What a muddy mess. Argghhhhh….. Where do I even begin to tell you about our weekend over at the Brunette Races? Lets just say – it wasn’t pretty.
So this is what went down. On Thursday Miss Bobby, the kids, the Outback Plumber & I packed up and headed over to Brunette. Everyone else just came over on Friday night for the Rodeo and then races on the Saturday. No one took horses or anything like that. I drove the truck over so I had somewhere to sleep and Miss Bobby followed along in my car with the kids. So we had a bit of a convoy happening.
I headed over on Thursday so I could set up my jewellery for Art in the Shed that night – a lovely evening of wine and cheese.
The weather was unusually HOT. So hot when we arrived to set up. It was crazy. My Aunty Anne and Uncle Terry, from Mudgee, met us with their caravan and camped with us. It was so great to have them to camp with and Uncle Terry makes quite the cook and made sure none of us went hungry. He even cooked us a roast pork and veg meal on Friday night. We were very spoilt. Anyway, we had a lovely night on Thursday and look who I found…
Toni Tapp Coutts – author of A Sunburnt Childhood. I am still reading it and loving it. I will be sure to give you the run down once I am done. I had a lovely chat over a glass of wine with Toni, what an inspiration she is, just so lovely!
Friday wasn’t very eventful. Friday night was Rodeo night. Always a fun social evening. Everyone parks their cars up around the arena and we eat more cheese and drink more wine and we all know that is my favourite pastime. The weather was still HOT. When i pulled up at the rodeo at about 7pm the car said it was still 29 degrees. This is not usual my friends, come Brunette we are usually freezing and totally rugged up.
Saturday was race day and the weather didn’t disappoint. Of course the Barkly Breeze started up just when it was time to frock up and the cold weather came in. The clouds built up and it looked like rain. But, we soldiered on and off we all went. I was glad I had a long sleeve top to wear and not a skimpy little dress. People were freezing and there were goosebumps everywhere. And then the rain came. Oh the rain. Just as we were about to judge fashions on the field too. We took shelter in the hall and that is where we stayed, listening to the rain get harder and harder. This is what the kids looked like before they took to the mud…
Oh the mud. It was something else. SO MUCH MUD, EVERYWHERE!!!! And what do well dressed kids do when there is mud? Of course we know the answer. They go mud sliding on the racecourse OF COURSE!
Now be alert but not alarmed, they may be muddy but if we could just take a moment to look at Clancy in the photo below… at least he still has his fashions on the field badge on, makes all the difference I think. Stay classy Clancy I say!
SO MUCH MUD. So then there I was in my little nude heels, skirt and WHITE top trying to sort out my cold, shivering 4 year old who was COVERED IN MUD!!!!! It is giving me the creeps just thinking about it. Everything was wet and somehow we had to get back to the truck to get the kids some dry, clean clothes (which were running out). I borrowed a pair of crocs (I kid you not) and sloshed my way back to camp in my skirt and white top – and of course the pink crocs. And I mean SLOSHED. I just had to slide back, probably would have been better to ditch the shoes altogether. Anyway, I made it back to camp to find that our truck leaks a little bit, there was water dripping on the beds. I covered the beds with garbage bags, got changed, found the kids some clean clothes and then had a genius idea…. I put garbage bags over my boots and tucked them in. (Actually, truth be known I once saw our friend Stewie do this with shopping bags over his RM’s – so clever).
I got myself to the car and drove back to the shed, there was no way I was walking. The garbage bags did the trick and I made it into the hall with clean shoes. Clancy looked a bit like Astro Boy, but there was no way I was risking this clean kid getting muddy again, just no way known.
Of course the kids didn’t stay clean for very long. It was a viscious cycle. It was so lucky we had Aunty Anne and Uncle Terry with their caravan. In the end we showered them again, got them in more clean clothes and they were able to lie in the caravan and watch a movie. Thank goodness. Well actually it was just Clancy and Harry because Tom had billeted himself out to the Gumnut family. Poor Sal and Chris had muddy kids coming out their ears, I wouldn’t be surprised if she de-friended me, nor would I blame her.
