It did this, all day Saturday. Stan calls it 'happy rain'. I disagree



Good Evening (Bill, Darsha, Tanners), Good Morning (everyone else),

So much for my really hard job and long hours.

When Eric, Michelle (Hudson, not Tanner) & Elice, turned up at the stud to drop off the truck at 1.15pm
yesterday, there I was still in my jarmies & Xmas neddy slippers.

I feel obliged to point out that I had got up at 0930, just hadn't seen the need to actually get dressed.

The Tanners will for ever feel I was having them on about my stupid hours.

I took them on a 2 hour tour of the farm, Elice & Michelle seemed really interested, Eric was very polite.

It was hideously wet & the farm looked very dishevelled, so did the neddies come to think of it.

Thank goodness it was dry in the weanling barn.

I wish they could have seen it in the sun. Oh well.

I have had a lovely, relaxed couple of days, caught up on lots of corres, organised my room & have done
lots of reading & writing. Claire is organising a 5 hour horse-trek next weekend. Welcome sweet arnica.

I am reading a very gripping book at the moment, 'The Shipping News' by Annie Proulx, it's been a movie,
I don't know if you have seen it ? She has a very economical, pared-down style of writing that has made
me look very critically at my own, overly-verbose style. I wasn't sure if I liked the book at the beginning,
it's very melancholy, but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Her descriptions can be breath-taking. Occasionally, I write one sentence which I am very happy with.
Hers just tumble out one after another, as if she has no shortage of talent or imagination.

One in particular, really grabbed me today, so much so, that I texted it to a friend to see if it
had the same impact upon them.

I know we take more notice of things which are pertinent to the way we feel, but even so, this really touched me.
The man in the book, Quoyle, is trying to get over the death of a lover, as he has
met someone new. He is having problems moving on & asks himself of his old lover ...

'...and what of her essence riding under his skin like an injected vaccine against the plague of love?'

It's stark, original imagery like this, the whole way through.

This book won a Pullitzer Prize & it doesn't suprise me. It's set in Newfoundland & I have found that like
all the good books I've read, it transports me. I have read it with my duvet huddled around me
against the Newfoundland fogs, despite the warm, (but wet) weather here at the moment.

Bill Bryson has the same capability & reading his book, The Lost Continent about travelling across the States
had me stripping layers off, despite beng in the middle of a South Island winter as I read it.

Good news

I saw all 3 kikkens today, which means Hadleigh didn't dead the one he had a chew on.
They are 2 tabbies & 1 tortie, but don't hang around for foties.
Maybe I could sketch them for you ? Perhaps not, those of you who have seen my drawing capabilities,
are thinking.

'Have you heard about the Macedonian Prime Minister' ?

Not the opening to a joke, as you might think, but Bill's 1st sentence to me, as I took the phone
from Claire. He knows how to talk that one. When he & his work buddies were talking about the fact,
that as cops, they had the necessary experience to plan a bank heist, Bill suggested they could do the
re-make of Ocean's 11.

One of his colleagues remarked it would be Ocean's 12 & there would be an extra character who
spent the whole film talking to his mates on the phone.

Bill seems to really understand the concept of talking on the telephone. Unlike most blokes he
doesn't just ring when he has something to tell you

ie. 'Please set the video for the cricket' or 'I'm going to be late. Bye'

He actually converses. About feelings & everything. Admittedly, sometimes it's a little hard to get the
conversational ball from him but by & large, he gets it. Today, he had to show people around the
house he has just moved into, with a view to selling it, to return to the UK. They liked it despite the
fact that he told them there was soon to be a bail hostel built next door. And was built on a swamp.
On a Maori graveyard. And has Legionnaire's disease.

On this occasion, Kirsty was waiting to start the video of 'Phar Lap' (vvv famous NZ racehorse for the
non-neddy types) and I had to say the following to Bill before he finally let me put the phone down.

'I have to go now as 1) my arm holding the phone is numb 2) I have to pee & 3) Kirsty is waiting to start
the video, the 2th Century Fox symbol is showing & the drums are rolling'

'Ok' he says, 'but I must just tell you about ...'

Congratulations

To the lovely Hadleigh (human, not canine) who has recently become engaged to the even more lovely
Frances. Well done Hadders, just like a growed-up & everything. Can I be a bridesmaid, can I can I ?
I promise not to vomit through drink, if you promise not to dress me in bottle green with puff-sleeves
(family joke).

