In the month that I have been living in the middle of the bush in the high country I have not seen any of the thousands of deadly snakes that are in this area until stepping out the kitchen door of the bed and breakfast we stay at on our two day luxury rides. It was what Sarah simply called a black snake and of course it is highly venomous. He was right beside the door mat and disappeared almost immediately into the bushes next to the door. Finally, after all my running, hiking, and riding on the trails way up in the bush I almost step on a deadly snake right outside the kitchen door. I notified Sarah the innkeeper who promptly arrived at the scene clad in garden clogs, shorts, a baseball cap and her ever present cheerful smile. She was armed with two shovels and was spunky as ever but I knew she meant business. I smiled back and pointed to the hideout of the unwelcome guest and went on with my business, which that night included cooking, yes that is right- me- cooking.

    Out of a recent determination to improve upon my cooking skills, and at the expense of our last few groups of guests, I have insisted on taking over cooking on our over night rides. I have learned that it is almost impossible to screw up anything cooked Aussie style on the barbie while drinking a few glasses of wine and being surrounded by guests who keep a watchful eye on my progress, perhaps sneaking in a flip or two or accidentally turning a burner off while my attention is focused elsewhere. Miraculously, all my meals have been quite edible and are improving every week.

    We end our two day luxury ride at Kinloch Winery, and after some refreshing wine tasting and some very welcome lunch we finish the ride back to the stables rosy cheeked and in good spirits. After saying our good byes to the guests we untack the horses, wash them down, and head home. After two days riding through the muggy heat I get back to the lodge, open the fridge, grab a beer and plop on the couch and reflect on my day. I am cooking just about all my meals on the barbie with a beer in hand, greeting people with ‘g’day’ or ‘how ya goin,’’ thanking people with ‘ta’ or ‘cheers’ and grabbing a much needed beer at the end of the day and realize I am turning into an Aussie.