Chickens in the freezer, love and life

I could go on for a long time about the joys of the countless worthy reality checks that come with country life. I was first introduced to the dangers and rewards of the rural life at my aunt Rita and uncle Bob's. I'll always be a bit of a pansy next to their high expectations of what a man is supposed to be I think, but my kids could never be accused of being of that.

It was a fantastic congregation of like minded souls yesterday. We basked in the warm fall sun and played games that aren't coming out digitally any time soon. I don't think I caught them all. The work was done by 14:30, even the clean up and that left a lot of time and energy for spontaneous games of Indian leg wrestling and neck/belt pull contests, tag, chicken, of course, and foot races of various kinds.

I have to be careful here or this will evolve into a book. If the brevity of this all leaves you unsatisfied, please refer to the books Trauma Farm by Brian Brett and or Ox bells and fireflies by Ernest Buckler.

I meant to write a review of Trauma Farm, but lost my nerve. Thanks for the book Mum, it was terrific.

The fire and the finishing table crew. The birds were dipped in hot water to loosen the feathers before they were plucked.



I'll probably be lynched for this shot, but I'll say now that these kids were who I would dream would see the world clearly as they make decisions with less ego and more harmony in the future. Clear eyed and filled with wonderment. I've never enjoyed kids more than watching them yesterday. I'm so happy people brought their kids to share in the day. They added a lot!

The opposite of blinker-think no? There was ample opportunity, space and time to escape the dirty work, but all the kids seemed to venture into the deep water at various times through the day. Kids are much more curious, capable and cognisant than they are often credited with. I remain in awe of their collective contributions through the day. There was a place that meant something really grown up for everyone that wanted it and they all did.



A very poor image of the primary plucking station.



I think she got it all. Mighty put her away with a journey to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner. ...



There were a number of hard core animal lovers on hand for the chores and festivities. Here's one of the top tier troopers with one of our layers.