Down The Mountain

I live in the mountains of South East Queensland and a friend asked me to transport his horses to a polo instruction camp.

My grandson Joeseph came with me and we picked up the horses in the dark with much excitement at 3.30 am in the morning for a four year old who was feeling so important...Grandma, do you want this bridle, I will shut the gates if you help me etc etc

Off we went on a dark and gloomy morning and arriving in Toowoomba before the steep descent down the mountain the fog and rain came down.  I had to use the main Range Crossing due to the large trailer I was pulling and the full load of horses.  At this hour of the morning all the semi trailers are going down the mountain to beat the normal traffic.  I could hardly see two feet in front of the windscreen and had the vehicle in low range gear to take the descent and a little box car came roaring down the mountain weaving through the two lanes of traffic full of semis...I had just indicated to pull out into the outer lane as the semi in front of me had a huge load and was in very low gear and this little car had gone around me into the inner lane and as I pulled out drove over in front of me...I had no option but to pull back in behind the semi or hit the sedan.  I had gathered a little pace to pass the semi so had to lock up the brakes and opted to run into the back of the semi or take this little car over the cliff.  My vehicle did a bit of fishtailing and squealing with all brakes locked on the trailer and the SUV and luckily for me have the safety brakes installed where the computer takes over as to the locking and unlocking and managed not to hit anything but I guess that little car sailed on its merry way in the rain and fog dodging semis oblivious, an accident waiting to happen.


In the mean time Matt whose horses I was transporting was calling me up on the two way to see how I was faring and because of all the traffic on the two way mainly truckies swearing mightily did not acknowledge and by the time I arrived at the bottom of the range at the arranged rendezvous every man and his dog was looking for me oh well.......

The grooms uniform and his grooms were young, blonde, bronzed, bare, and beautiful.

An uneventful trip down unloaded the horses and watched a few chukkas and thought I would share with you the grooms one of these polo boys employed.  I asked Matt did he think I should apply for a job and he too quickly told me NO I would not make it....well....just because I am no longer, young, bronzed, blonde and beautiful!!

Joseph taking photographs and he took some good shots.

Joseph took this photo

The expert!!

Arrived back home and where I had picked up the ponies a koala had climbed the tree probably cut short his nocturnal wandering by the early loading at the yards and he was in a tree at the yards.

Go away he said.....