Aerogard is My New Favorite Scent

Aerogard is my new favorite scent and I don't leave home without it.  Honestly, as soon as I step outside of the house I hose myself down in this lovely spray.  I even carry a full size bottle of it in my purse at all times.  You may be wondering to yourself what this new aromatic pleasure smells like?  Think Off! or Cutter brand bug repellent.  Lovely, right?  Except here in Australia, we don't have those brands, we have Aerogard and Bushman.  However, any where in the world you travel ALL bug repellent smells the same.  Gross!

Summertime is here in Australia and that means a few things:  heat, humidity, rain and the proliferation of bugs.  These aren't just ordinary bugs, these insects are mean and as soon as you step outside they are literally all over you.  During the day the minuscule sand flies attack you but you don't even know it till it's too late.  And when the sun goes down, it's time for the mozzies (mosquitoes) to come out and they do so in droves.  Just like Florida, these little buggers carry diseases such as Dengue Fever and Encephalitis.  Therefore, it is most important to wear your Aerogard at all times and tropical strength at that!  Before I wised up to this realization my legs were attacked and now they look like a game of connect the red dots. 

We don't however let these bugs spoil our outdoor summer fun though.  Yesterday we went to the shooting range about an hour's drive East of Emerald to Blackwater.  It's the coal mining capital of Queensland ya know!  There's not a whole lot going on  here but Michael is a gun enthusiast and has a shooting match  coming up that he needs to practice for.  For the people who know me really well, you know that I don't like loud noises.  They actually scare the crap out of me, but there I found myself at the gun range with ear plugs and noise canceling ear muffs on.  You think that would have been enough but I still wanted to hide like a dog under a table on the 4th of July.  Apparently they didn't even have the "loud" guns at the range yesterday but I still jumped at every loud bang that echoed through the air.

Finally it was my turn to shoot the "not so loud" guns.  To be the good sport I am (and  a supporting girlfriend at that) I got up there and took my turn.  All in all, I shot 4 different guns.  A .22 caliber rifle that I liked the best.  Michael's very loud rifle that kicked back and made my shoulder sore and 2 hand pistols which I think were .22 calibers .  I probably have this all wrong but since Michael isn't here to ask, you will just have to take my word on it.  

I have to admit that I was very nervous about firing these guns and it did scare the crap out of me.  However, there was also a part of me that enjoyed it ever so slightly.  Seems I need the practice since Michael is going to enter me into the upcoming shooting match "just for fun"!  Here are some pictures for your amusement, enjoy!

 

There was a holster belt and cowboy hat available.  How could I not take a picture with these?

 

Here I am shooting the revolver.  This is what they used to use in the Wild, Wild, West!

Here I am with the other hand gun and of course with Michael onlooking so proudly.  By the way, it's not near as easy as they make it look in the movies.

These were my target shots from the .22 caliber rifle.  Not too bad for a beginner, huh?  Can you guess which class I will be shooting in for the upcoming Australia Day match?