Q, Are you able to insert the pic of H & F here, with Hadders permission, of course ?



That's it for tonight, the worms are starting to get a bit blurry now,

Night all, take care, give whoever is next to you in bed this evening a big hug, be they
human, canine, feline, Humpine or even a jerk. (the last one's for you NM)

Cx

Caption Comp - Motor woman

Idvinced Kiwi

I didn't get up until 10am this morning. Wonderful.
Even better, it was howling the, by now customary, gale & chucking it down & Kirsty had to get up & go to work.

Don't get me wrong, it could have been anyone, it didn't have to be Kirsty,
it's just that much more enjoyable when you hear someone leaving the house &
you can snuggle down again isn't it ?

Jasmine didn't accompany me to bed last night & was out in the storm.

This was unusual as she is normally in bed before me now, usually washing or kicking teddy, as below




Don't look

However, this morning, Kirsty found her outside, on the way to work & let her in. Soon, there was a cold,
bedraggled Jasmine on the bed, demanding entry to the inner sanctum 'underneath'. Needless to say, I acquiesced.


Claire has gone off for her surfing lesson at Mt. Maunganui, which she booked yesterday.

She looked surprised & not entirely thrilled when the surf-school rang to confirm her lesson was still taking
place. We both thought it would be cancelled due to he violent gales. Silly of us really, this is NZ after all.

She was planning on a relaxing morning with breakfast at Fran's a lovely cafe in Cambridge one minute, & rushing
around grabbing clothing, declaring herself 'scared s***less' the next.



Claire with Hadleigh. Cheeky beggar

I asked her if she was scared of drowning or looking an a*** ?

She considered for a moment, replied 'Both' & left.

I thought that as it's raining & now that you are all comfortable with 'Basic Kiwi'
we would move onto 'Idvinced Kiwi'.

This may be too difficult for some of you, especially if you haven't kept up with your coursework
so, however embarrassing, you must ask for help if you need it.

If you do not, all kinds of misunderstandings may arise from basic everyday interactions with Kiwis.



We'll start with gender.

It's not hard here. In France you have male & female objects, window is female & pen is male (if I remember correctly ?)

In Germany it's a little trickier with male, female & neuter objects.

Here it's easy, everything is female.

I don't just mean all the usual things you would anticipate being female such as ships, airplanes, bikes, cars & the like.

Here, most things in conversation are 'she'

For example ...

'She's a windy day'
'She's a beautiful sunrise/sunset'
'She's a close-run election'
'She's an ugly/useless,unpopular (delete as appropriate) Prime Minister.

The last one is a plant, & to those of you unfamiliar with Helen Clark, won't mean much, but you get my drift.




Next, affirmation.

Kiwis love to let you know you're on the right track. They are warm, friendly people who let you know your
conversational input is appreciated. To do this, they say the following

'Yip yip yip yip yip, yip, yip.

They say it a lot, whilst you are speaking. It's the equivalent to other people saying 'Mmm-hmm' & 'ok'.

At first, you will stop speaking, assuming they want to say something else, or are in touch somewhere
with a pack of far-off dogs. This is a mistake. Just take it for approval & carry on.



Negatives

Things become more difficult here, so pay attention.

When clarifying something, Kiwis often use the negative & the affirmative. In the same sentence.

ie.

Pom - 'Do you agree that the All Blacks were played off the park by the Aussies in that World Cup game ?'
Kiwi - 'Yeah..No, We were shocking alright'

Alternatively, they may choose to answer the same question with the same words, in a different order.
ie

Kiwi - No..Yeah, We were shocking alright.

You will note, the content of the reply is the same, ie, they played badly.

What you have to watch out for, is the order of the words.

The following is our educated guess, nothing more, it may well be incorrect & I can only rely on Darsha to
steer me right if it is.

When I say 'our' this is the collective experience of the Poms over here (The Tanners, The Stokes' Stin, Bill et al,
this is our collective theory, so if it's wrong, blame them.

Whichever word comes first is the one they really mean. The second word is a filler,
a kind of 'ummm' when padding out a sentence.

For example ...

