Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Ferals on the Farm
    Ferals on the Farm
    Ferals on the Farm
    Ebook88 pages1 hour

    Ferals on the Farm

    By Lindsay Laurie

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    ‘ferals on the farm’ is a collection of stories written as poetry through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boys’ experiences with his family, relations, and friends. the poems reflect from humorous to sad times that occur with the running of a small family farm.

    alan, the writer, is twelve years old and has a twin brother ronald. his older brother johnny is seventeen years old and has left school to work on farms around the district as well as working for his keep at home. bruce is alans’ little brother, just three years old and often learns the hard way in a few of life’s experiences.

    dad is the butt of many problems that arise because he classes himself as head of the family, and, as head of the family the responsibility ends with dad although when there becomes a complicated problem that dad classes as a ‘thorn in the foot’, he is only too willing to hand the problem across to mum who sums up, then decides whether her help is necessary.

    the characters seem to have endless problems, too many for one typical family; however each of the poems is an occurrence i have heard and laughed about. maybe you, the reader have also encountered one or two of these experiences.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLindsay Laurie
    Release dateDec 22, 2012
    ISBN9781301419722
    Ferals on the Farm
    Author

    Lindsay Laurie

    Born in the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne in 1946 and as a child I lived at Deer Park before my family moved to Longwarry in West Gippsland. I have one brother who was born at the Warragul Hospital in 1948. For forty-five years I lived at Longwarry, being educated at the Longwarry State School and the Drouin High School. I left school at sixteen and for thirty years worked in the dairy industry at Longwarry Milk Factory, employed by four company’s working as a butter maker, dryer operator and at times either a cream room or milk room operator. I never moved but the companies did. For four tomato seasons I worked for White Crow as an evaporator operator. Ill health with a muscle wasting disease forced me to retire eventually. My sporting interests have always been Australian Rules football, Cricket and playing Basketball. I played all my football and cricket for Longwarry, but played basketball for a number of clubs. My hobbies over the years have ranged from keeping aviary birds, especially finches, growing native fruit plants as well as attempting to grow everything I could from either seed or cuttings. I am one of the founding members of the modern and very successful Longwarry fishing club that in it’s first three years won a number of state trophies. My preference was river fishing for either blackfish or the Gippsland freshwater crayfish. I have been married twice. My first marriage failed after seven years and from that marriage I have three children, Karen, Janet and Brad. My second marriage with Joy has seen a long and happy period of thirty-two years. We have three children, Teresa, Glenn and Megan, plus nine grand children, and a tenth grand child due. I also keep in constant touch with my brother Ron, who lives in Melbourne. He is a constant source of information toward my writing. From 1993 until 2010 I lived in Irymple Victoria, and today, I am back in my home town Longwarry in Gippsland and because of my disability, I spend most of my time writing about the people in my life, and of course as you will read, fictional people who I do not wish to have in my life through this Creek family. November 1 2012 Lindsay Laurie.

    Read more from Lindsay Laurie

    Related to Ferals on the Farm

    Related ebooks

    Poetry For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      “Really?”

      Jun 2, 2022

      “Really?”
      6 min read

    • Article

      Nugrybauti

      Apr 24, 2019

      Nugrybauti
      8 min read

    • Article

      Gone In 55 Seconds

      Jul 29, 2021

      Gone In 55 Seconds
      4 min read

    • Article

      Rag Doll

      May 3, 2018

      Rag Doll
      11 min read

    • Article

      Knocking Up A Fence

      Feb 16, 2022

      Knocking Up A Fence
      3 min read

    • Article

      Pet Rescue!

      Aug 6, 2020

      Pet Rescue!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Someone To Watch OVER ME

      Jun 15, 2022

      Someone To Watch OVER ME
      9 min read

    • Article

      Harde Manne

      Nov 18, 2022

      Harde Manne
      6 min read

    • Article

      Smile through THE SADNESS

      Nov 26, 2020

      Driving past an old pub in a Gloucestershire village, Dad caught my eye in the rear-view mirror. ‘That’s a haunted pub, there, Becki,’ he told me. ‘Cavaliers haunt this place. It was a royalist stronghold in the civil war…’ As he talked, I listened,

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Joke

      Sep 1, 2020

      Although best known for his 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury was also a prolific writer of short stories, having published his first while still a teenager. This previously unpublished story likely dates to 1950, the year The Martian Chronicle

      5 min read

    • Article

      Chicken Run

      Dec 15, 2019

      Chicken Run
      3 min read

    • Article

      THE DUKE OF Edinbrough Hotel

      Nov 13, 2019

      THE DUKE OF Edinbrough Hotel
      6 min read

    • Article

      A mouse BURNT DOWN OUR HOUSE

      Jul 14, 2021

      Rebekah Ward, 33, Gwabegar, NSW Relaxing on the lounge, I was looking forward to unwinding after a hard day at work. It was January this year and, after cooking dinner for my husband, James, 33, and three boys, John, 12, Charlie, nine, and Oliver,

      3 min read

    • Article

      Screams In the Night

      Jul 21, 2022

      Screams In the Night
      6 min read

    • Article

      Totally Quackers

      Jul 13, 2023

      Totally Quackers
      4 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Lie, Frog Eye

      Apr 5, 2022

      Don’t Lie, Frog Eye
      4 min read

    • Article

      Purrpurr-fect crime

      Jan 27, 2022

      Purrpurr-fect crime
      5 min read

    • Article

      Nuts About You!

