Pearl needed to be delivered to Southbrook for insemination as her last scan showed she was close in her cycle and it was engines on to get her there in time. I thought to myself so many times during this trip that we should have never have left the driveway…. but in the end this horrid day saved us from an entirely different disaster so you never can tell ……..enjoy

Raining

Got to Helidon Tick sprayer facility at 8am sharp all was going well

Raining

Horse got a scare walked backwards out of the truck whilst loading after the spray – 800kg mare falls over the back tail gate, grazes shoulder, snaps halter in two, no spare

Raining

Bailing twine to the rescue – constructed a new side for the halter, serviceable at least, got it back on the horse and reloaded after 15 mins of convincing mare the scary monster was gone

Raining

On the road again pelting down, wash aways over the highway at Helidon, Withcott

Raining

Driver side wiper packed in and wiped itself off line…. passenger side working fine (of course) fogged windscreen and unknown rust spot in the roof of cab starts dripping onto me head

Raining

Ignoring the blurry windscreen, husband half naked trying to wipe glass with T shirt to alleviate now fogging glass, rising panic and dripping is now dribble

Raining – water dribble

Range looking very very scary and a few hill sides slowly oozing and surprised we got through (apparently closed just after we passed)

Raining – husband wipes windscreen, water dribbling, panic now moving into hyper status driving half blind

Flash flooding over a foot deep in various places along James St and Anzac Avenue, passed stranded vehicles, got around the woman that freaked out and just stopped her car in the intersection

Raining – husband wipes windscreen, water dribbling, bile in the mouth panic

Truck brakes get saturated after idiot speeds through 1/2 m wash away in 4WD, start hyperventilating about jack knifing the truck and kill everyone, husband trying to keep me calm

Raining – windscreen wipe, water dribble, bile in the mouth, trauma rising, brakes not working

Make it through the other side of Toowoomba wide eyed and alive!

Spitting – windscreen fogging eases, husband puts wet T shirt back on, water less dripping and panic subsiding

Pull into servo for fuel, electricity is out, no pumps, no toilets, decide to push on and get horse delivered and come back see if pumps working after

Misty – dripping has ceased on my head, windscreen clear, low fuel, brakes still jittery

Rest of drive on New England Hwy uneventful apart from brakes

Sunny on reaching the water drenched breeder facility, successfully navigated the truck through flash creeks and unloaded the horse

Horse left at the breeder, drive back to Gatton commenced

Raining (would you believe from the moment we start the truck)

New England wash aways now receding, need fuel, started to worry how brakes will perform down range

Raining – servo chockers with stranded truckies who advise no rush, range closed and traffic is backing up, still no toilets or pumps

Lunch – nothing else to do, call work will be late, hope brakes dry out

Raining

Eating

Raining

New bunch of truckies come in from Pittsworth side – down range open 1 lane, up still closed landslides, truckies say will be an hour before back load of traffic will clear

Spitting – toilets opened still no fuel pumps working

Wanting to sleep after earlier adrenalin expenditure – can’t, call work not going to make it

Misty and decide to move out and take chances with the traffic, risk of death by boredom, low fuel, brakes not dry

On the road again…. Toowoomba flash flooding gone

Raining – dripping on head starts again, fogging – off with the shirt, wipe windscreen, breaks make alarming grinding noise when used

Get to the top of the range, wave in Centrelink direction, road still one lane but landslide clearing just about completed reach the bottom SIGH of relief, low fuel, brakes now dry after prolonged use

Can’t get truck into Withcott servo – scary discussion on how far 1/8 tank will get need to make it to Gatton bypass

Spitting – dripping slows, shirt back on – Warrego Hwy fine except for MASSIVE potholes, just make it to BP on empty for 5km, refuel and sun comes out

Decide to see if Gatton service mechanic can fix wiper now as an emergency – don’t be silly, need to take out the dash too busy next week earliest

Raining – foggy windscreen, home is at least just 10 minutes away and the brakes work

Home

BOGGED TRUCK up to the axles in water drenched driveway, collected handbag, locked truck and went and had a shower….. Husband left to call for help