Pearl’s 16 day scan is positive (official confirmation scan due 11/12) so she and Rebel were booked on transport home the following week, little did we know then the rains were going to almost sweep us away.  Despite the flooding and damage Pearl and Rebel, having spent an extra night in Caboolture whilst our flooded road subsided, finally arrived home last Friday to very boggy paddocks and large wash aways.

Late on the Wednesday night I watched anxiously as the house was buffeted by howling winds and sheets of water.  Dale was out of phone range and I knew he’d be fighting his way through localised flooding along the Warrego if it was this bad at home.  The water levels rose dramatically in the course of an hour, pouring through the garden bed walls and paths like a long weir wall and I was sure it would reach the floor boards before too long. This huge amount of water was rushing from the paddocks above us, sweeping under the house,  through the poultry runs and down to the dam and flooded road below.  Dale managed to call through hours after he was due home to say he’d been struggling with flooding, road wash aways, debris flying about and SES re-directing traffic.  He’d managed to get through to the back neighbours property before their road closed (much to their surprise at 2.30am in the morning) and was currently hiking back through the flooded paddocks.  With the water level holding I met Dale at the top boundary with torches so that we could do a quick check of the birds and horses on the way back.

Thursday morning brought an amazing sight, the paddocks and road ways around us were flooded, as were the neighbours and the toads were deafening with their raucous calls.  The poultry wanted out to start scratching through the new pickings and the little’s were fine.  But Pearl and Rebel weren’t going to get through that muck floating down the road nor were we going to be able to get out for work either.

Sadly through the day we heard that our neighbour’s wife had died when their car was engulfed by the flooded creek and that another was caught in their caravan.  The flooding had been far worse for others in the street.  We were lucky, minimal damage and we had power so we could get on with the clean up and call the transporter to delay Pearl’s delivery.

Friday the road was clear and at 9.30am Pearl and Rebel were finally home.  Within minutes of being home they had ploughed great hoof prints into the soft earth galloping about. The littles were curious as always (there might be food) and soon the herd was settled into their familiar pattern…it was as if they had never left.

It is so nice to have everyone home and even more exciting to think a new foal is due September 2009.  We will need to find a good trainer in our area for Rebel soon and getting ourselves ready for showing at Gatton and Brisbane next year is daunting, but fun all the same.