Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Skander-san's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld 12
or 8 Seconds

Sunday practice is a tough ask. Easter Sunday practice is an even tougher ask. You mean you want me to forego the second longest public holiday break of the year? How does get fucked sound?

So instead I hit the Buchan rodeo. Originally it was meant to tbe the Omeo Rodeo, but things didn't go quite to plan—we didn't make it over Hotham until round 4, and a measly 45 minutes or so didn't quite cut the mustard. But we did miss out on the spectacle of a horse jumping the railings and careering through the crowd. Fun n games eh?

Nothing quite so eventful happened at Buchan. But I did buy myself a new stubbie holder, proudly emblazoned with "Buchan Rodeo" and a buckin' bronc, and got myself a wretched dose of horse-allergy hayfever. Hadn't ever had that trouble before up at Omeo or at Flemington, but well, maybe it has something to do with the venue.

You see, whereas the Omeo Rodeo is situated behind the Omeo football oval—the very same football oval which was the designated safe haven during the Australia Day fires of 2003, the very same football oval that caught fire while under the watchful eye of the DSE on Australia Day 2003, right up the top of town—a good 1500 metres above sea-level and open to the raging, firebringing northerlies and biting snow-laden southerlies, the Buchan Rodeo is in a damp gultch of the mighty East Gippsland forests. With no breeze, no air movement, and a hell of a lot of horse hair and dust hanging in ther air, so thick you could see it. And me sneezing like a trooper. Great fun.

Still, only three blokes in the open bareback bull comp were able to stay on for the required 8 secs, à la Luke Perry, so there wasn't a heap of actual competition in what we saw, or, seen from a different angle, the bulls were winning.

2 comments:

Riza said...

heh heh - glad to hear you had fun at the rodeo... you missed a whale of a time in downtown melbourne

skander said...

curiouser and curiouser riza. Your blog seemed rather cursory...

Got some photos I shall try to add, too.