For this city-raised kid there were few more exciting ways to spend school holidays than staying on my uncle's sheep station, between Gulargambone and Toorooweenah, NSW.
Are there two more musical-sounding Australian town names?
There was riding bareback and helping, or probably hindering, my cousins Steve and Malcolm bringing in the sheep; witnessing a couple of the dogs chase a grizzled old 'roo into a dam, only for it to hold one under until it drowned; watching my uncle string up a young sheep, slit its throat, and do some open-air butchering so there'd be chops or a roast for dinner that night, and probably every night for months.
And then there were the mice.
The 1955 NSW mouse plague was amazing.
You'd lift a sheet of iron and a great writhing, wriggling grey carpet, thousands of mice, would scatter.
I was more fascinated than frightened, so I didn't develop Musophobia - a fear of rats and mice.
I have also just read about Arachibutyrophobia - a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Now that's scary.
All this came back to me recently when someone near and dear, who shall remain nameless, saw a rat.
We've had a few about, seemingly living in the garden shed, and now that she has met one up close she is 'seeing' them everywhere.
Chilled water sloshing side to side in a plastic bottle as the car fridge was opened caused semi-hysteria because, I worked out, in the shadow of the lid and if you squinted a bit, it could look like a moving rodent tail.
A long gum leaf, blown in the door and half under a chair, caused a similar reaction until I bravely removed it.
As tough guy actor Jimmy Cagney was famously quoted from one of his movies, although look it up and he actually never said - you dirty rat.
According to doctors, 'an occasional fright may give rise to abnormal anxiety that requires treatment'.
When it comes to rats and mice, apparently it is 'helpful to encourage patients to experience some positive associations' with them.
I guess that means handling and generally being nice to the little fellas.
Can't see that happening at our place, but I am leaving them tasty treats in little sachets, each described graphically on the packaging, which they would do well to read if they were able.
I've dropped a couple behind the fridge, and in the garden shed.
It's the least I can do to restore calm.
- Ross and Gemma Pride have split their time between Sydney and Billagal, Mudgee, since 2001.