'Did you see how close that horse came to killing me in that stable ?'

may elicit the response 'Yeah..No, she was a close thing, that's for sure' which means 'yes'

or

'No-Yeah, can you go in there again & take it's rug off now ?' which means 'no.'


I hope that's a little clearer ?

If you ask someone to do something for you & they are agreeable, they may respond with
any or all of the following

'Sweet', 'Good as gold', 'Yip yip yip yip'.

I am trying to get them to say,

''andsome', 'sorted', 'bosh', 'done', which is easier than you may think, as they love Jamie Oliver.



Strong affirmations

This is when someone believes very strongly in the point which has just been made.
I understand from Koi-Lee, that this is as popular across the Tasman, in Oz, as it is here.

Pom - 'Are you a good tractor driver Murray ?'
Murray - F****** oath !'

Murray means yes, he is. Emphatically.

I will end today's lesson here, as it's best that you master this before we move on (& because I want to drink the
tea which Kirsty has just made)

Bill, the l/l will be free in 2 mins, it would be great to hear about your week.

I'll leave you with a couple more pics, courtesy of Stan.

One of my favourite Xmas pressies from Mummeh.



Xmas neddies



& also,



Look, in that truck. Aren't they .. ?

Yes, they're goats, quite normal to see this kind of thing when you pull up behind a vehicle.

I love this country.


Bye for now, hope to send more catch-up e-mails today,

Take care you lot, miss you,

Cx

ps. Stin - My counter is broked. :( Do you have the technology ... ?

WARNING WARNING WARNING

BILLY YOU HAVE A VIRUS ON YOUR POOTER
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
CLEAN IT

OTHER WISE YOU WILL INFECT US ALL

We went to see Gothika tonight in Hamilton, 'we', being Claire, Kirsty & myself.

It's the Halle Berry movie which had very good trailers.

It was a disappointment. A flimsy predictable plot, a twee ending & not helped
by the fact that we were seated in front of Beavis & Butthead. Am I just becoming particularly
intolerant in my old age ? Don't answer.

The only surprising thing about the film is the fact that Halle Berry looks like s*** the whole way
through. Hurrah.

I have a weekend off, commencing tomorrow, no plans as such.

Bill's intended visit has been put on ice as he has to do some SEG type stuff on Sunday,
another time hopefully.

Going to watch 'My Best Friend's Wedding' now.

I look forward to the day.

More pics going to the Big Guy, wait for the cat paw one, it's special.



Bye for now,

Cx

ps. Oh yes, almost forgot, Ian & Adam, getting on on well in The Archers. Anyone else see it coming ?

Trudes, The 'Three Scrubbers' is specially for you, as my take on your 'Three Kings' picture.



'Scrubbers is the term they use here for any horse not good enough to go to the sales.

The sun returned with a vengeance today.

Hadleigh grabbed one of the kittens which have been living in the staff house garage, it made a hell of a noise &
is currently hiding in the engine compartment of Millie's in-storage MG. It resisted all attempts to be coaxed
out & I hate to think it's up there injured. I haven't quite mastered the tough Kiwi chick thing yet.

I have been good & finally caught up onsome overdue e-mails that needed sending tonight, so
am too pooped to type any more.

Will leave you with some pics.

Isn't Pearls Before Swine really hitting the mark recently ? Pig really makes me sad, he looks so vulnerable
in his caterpillar outfit.




Red sky at night ... shepherd's delight
Red sky in the morning ... shepherd's warning
Red sky at Trelawney ... Briggsy's doing the rubbish run, call the fire brigade !



Please



How cute ?




Goodnight, sleep tight,

Cx

Whilst surfing the web today I found this site

Thought it might fit in .

Stud Tours

Scent - the most evocative sense ? Discuss.

Today, I was assisting clearing up leaves & fallen trees on this very gusty Tuesday.
My brain was in overdrive as I was enveloped by the wonderful aroma of fresh, damp earth,
leaves & pine sawdust.



Happy as a pig in the proverbial


I was transported to Leith Hill, easily the most beautiful place I have lived in England.

I wouldn't describe the feeling as being homesick, because I'm not, but I would love
to have taken Barley Marley for a really long walk all around the tower. I was even dressed
appropriately in full length waxed coat & Hunters.

The Hunters have caused a stir here.



And I thought bike wheelies looked good ? How cool is this ?

