#deadcattle

Our Outback experience continues with more contact with dead animals. Some of Papá’s cattle are very weak and unfortunately not all of them have made it through the rough roadside life and the current drought. One cow refused to get on her feet and even after a few tries with help from us (“It’s like you’re asking a guy in a wheel chair to run”, said Papá) we ended her misery. A bullet through the brain. We have learnt that there is a specific spot you have to shoot in order to kill the animal instantly and without wasting a second bullet. According to Papá these “modern bush ‘educated’ people do not learn at school how to shoot”. 

This little calf had lost her mother. Unfortunately she didn't make it through the night as apparently she had drowned while trying to get some water...from the horse's water trough. 

The next animals actually met their fate in our very hands. Or in Sonja’s to be exact. She put an axe to not one but two ducks that we got from a friend of Papá. Pia also helped with the defeathering of the ducks and we can now proudly declare that we can pluck a duck! And we must admit it; stuffed duck is delicious!

Other side of the Outback is of course life in a small town. During our days of cattle watching more than once cars pull up next to us for a friendly chat. Just after a few days seemed like the whole town knew about the Finnish girls working for Papá.

Cattle.. Everywhere.

And we thought we do have quite easy names to pronounce and spell. Well, Sonja is easy enough to say, but like she’s gotten used to her name is quite often spelled with an y. Pia’s got a bit more interesting. She is used to introducing herself as “Piano without the No”, but no matter how many times she explains her name she is nowadays referred to “Beer”. To think of that she does not even like beer!