We journeyed up to the north coast today for a drive to the beach, headed back late and had two ways to come home. One way involved peak hour traffic, the other a nice country drive. We took the country drive, and would have been home before dusk, well before our wee Macropod brethren decided to sit in the middle of a dark country byway. Listening to a talking book, enjoying the drive the trip went beautifully. Then a severe traffic accident on our quiet country road delayed us for about half an hour. The word from the police came up the line, the road would be closed for two more hours. So after a big looping detour we were on track. It’s all about timing. A kilometre from home, around a slight bend and there he sat. Right in the middle of the road. It’s never good to hit a creature with your car. There are no winners. So I thought I would do an impromptu little piece of rubbish poetry to vent my feelings.
SKIPPY’S REVENGE.
When driving home in gloomy dark,
listening to comedy for a lark
the headlights show in outlines stark.
A startled kangaroo.
Twas no beast of large dimension
it tarried, giving no intention,
some cursing issued, I will not mention.
We hit the blasted thing.
Not far from home, the poor thing died.
I sat behind the wheel and cried
Oh no, the engine I have fried.
Crikey what will we do.
The Kangaroo, I’m ‘fraid is gone,
We’ve already hit another one,
Then, very little damage done.
We’re bloody lucky.
Before we travel on too far,
I’m going to fit a big Roo bar
to save my poor little car.
From damage.
So there you have my tale of woe,
off to the garage I will go,
the car may even need a tow.
Bugger.
Very sad for the roo
and for you
too
😦
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Yeah sad for the roo, even sadder for me. 😦
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Sorry to hear about the Roo and the damage to your car, Laurie. Very sad 😦
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The roo has gone to wherever suicidal roos go. At this stage if the insurance doesn’t pay up we’re out $2,000. 😦
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A clever little ditty indeed. I’m so sorry your trip was fraught with difficulty and sadness. Blessings, Natalie 🙂
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Thanks Natalie, I’m full of them. 🙂
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The dreaded Kangawallafox! Curse of the motor car grille and the sump of the auto transmission! And depending on the car, the steering gear! I think that while driving around this country, I have (unintentionally) managed to collect at least one of most things, except the buffalo, camels and donkeys. But all the others have been drawn to the bull-bar on the front of my wagons from time to time… Not a pretty sight, but fortunately, only a few haven’t survived…. It’s not nice and can be incredibly dangerous…
Glad you are both OK… Modern cars are not made for bouncing roos off!
Cheers,
Ray
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They’re definitely not Ray, I may have to invest in one of those devices for scaring roos. Thanks Mate.
Cheers
Laurie.
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preciosa poesia, un poco triste. saludos y feliz miercoles
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Gracias Chari, sí, fue muy triste para el canguro. 😦
Laurie
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OKay I’m officially pissed off with WP – or my computer or both… this is my 4th attempt to answer you!
It seems a little prophetic after my blog about hitting the sheep. I hope you are both okay – although the car needing a tow… maybe not even a go slow? Hope all id well Laurie, it could have been worse. I made it! Hugs 🙂 Susan x
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Thanks Susan, hmm, the curse of the black sheep eh? The car is now safely in the workshop. Young roo managed to destroy the auto transmission cooler. of course they have to wait for parts to come up from Melbourne. 😦 As I said in another reply, it could have come through the windscreen..
Cheers
Laurie.xox
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There were two times my car touched animals. Once it was a fox, the other was a kitten. I cried both times… and the losers were the animals… 😦
I still like your poem, Laurie!!
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Thanks Raani, it’s always sad. Depending where you are in Australia you have a wide variety of animals to run into. In the north and outback in general, there’re camels, water buffalo, pigs, huge roos, goats, wild horses, wild cattle, emus. Eagles when they’re sitting in the middle of the road and don’t take off quick enough. Off course there are the foxes, rabbits, wild cats, wild dogs, snakes, lizards. Long stretches of road where you can drive for hours without seeing a living thing, then, whooska something leaps, crawls, flies or hurtles themselves in front of you. You have to be so careful.
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Oh, the poor thing:( I feel so bad for the roo.
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Me too Gigi, at least it didn’t come through the windscreen. We had a fatality here a while ago. A family coming home late one night, hit a kangaroo and it came through the windscreen. Went between mum and dad in the front seat and killed the little girl in the rear child seat. Terrible.
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I can relate…hit a deer in the middle of a winter storm…felt terrible.
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It gets like that, sometimes there’ nothing you can do to avoid it.
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You can never tell which way critters will run–or not. Tragic encounters, of course, but your poem made me smile ’cause it was so funny!
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Thanks Joy, one has to be realistic, I don’t swerve for animals, I do my darndest to slow down. Once you swerve you can easily lose control and kill someone else or yourself. Glad I made you smile, I had to bring a smile to my face. 🙂
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I believe that deer in my home state of Wisconsin are the most likely to be hit by cars. It happens a lot anyway. Down here it’s squirrels, pets, raccoons, armadillos, …
Old joke: Why did the chicken cross the road? To show the armadillo that it could be done.
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There’s always something wandering on the road Joy, it’s definitely not the safest place to be. Especially if you are an Armadillo and the butt of old jokes. 🙂
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How cute! But, as you say… it always hurts to hit an animal. I tried to dodge a turtle crossing a road (I swerved) and that dang little turtle RAN across the road and SPLAT, I heard the crunch of his shell in my car. Made me sad. I didn’t know turtles could run!
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Yes Keli it hurts, to the tune of about
$3,000.00. I do feel sorry for them. A running turtle eh? Must be one of those Ninja turtles. He must have had an adrenalin surge. 🙂
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Apparently so…. I was so upset!
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I used to hunt many years ago but I ate what I killed. Now I would rather ‘shoot’ them with a camera and feel sorry when they are killed on the road. 😦
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