A bride a groom and.......................... the cows!

     I live in a rural area just outside of Macksville and for the point of clarity usually describe where I live as Macksville, that is unless I am talking to a local when I reply Welsh's Creek. Welsh's creek is a beautiful part of the Nambucca Valley that consists of Welsh's Creek road, Welsh's creek and well, lots of people called Welsh. It is still farming country with lots of larger original holdings interspersed with smaller properties and some residential sized blocks. I am not a local as I have only lived here 11 years and will never be considered a local, not even if I marry into one of the valley families. That brings me to the point of this story.

   A few days before Easter I noticed a rather better than usual mowing job had been performed at the site of the old church that used to be located on one of the Welsh's properties right beside Welsh's Creek. I assumed there was a planned Welsh family reunion over Easter. I forget that the daughter of one of my friends (a Sanger before marriage) was to marry one of the Welsh boys. A merging of two valley families that needed a significant place for such an occassion to be held.

Talarm church now located at the Pub with no beer - Taylors Arm

     I am not sure if the ground is still consecrated, however as it was a civil union that doesn't really matter. The weather was stunning, the location very green from lots of recent rainfall and the afternoon light was a photographers dream (well so my daughter a semi professional photographer tells me). But what was missing was the cows that normally live in that paddock. I assume that whoever did the mowing paid special attention to removing all the cow pats from the site. I am not sure when the cows were actually moved or if they were just relocated to the other side of the paddock.

    Now cows being cows they tend to be very inquisitive, curious animals that want to know what is going on. I mean it must be pretty boring just hanging around in the same paddock day after day chewing on endless mouthfuls of grass. This is real farmland in this valley and we live in the middle of the animals and you normally drive through paddocks spotted with stock to get to the homes.  Most of us have a small yard around our houses and sheds to prevent the stock from getting into them. Zena our horse and Wednesday the bucket raised cow would happily come and stick their heads inside the front door if they had half a chance. Any of the alpacas would be just as happy sitting in the lounge room as sheltering in a shed in bad weather.

A newborn alpaca and mum

 

Zena taken back in 2005 during a drought



  I imagine the conversation went something like this............

"Hey buttercup have you seen all the fuss over there this afternoon? Looks like we got kicked out of the best paddock for the humans to come in and stand around on our best grass" muttered Daisy.

"Yep noticed all those noisy steel things they call cars driving up. What are those weird things they are holding up and putting to their lips?" answered Buttercup with a mouth full of cud.

"Stupid cow you are Daisy, those are cups and they need them to hold the liquid they drink in. They are not clever like us who can just wander over to the river and lean down to drink! But just watch them have fun walking on those pointy things on their feet when they have drunk a few cups" laughed Buttercup,

"Hey look mum at that pretty lady in the big white dress" yelled Dozer as he came bolting over with all four legs flying in different directions.

He's called dozer cause he keeps on knocking down the fence, and is soon to be renamed Freezer or t-bone. These are famers we are talking about remember. 

"Yes darling she is the bride and the man in the nice suit next to her is the groom, but you would remember him as that kid who used to come chase us on the ATV when he wanted us to move.  Brad and Shaunna are getting married today and wanted to do it where the old church used to stand on Brad's dad's place, cause it was where Brad's mum and dad got married." answered his mum, Buttercup.

"Hey buttercup would I look good in those pants that lady over there is wearing?" pondered Daisy.

"Oh Daisy you silly old cow your udder is far too big to fit into those pants!" replied Buttercup in a catty voice.She was cranky because Daisy always got judged best udder at the local show.



"Nasty old cow you are buttercup, McDonalds will be coming soon to turn you into hamburger mince" smirked Daisy having the last laugh as that is the worse insult in cow language.

      Well the wedding went off without a hitch, the happy couple are off on their honeymoon, the chairs have gone back, the paddock is full of cows once again and life in sleepy Welsh's Creek is getting back to normal after all the excitement. Just as it should be says the cows who are enjoying the lush grass that is now growing as a result of the close mowing. Much better than the slashing the farmer normally does over the old church site.