When my first child left home, rather than being the emotional ordeal some would imagine it to be, I felt very excited for her, as she embarked on the next phase of the journey of her life.

The time was right for her to spread her wings and discover the adventures awaiting her out there in the magical world of adulthood.

I knew she would never be far away from me. Even if distance separated us, she would always remain close to me in my heart.

As it turns out, there isn’t an awful lot of distance between us, as she lives only about a ten minute drive from home and I see her nearly every day of the week, as we work together!

Over the past three or four years, my girl has become more herself, rather than a reflection of the person she thought her parents wanted her to be. And it is a wonderful experience, getting to know the adult version of the sweet little girl we nurtured for so many years.

Although she has matured into becoming her own person in recent years, one aspect of her personality has remained constant throughout her entire life ~ she loves animals.

It is a regular occurrence for me to receive an email containing a photo of her latest “friend” who she has discovered inside her home or out in the garden.

The cute little possum in the night time photo above is one of Hayley’s little visitors.

Over the back fence of Hayley’s house is a large expanse of grassy paddock. In its glory days, the area was once a well kept golf course, which contained a very well known country club, well frequented by locals and visitors alike.

Somewhere over the years, the club managed to go belly-up and the area is now kept reasonably in check by a herd of cattle!

Not a cow lover herself, despite her love of animals, Hayley knew I would fully appreciate photos of her bovine visitors.

As you can see in this photo, in the foreground is a small metal gate, which leads out from Hayley’s back garden into the expanse of grass, which was once the golf course.

Tomorrow I will show you a series of photos which require no words. The expressions on the face say it all! But you’ll have to wait ‘til tomorrow for the whole story.

Clue ~ the story involves the cows….and one of Hayley’s closest friends! 🙂