Jazz Cows and Academic Victories

Lake Colac continued to provide perfect sanctuary for Sophie and Sal's academic endeavours, the quiet waters reflecting winter skies while abundant birdlife provided natural entertainment between their study sessions. Mother and daughter had settled into comfortable rhythm—intellectual focus balanced with physical movement, healthy meals prepared with care, and the particular contentment that comes from shared purpose in peaceful surroundings.

The resident eagle had claimed territorial rights to a nearby tree, its majestic presence becoming familiar companion to their daily walks to the amenities block some three hundred meters distant. These brief excursions offered Sophie and Sal necessary breaks from academic concentration while providing opportunity to observe the lake's rich ecosystem—pelicans gliding across mirror-still water, various duck species creating ripple patterns, and the ever-present corellas whose raucous conversations punctuated the scholarly quiet.

"That eagle watches us like we're the wildlife," Sophie observed during one such walk, her camera capturing the raptor's intense gaze.

Evenings brought spectacular rewards as the setting sun transformed Lake Colac into canvas of reflected colour. Almost without fail, nature provided nightly performance that drew the two women from their studies to witness gold melting into crimson before surrendering to star-filled darkness. These moments of shared appreciation, standing together beside their golden home while sky performed its daily finale, created memories beyond any academic achievement.

The persistent wind, however, challenged their lakeside contentment. Its relentless presence felt unsettling to both Sophie and Sal, requiring multiple layers whenever venturing outside their mobile sanctuary. The diesel heater—that mechanical marvel installed during the final Tasmanian days—proved its worth once more, maintaining cosy interior temperatures while wind rattled windows and rocked their substantial vehicle with determined persistence.

Physical wellbeing remained priority alongside intellectual pursuits. Sophie maintained her stretching routine with admirable discipline, her yoga mat claiming morning territory beside the bus. Sal continued strength training exercises that left muscles pleasantly sore—evidence of progress that complemented mental exertion with physical challenge. Between study sessions, podcasts exploring brain function and Netflix documentaries on neurological mysteries provided entertainment that aligned with their academic interests while offering respite from textbooks.

Sophie's growing portfolio of bird photography captured the lake's avian diversity with artistic eye, though technological limitations prevented immediate sharing. The absence of proper hardware to transfer images from camera to computer represented minor frustration in their otherwise seamless days—modern problems requiring patient solutions.

One morning brought unexpected entertainment when Sophie and Sal decided to test the popular theory about cows' appreciation for jazz music. Armed with portable speaker and YouTube's finest jazz collection, they approached nearby cattle with scientific determination. The resulting "controlled trial" proved definitively underwhelming—their bovine test subjects displaying complete indifference to Miles Davis and John Coltrane's finest works.

"So much for cultured cows," Sal laughed as they retreated with speaker and deflated hypothesis. "Myth thoroughly debunked."

Their Lake Colac sojourn concluded with well-earned celebration. A detour into Colac township provided coffee break marking dual achievements—Sophie's assignment completion and Sal's High Distinction result. These academic victories, achieved despite unconventional study conditions, validated their ability to maintain educational excellence while living nomadically. The small café celebration felt more significant than elaborate ceremonies, mother and daughter acknowledging mutual success with quiet pride.

The journey back toward Melbourne carried different energy than their westward escape. This return represented not retreat but strategic positioning—Abbas's familiar street-side sanctuary awaiting their arrival once more. Sophie's morning screening for potential trial participation added new dimension to their urban return, the possibility of her joining the clinical research community that had become such integral part of the family's nomadic funding strategy.

As Sophie and Sal navigated increasingly familiar roads toward the city, reflection on their Lake Colac days brought deep satisfaction. What might have been merely time to fill while waiting for Anth and Torrin's return had transformed into precious mother-daughter bonding, academic achievement, and gentle adventure. The jazz-indifferent cows, the watchful eagle, the wind-rattled nights warmed by diesel heating—all wove into the continuing tapestry of their unconventional life, proving once again that location mattered less than connection, that education flourished wherever curiosity found encouragement, that family bonds strengthened through shared experience regardless of setting.Read more