195602
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195602 [2018/08/27 13:38] – tyreless | 195602 [2018/08/27 16:12] – tyreless | ||
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- | ===== the Starts | + | ===== The Stars Look Down. ===== |
- Dot Butler. | - Dot Butler. | ||
Line 299: | Line 299: | ||
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- | 17. | + | ===== Who'd Be A Baulker |
- | WHO'D BE A BAULKER | + | |
- | Another Trifle in the Same Vein' | + | === Another Trifle in the Same Vein === |
- | Mulga | + | |
- | Our raft's a remarkable sort,of boat | + | - Mulga |
- | Made from inner tubes to help it float With a top of sticks - quite dead I vow - And a bent old branch to form the prow. | + | |
- | It's not much good for the open sea, | + | Our raft's a remarkable sort of boat\\ |
- | And for trips where you want to be home for tea | + | Made from inner tubes to help it float\\ |
- | You'd better leave early - it's rather | + | With a top of sticks - quite dead I vow -\\ |
- | From bitter experience - bruised by rocks On the rapids, you see, of the upper Cox. | + | And a bent old branch to form the prow. |
+ | |||
+ | It's not much good for the open sea,\\ | ||
+ | And for trips where you want to be home for tea\\ | ||
+ | You'd better leave early - it's rather | ||
+ | But where' | ||
+ | From bitter experience - bruised by rocks\\ | ||
+ | On the rapids, you see, of the upper Cox. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Do you remember when I bought that 60 foot length of rope and a book on mountaineering, | ||
+ | |||
+ | In all fairness I must admit that the idea first came to __me__ years ago when I first saw the Blockup - couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Year after year the idea flourished and waned, as I sat in my armchair and planned. Then, of course, I confided by longing to a C.P. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Why, what a wonderful idea," she burbled, all enthusiasm. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not wait a minute dear, not now; what about the bedroom curtains. Can't afford both you know." (Phew, that was close. Water? Brrrr. Do you remember the Lovaduck Argosy?) | ||
+ | |||
+ | Time passed, and Putt, talking with me quite academically about such matter, spoke loudly enough for the C.P. to hear, and the campaign was on. | ||
+ | |||
+ | So, next thing I knew it was New Year weekend and there we were at the launching place at the Gibralta Creek junction, chosen because of its easy access via the six-foot track, and offering a raftable stretch of water - or so we thought. But memory plays queer tricks, especially when you've always walked along the banks of a river rather than in it, and mostly when the water was high. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The young brother had first try, floating lazily at something less than a slow walk until close to the first rapids - short sharp ones hurrying into a flurry of foam. Then suddenly there came frantic distress signals, a quick rescue, and he scrambled ashore to safety. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Ah this is the life" I mused (me being built of sterner stuff), as I gradually moved faster into the rapid, but there was one snag, in the form of an unavoidable overhanging branch, just a foot above the water. Oh well, grab it and hope! And next thing there I was bereft of raft and plucked from my branch to follow cit bump... bumpp... bumppp... The C.P. was doubled up with mirth at this. | ||
- | Do you remember when I bought that 60 foot length of rope | ||
- | and a book on mountaineering, | ||
- | as a last resort? Wells I'm pleased to relate that its only use so far has been to safeguard our small brother whilst reparing the | ||
- | roof of his parent' | ||
- | as a living example of what lengths a man will go to to preserve a | ||
- | fair maid's favour at the risk of his precious neck. That threat to life and limb is now a thing of the past, with our rock climbing exploits limited to the Galong Creek-Carlon' | ||
- | In all fairness I must admit that the idea first came to me | ||
- | years ago when I first saw the Blockup couldn' | ||
- | it, didn't have the energy to walk around it (i.e. up and over), and | ||
- | certainly didn't consider swimming through. I wondered what was on the other side, and now and again I would toy with the idea of | ||
- | building a raft, in situ, to explore the unknown. Inner tubes were | ||
- | to supply the buoyancy. | ||
- | Year after year the idea flourished and waned, as I sat in my | ||
- | armchair and planned. Then, of course, I confided by longing to a C.P. | ||
- | "Why, what a wonderful idea," she burbled, all enthusiasm. " | ||
- | "Not wait a minute dear, not now; what about the bedroom aurtains. Can't afford both you know." (Phew, that was close. | ||
- | Water? Brrrr. Do you remember the Lovaduck Argosy?) | ||
- | Time passed, and Putt, talking with me quite academically about | ||
- | such matter, spoke loudly enough for the C.P. to hear, and the campaign was on. | ||
- | 18. | ||
- | So, next thing I knew it was New Year weekend and there we were at the launching place at the Gibralta Creek junction, chosen because of its easy access tia the six-foot track, and offering a raftable stretch of water - or so we thought. But vemory plays | ||
- | queer tricks, especially when you've always walked along the banks of a river rather than in its and mostly when the water was high. | ||
- | The young brother had first try, floating lazily at something less than a slow walk tantil close to the first rapids - short sharp ones hurrying into a flurry of foam. Then suddenly there came frantic distress signals, a quick rescue, and he scrambled ashore to safety. | ||
- | "Ah this is the life" I mused (me being built of sterner stuff), is I gradually moved faster into the rapid, but there was one snag, in the form of an Unavoidable overhanging branch, just a foot above the water. Oh well, grab it and hope: And next thing there I was bereft of raft and plucked from my branch to folloWcit bump...bumppo..bumppp... The C.P. was doubled up with, | ||
- | mirth at this. | ||
"All right Beautiful, see if you can do any better." | "All right Beautiful, see if you can do any better." | ||
- | So on we went for an hour or so, -" | + | |
- | groundsheet-wrapped pack and careered downstream | + | So on we went for an hour or so - a thrill a minute - and then with muggins aboard, down a drop - woomp! |
- | neatly lassoed a rock and stayed firmly still. Have you ever tried | + | |
- | to chase a runaway pack down a narrow boulder-strewn fast-flowing stretch of rivers | + | |
Things were looking black (including my most recent bruises) I decided, as we dried the sodden articles in the sun. Time for a strategic retreat, honourable or otherwise. | Things were looking black (including my most recent bruises) I decided, as we dried the sodden articles in the sun. Time for a strategic retreat, honourable or otherwise. | ||
- | "The tubes are going down, dear; trouble with the valves. | + | |
- | I Can't very well fix them here; got the right gear at home though. How about going up Galong, round to Kennel Flat....." | + | "The tubes are going down, dear; trouble with the valves. I can't very well fix them here; got the right gear at home though. How about going up Galong, round to Kennel Flat....." |
We did, and if you think I'm going to be dragged into continuing the equeous expedition on the next long week-end you're wrong. " | We did, and if you think I'm going to be dragged into continuing the equeous expedition on the next long week-end you're wrong. " | ||
- | Oh Oh, here, quick, pass MB that coil of ropel. | + | |
+ | Oh Oh, here, quick, pass me that coil of rope! | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
"A Committee is a gathering of important people, who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done." (Fred Allen) | "A Committee is a gathering of important people, who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done." (Fred Allen) | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
19. | 19. | ||
COMING EVENTS: Although there' | COMING EVENTS: Although there' |
195602.txt · Last modified: 2018/08/28 12:37 by tyreless