western australia

Life continues to be interesting

@JudyEv (326895)

Rockingham, Australia

October 31, 2022 8:21am CST

Tomorrow is Melbourne Cup day in Australia and much of the country will down tools to watch one of our richest horse races. There will be a luncheon in our club rooms with various sweeps and games while we wait for the actual race. In other news, we’ve agreed to a house-swap with a couple who live in Ireland. We will spend all of April on the other side of the globe while they will stay in our house. We’ll also be away most of January. We’ve been asked to spend the last fortnight on a farm near a tiny town called Green Hills. It will be summer and the main job will be to ensure that the various pets don’t run out of water. The photo is mine and is taken from where I was standing under a tree at the marathon event. On the next hill, you can see where Vince was positioned. I was able to see him get out of the car when horses came towards him. I then had plenty of time to move to where I wanted to take my photos. You can see the hills are quite challenging for the horses.

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12 responses

@RubyHawk (99421)

• Atlanta, Georgia

31 Oct 22

Your house swap and Ireland will make interesting reading,I look forward to it. A lovely picture. I like the wide open spaces.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

It's just a bit strange that a month ago we hadn't really even thought about a house-swap.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Nov 22

@RubyHawk I couldn't get over how lush everything was. The vegetation seems to grow overnight.

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@RubyHawk (99421)

• Atlanta, Georgia

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv Sometimes things happen quickly. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time in Ireland. It's supposed to have the greenest green of any country.

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@LadyDuck (460669)

• Switzerland

31 Oct 22

So you are going to be in Ireland for a full month. The house swap is interesting, did they post photos of their house?

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

Yes, we have seen photos of the house and it looks very nice. Damian is going to check it out for us too. We have said we'll go for the month of April.

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@LadyDuck (460669)

• Switzerland

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv Good idea to send Damian there to have a look. He can also check how are the owners.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

@LadyDuck They write nicely - good grammar and spelling.

Such things still influence us.

And it seems she has a position in a technical college. It's amazing what you can find out with a bit of sleuthing.

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@BarBaraPrz (45691)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

31 Oct 22

Is the house swap anywhere near your son (I think you've mentioned that he lives in Ireland)?

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

We should be within about half an hour's drive from his house. And we'll probably swap cars as well.

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@BarBaraPrz (45691)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv So it'll be a good 'family time' too.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

@BarBaraPrz Yes, that's the main reason for going there.

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@snowy22315 (171376)

• United States

31 Oct 22

Sounds like things are hopping there. Ireland in particular sounds very interesting.

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@snowy22315 (171376)

• United States

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv I know the feeling..

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

It will be great to see our son again. It's been a long time.

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@LindaOHio (158927)

• United States

31 Oct 22

Will you be near your son in Ireland? The photo is quite lovely.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

We'll be within about half an hour of his house.

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@LindaOHio (158927)

• United States

2 Nov 22

@JudyEv That's very exciting!

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@Beestring (13501)

• Hong Kong

31 Oct 22

It's good that you got the house-swap deal. You have an active life.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

It's hard to believe we're actually going to Ireland in April.

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@Beestring (13501)

• Hong Kong

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv Have you been to Ireland before?

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

@Beestring We have been several times to see our son. He has lived there for over 20 years now.

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@RebeccasFarm (86996)

• United States

31 Oct 22

How exciting Judy all this..what town in Ireland will it be..?

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@RebeccasFarm (86996)

• United States

1 Nov 22

@JudyEv Oh thats grand then close for you. I know of Ballina.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

We will be in Ballina and our son is in Castlebar, both in Mayo and within about half an hour's drive.

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@wolfgirl569 (96587)

• Marion, Ohio

31 Oct 22

That is a lovely view. Enjoy the luncheon.

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

The luncheon was great thanks but we didn't pick a winner in the sweeps.

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@Ronrybs (17957)

• London, England

1 Nov 22

That is good news. I am wondering what the weather is like in Ireland in April. A bit on the damp side, I suspect!

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

2 Nov 22

It's a bit tricky. March is really hot here but April shouldn't be too bad. After that, we're moving into winter. If we wait till September, then it's a really busy time for our son. But we'll be sure to take our waterproofs. lol

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Dr Souvik Chatterji

@sathviksouvik (18128)

•

31 Oct 22

your photo is too good. The write up is also very interesting. We are watching the cricket T20 world cup held in Australia

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

It is very pretty country in that area. The T20 cricket matches are attracting a lot of interest.

Dr Souvik Chatterji

@sathviksouvik (18128)

•

2 Nov 22

@JudyEv thanks Judy India and Australia are both in the race for qualifying for the semi finals

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@everwonderwhy (6697)

•

1 Nov 22

Your plan and future arrangement looks very exciting and fabulous! Will it be? Enjoy your entire time there in Ireland. :-)

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

I don't know about very exciting but it's certainly interesting at the moment. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep doing some house-sitting from time to time.

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@Sojourn (13839)

• India

31 Oct 22

House-swap! The concept is brand new to me. Is the couple a complete stranger, or you have verified their whereabouts?

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@JudyEv (326895)

• Rockingham, Australia

1 Nov 22

They are strangers but we've now emailed back and forth and seen photos of each other's houses. Our son will be able to visit their house and their daughter now works in Perth and will be able to come to see our house. We are taking what precautions we can but we're happy about it all.

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