How to Gut a Goanna

This is Martha, my friend, showing her grand-daughter (who is my classificatory sister Nungarrayi) how to use sand to keep the gut dry enough to gently work it out of the goanna's arsehole without having to cut it. It's really ingenious, as most traditional things are.

It has been a little cooler for the last two days, very lovely. I even had to put another sheet over me last night! It has been so hot here, 42 most days, the hottest and driest February on record - but maybe it will stay below that from here on.

We went out hunting gathering and swimming on Saturday and came home in the rain! real rain, big fat drops of it splatting on the windscreen - of course its all gone now but it was great to get some of God's own aircon. The power went off in the middle of the night which meant my fan went off which meant I got really hot so I went outside and slept naked in the hammock under the almost full moon (well actually under the verandah roof). That was such a treat because usually there are people still up when I go to sleep and if I want to walk naked I am on show because my house has no curtains. Swimming was incredible too - there is a beautiful creek with water all year round that's about 40k away. I'd never been there before because there was a dead cow in it for ages but it is heaven, absolute heaven - and I'd like to camp there soon. The old van would get bogged in the sandy creek crossing on the way so I will have to take a work vehicle - but we have a troopy for a month so if I can persuade some of the women we can have a group adventure. They won't go anywhere overnight on their own, without men - for fear of male spirits coming and getting them in the night (good ol patriarchy out here too) - so we may have to enlist a few sons and nephews for protection. This week has been very hectic and busy, trying to stay on top of paperwork and still get out and about in the troopy. Tomorrow we head off to Mt Liebig, which is only about 75k but it's reportedly a rough road and I have never been there before. There are also reportedly big Yininti trees on the way and we may score some of the elusive white and yellow beans. I was hoping to check out the Aged Care centre there but the co-ordinator is taking people into Alice for a funeral. And I am taking people to Mt Liebig for a funeral......We are also on an expedition to Alice on Friday - the oldies will shop and g0 to the football and I will hang out and play music with Fred and Elliott ...and just play with Daimon ...after the gang has gone back to Papunya.

All the busyness at work is starting to bear fruit, and there is a small group of young women enrolled to learn gardening with a very enthusiastic young teacher from Charles Darwin Uni - so our bush Tucker garden will be bearing real fruit too. I am trying to raise funds for a fence which is fairly essential to such a project and Steve may come out here next week to draw up a water grant submission so we can have rainwater for drinking and for starting young seedlings. I have sent off applications to Indigenous Community Volunteers (check out the link) for people to help train up hairdressing, art & craft and gardening skills - so if anyone is even remotely interested to come out here for a month or two - definitely check out the link and let me know. It is amazing out here, even if you don't want to learn how to gut a goanna and Nimbin-experienced people would be great.

This is the view of the road where I walk every morning - and this is the view of my arm...but don't let it put you off, the flies disappear when it gets cooler...