For everything NZ gets right, it ought to hang it's head in shame in the 'welly' department.
Or (spit) 'gumboots' as they call them.

I refuse to call them 'gummies' which sounds like something you eat.
You know where you are with the word 'wellies'.
Someone newly arrived from Mars, would know what 'wellies' were.

They have poxy ickle wellies called 'redbands' which only reach half way up the calf,
rendering them ...

1) impractical (you still get wet feet, walking in long grass)
2) painful (Kiwis wear them with shorts & they chafe the back of afore-mentioned calf)
3) stupid (see 1 & 2)

The Kiwis are faint with desire every time they see the Hunters, although naturally, they
cover up their jealousy by pretending to mock, asking questions like

'What's the buckle for then ?'



Jasmine


'... like a flatulent duck'

I spent a lovely evening chez Tanners yesterday. Met Ma & Pa Smith & Michelle who I was able to
talk neddies with. It felt like I had been away for ages & was lovely to catch up on everyone's news.

Harriette is now the proud owner of an extremely beautiful saxaphone.
Unfortunately, at this early stage, the noises she makes cannot be described as beautiful &
she spent much of the evening banished to her room, parping away like a flatulent duck.

This entry will be short as it's past beesies time & I still want to send some pics,
wait til you see the next one of the cat's foot, Mummeh.

Owe loads of e-mails, hope you don't mind people ?

Cx

Count the toes



God



I live here now

'He looks like a normal cat, but one wearing moon boots'

Today after work, we headed off for the rodeo at Kihikihi, after first dropping Agnes in Cambridge.
She is travelling for a few weeks before returning home to Hungary. She has provided comic relief
(unintentionally) & rarely said anything more harsh than 'No biding !' even when a neddy was hanging
off her face.

That leaves Kirsty, Claire & I in the staff house, so we have a room each & with Kirsty's two moggies,
almost a cat each too.

'Tootie' (pronounced 'Tuddy') is a black & white tom, who is polydactyl, which means he has more than 4 toes on each foot.
I always want to call him pteradactyl, but that's wrong, as that is a loud, screaming, flying dinosaur.

If he sounds freaky, then I promise you, he's not, just very cute looking. He looks like a normal cat, but one wearing
moon boots. There are certain advantages to a cat having thumbs. He can, for instance, open his own
tins of cat food, drive a car & fill in his own tax returns.

The other one is Jasmine & she is an incredibly pretty girl who appears to have a penchant for Adam Ant,
certainly during his 'Dandy Highwayman' era anyway. Stand by for a foty & you'll see exactly what I mean.

This pooter is causing my ickle obsessive, compulsive brain lots of stress.

It takes my tping & just randoly misses out the odd letter hee & there.
This mut be how it feels to be Bil & Stan all the tim.

It also means I will have to use spellcheck which irks.

This morning I checked the horses on the front of the farm, some 30 odd horses.
As usual, I pretend it's my property, my farm bike & my neddies.

One day, maybe.

I vividly remember the 1st few days that I checked the horses. I was in panic-mode
all the time, expecting to come into work to have someone say ...

'All the neddies are dead, with their legs in the air, why didn't you notice anything amiss ?'

I used to have a haphazard approach to checking the animals. With experience, I am now
much more systematic. As soon as you enter the paddock, you should be looking for how
the horses move towards you, looking for any who are obviously lame. If any don't move
towards you with the others then check those first, as they are likely to be unwell.
(or have no mates)

Then it's a case of legs, legs, legs & an all over check. I find myself intently studying
the legs of every horse I see, even if I'm not at work. It's incredible how often horses hurt
themselves & I am just beginning to know what's serious & what's not.

The most innocuous 2mm cut can turn out to be a deep puncture wound, requiring immediate
veterinary attention & conversely, very nasty looking gashes can heal beautifully, unaided,
without the slightest sign of injury.

Ledge is my failsafe, I adopt the approach of telling him everything & he has the know-how
to decide.

'Ledge, that neddy in paddock 4, looks a bit sad, can you see what you think please ?'

That's all for now, as it's my turn to cook dinner, mango chicken with rice.

Michelle, The Taotaoroa Tattler is a bit behind, what can you possibly do with all your spare time ? :)

Bill, Can you get a copy of The Herald to me ? or forward the quote ?

