught and it had to chew it off to escape. I am reaussured this idea by the dead wallaby nearby, but surprisingly it has two feet. Then we find another dead one, again with two feet. So for those of you keeping score at home - alive wallabies seen - 0 dead wallabies seen - 2 (and a foot).

Fast forward through all of the tasks to lunch. Becca and I want to ask Anne about our evening plans since she said we would be going to an old pub for dinner and a drink. Something that we were looking forward to after a discouraging day of work and dead wallabies. She forgot that she said we were going to the pub and instead is having company over for a drink. We are not to come out of our cabin until the company leaves the house. Oh, and by the way we aren't going camping anymore, we are going to work this weekend instead.

Becca and I are both very angry workawayers. We are cleaning plates and cursing about being treated like goddamn slaves.

We shower, read our books, fume over how unfair life is, and then their company leaves. We come inside for dinner which is being served on all of the silver we had polished two days ago. There is a large platter which is covered with an ornate cover. It has a knife and it's sharpener bordering it. Bill lifts the cover off to reveal a leg of lamb that he begins to carve, we eat baked cauliflower, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and green beans.

Anne tells us we are moving the currents up from the road and will be planting all of them, even though we just moved them down to the road today. But she says, "At least it's Friday and I think we will go to the pub tomorrow, and even though we are not camping we will still be going to Bruny Island, no matter what." I want to be giddy about the good news with Becca but I don't Anne to know how dissapointed we were earlier, instead I say, "Awesome." And take another bite of lamb.

Anne's Cooking Tip # 4 - If you need to bread a piece of meat put your breading in a plastic bag with the meat and shake vigorously, it will save your hands from getting all icky.