It looks like recently I have been doing a lot of travelling in the region. We went to Braidwood this morning to attend a support group meeting in the hospital.

I personally like Braidwood a lot. I’ve been here several times in the past 5 years. I remember one time I came here with my mom and dad. We went to the gallery located in the old building of Commonwealth Bank and I had a lovely time there seeing the paintings, some craftworks done by the local artists.

Comparing to Bungendore, I actually like Braidwood better. This town has sort of artistic atmosphere that Bungendore hasn’t got. Maybe I am wrong, but I hate a lots of things that I see in Bungendore, like their service station (as if it’s already in the era after the earth had been destroyed) and horrible markets for farming supplies, in which I found nothing appealing.

However to be honest, I think the country lifestyle actually starts to grow on me over the past many years. I am now more comfortable with the idea of living in a farm with x amount of acres in a remote area. So when I am thinking of it, it doesn’t make me feel scared as much as it used to be.

That’s why on the way back to Queanbeyan, I was so interested when my colleague invited me to go to her place to see her garlic crop. She owns a property about 20 ks off the Queanbeyan town and I heard a lot about her chooks, vegetable gardens and other interesting stuff that only people living in country could tell.

It is a cold and windy day. But I was cheerful enough when we got there. Maddie, a beautiful 7 years old Border Collie, rushed to us barking when we got closed to the gate. Probably she realised that I was a stranger. She followed us around in the property wherever we go and sniffed me to make sure I am not a terrorist. I was very impressed to see her sending us off with her innocent eyes but ceased following at that gate completely. She just wouldn’t step even one foot outside this property.

My colleague picked some spinach leaves and threw them into the shed for chooks. They looked so manic and immediately ran up to their food. I was amused. Couldn’t help thinking once upon a time how they got caught and killed by hawks when there was no fence above their heads before, according to my colleague. Poor chooks, did they fight or surrender under those fierce claws?

Well, animals….apart from trying to survive, what else do you expect them to worry?