Lin's been talking to a few of the people round here and it seems the best way to find Sapphires is to grab a shovel, get out there and dig em up yer self and the best place to go and dig is ether Little Bessy or Reward. Sounds easy don't it ? but no bugger can seem to be able to give clear directions on how to get there. Anyway, Lin wants to go digging, well, not dig herself, Lin wants John to go digging, so on the bike and its hi ho, hi ho, up hill and down dale we go. We pop into the general store for directions and get a little more than a garbled, round here and down there. We drive miles down a dirt track and end up in someones front garden, great, spin her round and have another go, this time we drive for miles down another dirt track and end up in someone else's garden. Lin gets off the bike so I can do a nine point turn, I suddenly hear, 'quick John, Hurry up, quick'. I look round and theres a herd of cows coming to check out what the bikers are up to. Now the horns on these things are pretty big and Lin's dancing on the spot, so the nine point turn quickly becomes seven. "OK luv, on yer get, Oh, you are on!'. Now the cows see us on the bike and must figure times running out and start trotting. If you've ever seen a cow coming at you quite fast, you'd know what feels like and these buggers weren't hanging round, dirt track or not, neither were we, dust and dirt everywhere and we're gone. Oh what fun!, still, no ones called the Police yet and the cows have given up, so I think we're good. We drive up and down dirt tracks for another hour or so, when we pass a bit of common land, sod it that'll do and its off the bike, spade in one hand and shopping bag in another. OK, we've got our dirt, now all we gotta do is wash and sieve it, then we'll be rich, but just in case, Lin wants to buy a bag mine sweepings, just to be sure, so in no time, I've got a forty pound bag of dirt in one pannier and a five pound bag of mine sweepings in the other and its time for lunch, so off we trot to the pub at Anaeki, about ten k away. When we get there, it appears the kitchens broke and their not doing meals at the moment, but highly recommend the pub in Ruby Vale, typical, so its back the way we came, another sixteen k. I cant say the bikes handling to well at the moment, seems it likes the left hand corners just fine, right hand, not so much. I've got an idea it might just have something to do with forty pound of dirt. We finally get to Ruby vale, find the pub and order our lunch, they give us a numbered paddle, we find a table and wait... and we wait... and we wait. After an hour, we ain't happy, if I wasn't sodding hungry when we walked in, I bloody well am now, so we return to the bar, voice our displeasure and get our money back. So its back to the tent were Lin russle's up beefburgers and potato stuff, which all hits the spot nicely.
Now full, attention turns to the riches that could be lurking on the bike. Lin set up her table for her bag mine sweepings (all she needs now is an eye glass) and the guy next to us, recons the bag of dirt should get the full treatment and drags me over to where he's got a full set up, so I spend the next forty five minutes sieving, washing and sorting and what do I come up with ?????????....
bugger all.......... Still, theres still Lin with her sweepings, so hope lives. "find anything love"??? "Na, its just sweepings" well now that's a surprise.Oh well, maybe we'll strike it lucky tomorrow
Here come the piccies....
More Digging....he must of had a flippin big spade...
Down and into Sapphire again..
The hole John took his bag of dirt from..... (say no more!!!!)
Now where else shall we dig ?? is this little Bessie??? not sure...
Before the piccie, heres a little knowledge. Sapphire is called Sapphire cuz there is (well used to be a lot more) sapphires here. The next village is called Rubyvale, (nope, no Rubys !!!! lol) , someone, (well ome of the early settlers) found some red stones and convinced it was 'Rubys', they started to mine and the town was named Rubyvale..... they (the rubys) turned out to be Garnets... and theres none left now, but they kept the name... and Emerald.....well that started out being called 'Policemans Creek', but the early Irish settlers saw it as green and lush like home, so they renamed it 'Emerald' (no emeralds, so don't fooled..hahahaha). Now if you are wondering where I learnt all this...... I got it from an old Irish guy who passed us (giggling a way he was....) as we were digging on common ground for our fortune " 'found anything?", he called from his 4x4 as he laughed, he could barley contain his amusement.......lol.... He then told us in his lovely strong Irish accent.." Darlin, you have more chance of finding a hens tooth than Sapphires, you are about 20 years too late".. We stayed chatting with him at the roadside for about an hour and he sure educated us.....so we are now looking for Hens teeth....bless him, hahahahahaha
and here we dug!!! (well as he said John dug and I supervised!!!!!)
Ummmm think they got there first!!!!!
Maybe here??? and be sure this ground is bloody well rock hard!!!!!
More mines all set up...
Pretty flowers too....
So thats all the piccies for today folks.......oh and by the way... Pinch, punch first of the month....
Love to all, we miss you and wish you were all here....!!!!!! (yeah right lol........)
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