      Jun 11, 2020

      Nuts About You!
      3 min read

    • Article

      There Goes the Neighborhood

      May 1, 2024

      There Goes the Neighborhood
      5 min read

    • Article

      Swisher Sweets

      May 1, 2022

      Swisher Sweets
      17 min read

    • Article

      The PROMISE

      Sep 8, 2021

      The PROMISE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Right Dead Fred

      Dec 24, 2019

      Right Dead Fred
      4 min read

    • Article

      Noises In The NIGHT

      Aug 18, 2021

      Noises In The NIGHT
      3 min read

    • Article

      Life After Death

      May 27, 2022

      Life After Death
      14 min read

    • Article

      Faceleessevil

      Mar 16, 2021

      Faceleessevil
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Ferals on the Farm

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Ferals on the Farm - Lindsay Laurie

      FERALS ON THE FARM

      A SELECTION OF POEMS BASED ON FARM LIFE

      by

      Lindsay Laurie

      Through the eyes of a twelve year old boys’ experiences growing up on his family farm.

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Lindsay Laurie on Smashwords

      Ferals on the Farm

      © Lindsay Laurie December 2012

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      CONTENTS:

      Tussock Burn-off Disaster

      Bird Scarer

      City Cousins

      Annual Fair Preparation

      The Stray Dog

      Hawkins Ale

      Unlucky Shot

      Phantom Snake Bite

      Alternative Education

      We Didn’t Know

      Yearling Beef

      Jess

      Brucey’s Christening

      The Caterpillar Plague

      Upstairs Residents

      Alias Bill and Bob

      Ronny’s Ferret

      Tiddles

      Summers Eve

      Breakfast Time in Mum’s Domain

      Gran’pas Tricks

      Ron’s Calf; Billy

      The Seasons

      The Golden Bore

      The End

      ******

      *****---THE TUSSOCK BURN-OFF DISASTER---*****

      All we wanted to do was help. We had been warned about fire many times, but then again you can’t tell a kid the fire is hot. Sometimes a disaster occurs and for the betterment of some (in this case) the truth is better kept a secret.

      Dad mentioned at the table, about tussocks taking over.

      If they were burnt that patch of ground, would soon turn to clover.

      After lunch we followed Dad, where the tussock problem’s dire.

      The ‘Old Man’ spoke to Ron and me, ‘bout danger’s in a fire.

      When Dad lit the tussocks, flames leapt and crackled to the sky,

      surrounds of grass did catch alight, and sparks of ash did fly.

      We thought that we should help him, with his burning off desire,

      but tussocks that we set alight left Dad encircled by the fire.

      In amongst the smoke and flame, we heard him rage and roar.

      What did I tell you bloody kids, ‘bout lighting fires before?

      We stared as he made a running dash, through the flaming walls,

      then slap the smouldering blackened holes, now in his overalls.

      He’s screaming out ‘blue murder’; we heard the words Come here!

      Fear became defiance; his boot was swinging at our rear.

      The ‘Old Man’ would have killed us, if he’d caught us that day,

      so we hid up in the hayshed, to keep out of his way.

      We knew Dad’s temper well, and given time then he’ll calm down.

      We waited in the hayshed, ‘til he’d burnt the tussock ground…

      then brother John strolled to the hayshed, stopped and looked around.

      And we wondered what he’s up to, so we watched without a sound.

      John shimmied up and found a spot, well hidden out of sight,

      not knowing we were watching, with his cigarette alight.

      If Mum and Dad found out he’s smoking, they’d soon ring his neck.

      When we let John know we knew, he became our blackmail cheque.

      But John bragged he’s working now, so he even can get full;

      he works as hard as any man, and he’s quite responsible.

      We listened to his spruiking, and he’s right with what he said,

      and we believed that John’s a man, when leaving that hayshed.

      At tea that night around the table, words from us all were few.

      Mum asked What’s wrong with you boys?… Dad reckoned that he knew.

      He told Mum about the fire, how we damn near got him fried,

      then suddenly his mouth dropped, and his eyes stared open wide.

      I turned around… and through the window, was this enormous glow,

      the hayshed was on fire and the ‘Old Man’ screamed Oh No!

      Ring the fire brigade, he shouted… neighbours soon were on their way.

      We followed Dad down to the shed, but too late to save the hay.

      Smouldering hay was scattered; water made it hiss and steam,

      an inquest was being held, the ‘Old Man’ said that it did seem

      ash must have drifted with the wind; a million to one chance.

      John standing in amongst the men, nodded with agree-ance.

      But when John’s eyes met mine, and he seen my little smirk,

      he knew no amount of threats, were ever going to work…

      we were happy with our footy and a new bell for our bike,

      and ‘course knowing we can say to John, just anything we like.

      ******

      *****---BIRD SCARER---*****

      Mum hated unnecessary death but at times found it hard to control the lust of John. During the fruit-ripening season she used many methods in attempts to control bird pests mostly without success. John was always scheming toward a final solution.

      Not often do we hear our Mum, shout out crude swearing words,

      but when the fruits in season, she does get nasty with the birds.

      Tying foil amongst some plastic bags, to rustle in the breeze,

      that for a few short ripening days, keep the birds out of the trees.

      John frowned at Mum and said to her, "You’re killing off my fun.

      Last year you made me go down there, and shoot ‘em with my slug gun."

      Mum

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1