Ragonesi Road; A small property with a feral rabbit problem. Who you gonna call?
I have been in the Alice Bow hunting club for 6 months now and it was about time I got some practice in.
We got a call to come out and help deal with a feral rabbit issue at a property just outside of Alice Springs. The owner wasn't allowed to shoot them as the area just got classed as part of town so you are not allowed to discharge firearms within town limits. So to the bow mobile we went.
We set out Friday night but it got dark too quickly to really have a good go. I broke an arrow when I shot at a rabbit at thirty yards as it began to move away from me. The arrow bounced where the rabbit had been and hit a bull dozer that the owner of the property had in his yard (the 'yard' is huge. It's almost 10 acres. Large considering the Australian dream is a 1/4 acre block). The bull dozer was okay but my arrow was a wreck.
The next morning Ben set out on his own (I went to a party Friday so there was no sunrise stalking for me).
Ben had no trouble with his crazy fast bow in the increasing daylight.
It was a good shot. The rabbit did not suffer for long.
Ben then had the good grace to bring me this on a Saturday morning to wake me up with. I said he was like a house cat. He has eaten a fare share of rabbits in his day and gave this to me so I could try it. Oh well. If I have to skin something I prefer the morning.
Here is the sequence for anyone interested. Make a small cut through the back of the rabbit skin to create a hole.
Get both your hands in there and pull apart. Done. All over in 5 seconds.
Remove head and fur.
Cut the stomach lining trying not to cut the innards. Roll onto side and shake it all out.
Butcher and cut up as you like and cook. Cook it in a recipe where you have to boil it for a while as there are a few things that could give you some trouble if you eat raw food. Especially game meats. I made a curry. Delicious.
Maybe next some KFC style rabbit. Naomi loved it also and mentioned that, although she didn't enjoy the fact that this meat was not anonymous, it was good to eat.
Last weekend we went to Trephina Gorge to camp. Fun times and pretty easy going weekend really. This post is a little late but anyways.
The gang up here all stacked into a car and drove to Trephina Gorge which is just an hour and a half out of town. I secretly wanted to go climbing so I told a group from the climbing gym to come too. They didn't come out to camp but they turned up Sunday to climb. Unfortunately by then I couldn't even stand anymore because of my terrible condition that I'll speak of later.
Here are the fat campers (a term for people who camp out of cars, not our actual weight) sitting around the camp site. We had it all to ourselves. Very good indeed.
As we drove up Michelle suggested we stop for firewood as the camp site was a very popular one and flammable material would be scarce. Good idea as she was right.
And we were ready for the burnings.
Everybody then went to explore the Gorge. Naomi had the new Harry Potter book so she stayed behind and I hung around to bother her and photograph the "river" that runs into the Gorge.
Here I am looking back at the campsite from the middle of the "river." Skinny dipping later would be a hilarious affair. I suppose we could roll around in the sand.
Looking towards the Gorge and still in the middle of the "river."
Looking the other way. So calming. Would like to see it when it flows though. Then the night came...
Sitting around the fire with our own bard Damo, who didn't recite ancient Celtic poems but played the ukulele real good like.
And it was really quit dark if I didn't use my flash.
And we began to cook our chow. Potatoes wrapped in foil, thrown into the fire, a hot plate for meat and vegetables, a billy for hot water to mix with Cointreau. Delicious.
I was the most unimaginative. A piece of chicken, a roast potato and a fresh tomato off a chopping board with the trusty lock blade. Salt and lemon and it was done. Delicious and slightly dangerous in the dark.
Then the fun began with random songs issuing from Damo and Michelle. There should be a youtube video here with a ukulele solo from Damo. If you are looking at an RSS feed (i.e. facebook peeps) you probably won't see it.
Then strange instruments of which the name escapes me appear. Sounded like we were killing small, furry animals at this stage as Michelle and Damo were playing different songs.
And of course bum jokes like this perspective trick shot that makes it look like Sarah is photographing Adrian for- Ahem... posterity.
After many drinks and laughing and trying not to fall down the pit toilet in the dark we went to bed. I mentioned earlier my terrible condition and this is when it visits me with the greatest strength. In the tent, wrapped in a sleeping bag against the zero degree temperature (I think it may have even gone lower) my claustrophobia sets in. Thats right, the curse of the sleeping bag.
I can't sleep and have to mouth calming mantras to myself as I slowly realize I'm trapped in my sleeping bag and I'm going to die. I have to unzip and kick it off and sit upright and cough. But now I get too cold so, against my better judgment, I return to the sleeping bag, zip it back up a little at a time until the feeling returns and so the cycle begins again. No sleep for me unless I can lie spread out and snore luxuriously. I am not for the cold weather.
The next day the climbing crew show up and we set up a few top ropes in the Gorge. Victoria unaware of me photographing her.
Photo stolen from Zoe Barker's collection totally without permission. Zoe and Dave climbing Hammock in the Shade (the name of the climb I think. Grade 17).
