We are back to reality, just as a married couple now :) Both Al and I have been extremely busy with work....ok, not a good enough reason for neglecting our blog.
What is this "Duck Creek Races" title I hear you ask. Well, this is a horse race held in (or possibly just outside of) a remote New South Wales country town called Nyngan. This also happens to be where Al's work staff party was being held this year. Last Saturday morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at 3:30am to catch a 6am flight from Melbourne to Sydney, followed by a flight to Dubbo, followed by a two hour drive to Nyngan. We then went on to meet up with Al's work colleagues at the races. We soon learnt that due to a few drops of rain and a nervous Nyngan council, the horses had been cancelled. The party at the track however was continuing.
We arrived with many people giggling at Al and his colleague (who is also named Al). Perhaps this was because they were both wearing a beak and duck tail to fit in with "Duck Creek". This attracted the attention of the local Nyngan newspaper reporter who came over with her camera to take a photo of the Al duo. She was particularly delighted to hear that they were from Scotland and Switzerland respectively as this meant that Duck Creek races attracts an international crowd :) Very funny. So, Al is waiting with eager anticipation to see himself in the Nyngan Times...Gazette...Observer...whatever it is called :)
From here, the Als' popularity grew and they were soon approached by the "fashion talent spotters" and asked to join the 'Fashion on the Field Best dressed Gent' competition. Walking the catwalk (or perhaps the hay bales covered with cloth), Al struck many a pose. However, in a tight competition, victory was not to be his.
The party kicked on with a band playing in the back of a truck trailer and a man dressed as a duck riding around on a horse :)
The next day, we left Nyngan and came home (quite tired). Al is already preparing for next years fashion competition with high hopes of taking the title. Here's hoping that next time, we have some horse races to bet on too :)