Anyway, by the end of it all there was mud absolutely everywhere…. in our truck, all over the floor, on all of the clothes, so much mud. I just wanted to pop a jiffy fire lighter in there and burn it all. Not that it would have burnt because it was all so WET. I just did not want to deal with it. We had to stay an extra night but thankfully it didn’t rain again. But there was still so much mud and not many clean dry clothes. We scraped through and in the end just threw everything in the truck, utes and car and drove home Monday morning. When we got home Bobby and I cleaned out everything. Thank god Bobby helped because I probably would have just sat in the corner and cried. We de-mudded everything. There are swags and mats and jeans hanging on the fence. We had to hose them all off. There is a pile of washing on my verandah the size of Everest. Hopefully I will get on top of it all before Christmas.
Anyway, that was our weekend. I know you are probably so jealous…. right?
Were you there?
Still washing?
Are you reading A Sunburnt Childhood too?
Love Mud?
I saw the coverage and wondered if you were there Chards!
Who’d have known there were so many uses for garbage bags?
A xx
Ha ha ha ha, I know right!
Oh god – nightmare! I love the Brunette post. As an ex TC girl (not the classiest place to grow up!) I used to work for the Dolly Pot Inn and we were lucky enough to come out and work in the kitchen. Party pash the odd hot ringer, freeze to death and catch the flu. An annual tradition!
Ha ha ha, too funny. The Dolly Pot, my husbands always raves about the old Dolly Pot.
Oh Chards, what a weekend!!!
I’m sorry but I would have been in the mud with the kids, sloshing around and getting all dirty too. After I had changed of course 🙂
Our weekend was filled with unpacking more boxes; that’s what happens when you move and then go away the next weekend. I’ve only got my stepson bedroom and my studio/sewing space to set up and the bedroom is on today’s list!
Hope you get some time away from the laundry room this week!!!
Unpacking = worst job in the world!
Normally I would agree with you, but there is something about this house that makes it an almost enjoyable task!
Oh good stuff, that is wonderful!!!!
Don’t you just love how the kids head straight for the mud with out even battering an eyelid about the after clean up! Looks like they had fun though! God I laughed when I scrolled down to your garbage bag covered boots. Good luck with the clean up!
Still washing and trying to clean it all up….
Oh! YUK! black mud, worst mud of all, I reckon
Yep, sure is. Not sure I will ever be able to get it off the boots, think the only way is with hot water and a scourer.
Oh my word I’m glad there was plenty of wine on offer, I would have FREAKED with all that mud. Love the photo of you driving the truck ‘like a boss’! xx
Oh Em, one of our mates came over to camp the next morning and declared: “Well the only thing to do in this weather is DRINK HEAVILY” I agreed.
I think MaMa is onto our 20th load of washing!
Quick send her up – Mr Chardy is probably there right now just pop her on the truck and she can come up and start on mine. Thanks. 🙂
OMG all that mud! Eeekkkkk our kids would have loved it too. I love the little girl still has her flower in her hair! So tell me how do you successfully rid clothes of mud and you know restore them to a wearable standard again? My son has only ever played in mud like this once and it was at his Aunty’s house when she lived in Temora when they had a small farm. City kids don’t get the opportunity to play in mud because as soon as it rains they close all the sports grounds so they can’t play!
I know, I thought the same thing about Tilly and the flower in her hair. I just wash the clothes and the mud seems to come out, bit of Nappysan perhaps!!
Love the account of your muddy weekend!
Thanks 🙂
Love the photos, I’m glad I wasn’t there, I said to Bobbie “did you take any photos”? and she said “no, I just wasn’t feelin it” haha I could tell it wasn’t a great weekend. Lucky she was there to help when you got home, cleaning is her favourite thing, I miss her 🙁
Oh it was foul Meredith. I am still washing.
What a classic Chards, I’m sorry just had to laugh at the photos, something you will never forget its good to have all the best experiences in life. Think positive perhaps the sleeping bags needed a wash. And I have no doubt Miss Chardy was having a chardy. God bless you all . ( I had a chardy in commiserations for you all)
Yes, I was definitely having a huge Chardy.
Oh dear Dan, that was hilarious there’s never a dull moment up your way. It is freezing here at present. So sick of winter already and it’s really only just begun. Love and kisses A Theresie xoxo
Hello Aunty Theresie…. never a dull moment. Now if you are sick of winter already you had best jump on a plane or get in a car and scoot up here toot sweet. Quick, hurry, may need you to push me around in a wheel chair once I am done hiking. How soon can you get here???
Loved your post Chards!! The best part is the kids will talk about the time we went to Brunette and there was mud everywhere for the rest of their lives! Making fun memories and the mud always washes off so totally worth it!! 🙂
You are so right Carmel, so right! We will all remember that.