Trudes, Did you get my mail, when are you Antipodes-bound ?

Love to all,

Cx

'...can you believe I miss the little blighters ?

Yes, Cocky, I do get all your e-mails & texts, I'm just too disorganised/lazy/rubbish
to reply to all the e-mails I get. I do reply to your txs though, so I'm a bit upset to
hear you don't get the replies.

It's lovely to hear that Kerry says she needs help with June's neddies.

You know what it's like when you go away, you imagine that your shoes have been more
than amply filled by someone else. Does it sound very feeble to say that it's good to
hear people other than my best buddies haven't forgotten me ? Plus which, I miss CB
& even mad Hannah.

I was thinking about this whilst I was walking around 'CountDown' car park this evening.
I'm a relatively bright person & yet I struggle with the concept that in the UK, life goes
on as normal. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not being egocentric & saying that
the UK should be moth-balled & all my friends be 'paused'.

It's just that I think, often, about what you're all up to & it's very hard to imagine.

Anyway Cocky, glad to hear Snips has recovered from his colic, I can imagine him being a lousy patient.

Work felt very different today. We finished early & that usually means I drive home to the Tanners
for a special treat of an early cup of tea. The normal routine then is that I am assailed
by the girls, the moment I step through the door.

They are full of school stories, showing me projects or displaying new gym/dance moves.
It doesn't matter if they have already told Michelle & Eric, they hate to feel I'm missing out.

My usual response is to tell hem to 'b***er off' until I have had my cup of tea.

They cheerfully disregard me & persist in telling their news

Today, after finishing, I came to the staff house & unloaded the truck. I then had a shower, read a couple
of magazines & went grocery shopping. $186 ?!? I only went for catfood, conditioner, toothpaste, bread & milk.
I should have been relishing the p & q & the grown-up me-time, but can you believe
I miss the little blighters ? Me neither.

I had lovely hugs from both of them last night. Kids, am I finally getting it ?
No, don't be silly, but I can just 'do' kids these days.

I think it helps that some of the kids at MF were such gits. By comparison, any other child is
positively angelic.

I felt a bit down & introspective whilst shopping today. Something about supermarkets brings out the
'What have I got to show for my 35 year old life ?' What is it about being surrounded about groceries
that does that to me ?

I once left my full shopping basket at Safeways, Crystal Palace in floods of tears,
convinced that an overly-officious security guard though I was a thief.
The reason I had been meandering around in a trance, was because I
was doing my usual 'What have I achieved...?' after ending a relationship.

This is starting to get a bit LA,

Time for storms & tractors

The storm hit us at 0200 & it was very scary. It raged for over an hour & I remember thinking
poor Watties I wonder if she's frightened ?' before going back to sleep.

Surprisingly, there were no new trees down this morning, which was fortunate as we still had a
shedload to clear from Saturday. On Thursday I was honoured to drive Big Blue & do uppy-downy
with the forks whilst Murray stood on them & did choppy choppy with the chainsaw.
I suffered a badly-timed hand spasm & Murray did droppy droppy, plummeting a good 4' in less than a second.

Thank goodness he was holding onto the bar of the forks to support himself & that the chainsaw was turned off
He even saw the funny side & was convinced I did it deliberately 'as a joke'.

Heading off now, as I am working tomorrow, then going to the rodeo at Kihikihi.

The Tanners. Who is Ian, in The Archers, who is causing a stir. Did I miss something ?
Did your folks arrive ok Michelle ? Texted you to say hi to them, don't know
if you got it ? Hi kids.

MTM, Having problems accessing Bread & Marmalade this evening so Bunty may miss some
items of international importance. A rumour has reached NZ that there are plans
afoot to take down the Berlin Wall. Can you clarify ? Thank you for your very kind
comments regarding Q4A, I am shallow enough to enjoy feedback (positive only,
naturally)

Stin Did you get the new caption competition photo ?

Gotta go, Claire needs the line to make a call.

Night all,

Cx

Move No. 30 brings me to Trelawney Stud



V. sad to say goodbye to the Tanners.

Here safe & sound, thanks to those who have done welfare checks after the reports of floods.

We are ok tonight at this point in the island, although there is a huge storm brewing again tonight.

Too tired to type any more,

Night night,

Cx

"There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be"

1 house point for the 1st person to tell me which tv programme ?

