A canine in the Coorong

Another really hot day, which always drains me. Having black fur in the hot sun doesn't help. Pouncing into the cool waters of the lake does. So as soon as they woke up and we'd had our breaky I started nagging about going over to the water. They thought something was wrong with me, so I had to be forthright and tell them in very clear language that I should be in the water.

Now. Stop sitting there drinking your coffee. We need to go over there to where the water is. Now. I don't care that you're still in your PJ'S, the kennel is a mess and DJT is about to start WW3. I need to go jump in that water over there. Eventually Mum understood and took me over. I got wet and I was happy.

There is an underlying background noise in this place. It's wierd. No-one seems to notice it but I do. When I'm at the beach I know (now after all these years) it's the sound of the ocean casting a white noise aural sheen as the base upon which all other sounds rise above. At the kennel at home it's the roads and the never ending sound of cars moving about. Here it's the Correllas. All day long they sit in the trees and quietly caw at each other, sometimes in groups (picking on a particular tree) and then it's more noticeable, probably as they're talking over each other as parents seem to do when they get into large groups. Often it's just two of them, maybe working through the nuances of Uncle Harry's petulance for gum nuts. I don't know. I don't speak Galah. However the noise is always there when we are here.

I also heard the sound of a pelican flapping it wings today as it pushed it's way over Dad and I when we were down at the lake having another dip. That's a big bird with a very distinct flapping sound. I'm glad I'm not a bird crazy dog because if I was, this place would be driving me nuts. 

So I herded Mum and Dad into town on their bikes again in the hot late morning sun, it was only a 10 minute run but it really took it out of me. I was quite agitated sitting under the table in the cool shade whilst they consumed their standard machine (that goes fssiiittt, gurgle, gurgle, fssssitt, splutter, splutter, phshhhtt) made caffine hit. They decided to get lunch as a take away upon leaving.

It was just one of those wraps there (picture Mum pointing at the item). 20 minutes later of me standing around Dad being a good dog she got it. Weird, but most likely due to one of the staff leaving her shift just as a few nomads wandered up to order at the same time. Busy place this Meningie. A nice stop on very long roads it seems. We checked out the pub as an option for dinner and Dad said no way as the afternoon sun beating into the outside (dog friendly area) would be horrendous. Good call, it was already 35 and getting warmer. So I herded them back to the kennel with great efficiency and even managed to stop and sniff some interesting posts along the way. They thought they were in control by going ahead, stopping and yelling at me to hurry up, but no - it's me in control here. I'm a kelpie.

It was a heartwarming and relieving sight to see the swag of our incessant verbiage motormouth from last night packed up with the (assumed now empty) esky in the back of our neighbors car. His must've been parked outside the kennel park. Have not heard a peep from them since. They've turned into a standard quiet couple on the road. Strongly suspect they are relieved as well. 

Because we had a day off from being on the road, Dad took us for a drive.... He wanted some slow TV footage, Mum and I wanted to escape the heat, as so agreed to go along. We effectively drove around the Lake (Albert) and did a side step to have a look at the Coorong. Which is what this locale is all about. Between the land and the sea is along strip of sand dunes with water behind it and us behind that.

As it's a no dog zone we had to be careful as there was a ranger station within view of our veiwing point, however I had a good look and was actually pretty keen to get down there. The water looked very clean and tempting (not like the brown muck back at the lake) and there were birds (not my thing as you know) all over it. and the sand dunes beyond...Oooohh lah lah - my kinda playground. Anywoof, not to be. Mum was going on about snakes and Dad was going on about Rangers so we got back in the car and continued to the long (here we go in the car again) drive in order to appease Dad and his adventurous spirit. I did not see, could not see and even if I could I wouldn't have appreciated his fascination in seeing a large flock of pelicans majestically circling a thermal current higher and higher until the ones at the top were small specks in the sky. He would've watched this for hours. We would've killed him if he tried, so an in-effective picture was taken and we moved on. 

The road got boring (great slow TV footage apparently) and then the highlight - yes ! another ferry ! this time we had it all to ourselves and as such got a really good appreciation of how the whole operation works.

The road afterwards was also an interesting drive and Dad was having a great time cruising the roads without being inhibited by the kennel and listening to random music on his playlist.

Back at the kennel park by the lake - second night here and really settling in. It would be really enjoyable to spend a few days here in off season (it's the long weekend so we still have a fully booked situation place with a few large groups making parent based annoyances of themselves).

At sunset the Correllas are corralling themselves just outside of the park..Will they explode into a storm of screeching clouds again tonight? they are raising their voices - what will happen?

The wind was different today. Not the hot northerly being cooled as it traversed the lake but in the west where the ocean was lowering it's viciousness somewhat. Now its dropped off completely and the temperature is almost perfect and yet still has a feeling that it could be a restless night unless a breeze does pick up. I was unsettled. There was group of parents down at the lake where I splash that for some reason has piqued my interest. I was busting to go but Dad had me on his voice leash and so I hung around the kennel as good dogs do.

The Correllas didn't explode. Dad suggested to me that we should ride down there and throw a frisbee at them to see what happens, I said lets go do frisbee later in the dark and now go out for dinner instead. Which is what we did. Walked back to the same attached place as last night. Mum had her heart set on a Vietnamese noodle saladly thing that wasn't on the menu tonight. Tonight was pizza night. Dad could not come to grips with this because Friday night is Pizza night. Always has (since he got his pizza oven) and always will be (unless he's in Italy). Meningie in South Australia on a Sunday night does not cut the mustard. Even if they did put mustard on the pizza. Besides, it was too hot to think about that sort of food. So they had a squidy thing and burgery thing instead and seemed happy with the outcome. Me in the meantime sat around their feet restrained by an actual lead and made eye contact with the plethora of other dogs that had arrived. Kelpies ... thus they knew how to behave and I was showing them how as well.

We walked back through the kennel park with all its fabulously appointed kennels glistening in the sunset, with their little doggy pens keeping their totally untrained and thus always tied up (or seriously contained) dogs yelping in frustration that I should dare walk past them with such nonchalance of being a good dog. Money may buy you a kennel with an inside peeing post, a hot shower, a large screen TV connected via Elon's evil skynet but it won't buy you the freedom of living with a well trained dog.

Dad and I have a pact. Frisbee in the dark in the park - just over there. So we're off.

Pawnote:

With the half moon lighting up the surrounds and glistening off the calm waters of the horizon defining lake and a succulent night breeze wafting through the theater it was a show to behold. The pelicans were safely perched on their stands out off the shores whilst other water birds careened thier cries, echoeing through the stillness. Just me taking it all in with Dad occasionally focusing me with a subtle click of the fingers.

I'd caught enough frisbees to get exhausted and we just then trotted on along the banks of the lake to take in above. When we got back to the kennel it seemed that the world of the parents had all gone to sleep. Yet over in the distance that flock of Correllas was going off. Maybe Uncle Harry had flown back into town with some disturbing news from up Tail M Bend way, or maybe these guys just squabble the whole night long. I don't care because I'm not underneath them. The pelicans don't seem to care either. As the half moon heads towards its demise for the night and the landscape subsequently fades into total darkness I have no idea of what will transpire as I will be snoring asleep on the cool floor of my portable kennel with Mum and Dad snoring in rythym with me.