Sail in the New Year

How to stay warm with Rat and Ben Ciderrrrrrrr

Lucky

I'm a pretty lucky fella. My whole family came over to visit me in October. I took this photograph of my Dad on the first of November just after Midday in Vondelpark in Amsterdam. I love my family a tonne . We're all best mates. I remember my great grandmother telling me as a kid when I was little and annoyed at my folks over something silly " You're parents are your best friends" She was a special lady and as a kid I probably just though yeah yeah. Her husband died in WW1. She raised her 3 daughters on her own and outlived 2 of them including my grandmother who I never got to meet (My Dad mother). Not sure if everyone has been lucky enough to have someone like her in their lives, but she had the ability to bring everyone togeather. Everyone loved her company and I often found myself at family christmas get togeathers wanting to spend time with her as a kid instead of playing with my cousins.

She was always positive and selfless with her thoughts and time. A bit of a worrier, but you can't be all perfect.She lived to be 104

She had a pet Budgie when me and my brother were kids that used to great us by name whenever we visited her. "Hello James" the little bird used to say. I've always had a close relationship with animals and had a great understanding of animals personalities. I was once going to be a vet and work out bush, but I decided on a different path and became a music photographer.

We raised a Kangaroo that became part of the family, kinda like a dopey brother. He used to wrestle with us, yep kangaroo's go through puberty and suddenly want to wrestle, watch TV on the couch, come swimming down in the river (you're probably thinking huh? and yes kangaroo's can swim). I actually named him after Astro boy's pet dog Jumpy as it seemed to work for a kangaroo too, haha. I tamed a feral cat, another cat used to hunt and bring me food (baby rabbits) as I used to feed him rabbits that I'd hunted. I had 2 horses and used to ride without a saddle and sometimes ride to school. The first horse Silver was a scruffy old fella and very cheeky. The first time I got on him he darted straight for the trees and tried anyway he could to get me off, he didn't succeed and we became good mates. I think I was 8 or 9 years old then. Sometimes when I rode across the river on him he'd roll over, dunk me in the water and wait on the other side. I always laughed and eventhough horses don't really laugh like humans I knew he was.

When I saw Avatar the first time and saw the link between the flying beasts (can't remember what they were called?) and the native's I found myself having goosebumps and tears in my eyes as the link with a horse is very similar, not physically connected like in the film, but there were times when I was on Silver mustering cattle and he new exactly what to do. To try and explain this better I'll tell you of a true story.

My best friend lived on a dairy farm with his family. We lived across the river on 20 000 acres that was owned by the Electricity commision. The land was agisted out to beef cattle farmers. Once the dairy cattle from my mates property broke through a fence, got across the river and deep into the property totally mixed with the beef cattle. The beef and dairy cattle look very similar except for different markings on their coats. So I was helping my friends muster their dairy cattle to get them back across the river to their farm.

We'd been out about 6 or so hours and got to a spot where the beef and dairy cattle were totally mixed up. I was on the top of a hill with Silver and could see a zig zag line through the cattle that would seperate them. I stopped for a minute and spoke to Silver (of course he didn't understand english) he was totally alert, relaxed and looking at the cattle. I gave him a little nudge with my heals when I thought we were both ready and we galloped off into the middle of the herd. Without me leading him he split the two herds of cattle perfectly through this complicated zig zag line. He knew exactly what I wanted to do.

The connection portrayed in Avatar was very close to what it was like with my horse. After I saw the film I thought about how lucky I was to be able to grow up out bush.


Trusty Jumpy hanging with my Ma and her friend June. Photo taken around Christmas 1985. I think when my Mum was the same age as I am now