(But not Stan, cos he cheats & looks on t'internet.)

I have felt too guilty to Blog for the last 2 days, as I should have been packing
but tonight I am smug, smug, smug cos I have almost finished.

I plan to move the last of my bits & pieces tomorrow, then clean the cottage prior
to Ma & Pa Smith arriving. They are in Singapore at the mo, 'hello' if you can read this.

They arrive on Friday & the kids are already arguing about who is allowed
to to accompany Michelle to the airport to collect them.

'Why is Alice allowed to go ?'

'Cos you're 10 Harriette, & at intermediate & too old to miss school'

'Unfaaaaaaaaaayer'

The weather has been unbelievably bad over the past few days, I am sorry to
report to the Smiths. I don't know if the news has reached Blighty, but there
have been storms & floods here since Saturday. A place called 'Feilding' has
been declared a 'site of civil emergency' with 100's of poor sods being
evacuated from their flooded houses.

We spent Monday & Tuesday clearing up all the fallen trees at the stud.
Lots of chainsaw, tractor & trailer action, which suited me just fine.

Every time I awake this week, it's to the sound of the rain battering on my roof.
It takes a special kind of nutter to want to work outdoors when it's like this.
(Doesn't it Darsha ?)

The foul weather is my fault.

When I awoke, to my french doors blowing in on Saturday morning at 5am,
I pulled my curtains back inside the room, climbed back under the duvy
& lay there, congratulating myself for not having to go to work in the disgusting
weather.

Needless to say, it was still ongoing, some 3 days later when I did have to work.

Farm news

Eric has been waiting for 3 consecutive fine days so that the contractors can come &
cut the hay. And waiting. And waiting ...

He did his law exams on Monday & Tuesday. He seems quite happy about Tuesday's
exam, less so Monday's. He is training to become a barrister/solicitor so that Michelle
can realise her Kiwi dream of being able to devote more time to the stuff she really likes
doing & not having to let work interfere with her veg plot.

Harriette seems to be enjoying intermediate, despite all the enforced physical activity
(great places these Kiwi schools) She picks up her saxaphone on Monday, causing
many a raised eyebrow at the dinner table, with her Kiwi accent, when she announced

she 'couldn't wait to get her sex'.

(Another Blog entry fails to make it past the job firewall, Hadders)

Alice has entered 2 events in her school swum day tomorrow.

Alice also caused giggles at the dinner table, with her rendition of the theme
tune to 'The Wombles'.

It is only because she has a very angelic face & that she trilled, completely unknowingly

'Wombles of Wimbledon, coming are we'

that she was able to get away with it.

Tonight is my last night at Cedar Lodge & I feel very sad to be leaving.

I don't doubt that The Tanners will be glad to see the back of the smelly,
manual labourer who drifts in & out telling boring neddy stories but they
have covered up very well.

They have even said I can come & visit them when I like.

How does tomorrow night suit you guys ?

Thank you very, very, very much for having me, it's been lovely.

Cx

Bonsoir,

Ignore the box thing, trying to install a counter, without much success, until Stin can
sort me out.

Tonight is the 1st time I haven't felt tired since Xmas & it's lovely.

I am well on the way with my packing & have some boxes stowed in the back
of the car to offload at the Stud tomorrow.

Chatted to Stu this weekend, good to hear all the Leith Hill gossip & pass
a telephone love to B.Roo.

Had a lovely long catch-up fone call with Mum this morning (her Sat evening).
She has been back to work this week, for a few hours every day.
She shouldn't really be back yet & it's to her credit that she has been in.
Each day has left her very tired, but she catches up on her naps during the day.

At the end of our call, we discussed 'my plans'. Ha.
I really wish I was able to answer what on the face of it, is a perfectly simple
question from people.

One thing this year away has taught me is that things crop up when you least
expect them & not to stress too much when planning. I seem to be looked after
when I am least expecting it.

I also believe, more than ever now, in destiny & things occurring for a reason.

In a nutshell, my plans are, wait for a sign.

I don't mean a spiritual one. In fact, I would quite like a large neon one.

The good thing is I have a decent, well-paid job waiting for me.

A lot of people I meet aren't in that position.

My biggest problem is choices.

I was a source of constant frustration to my parents, when faced with choices as
a kid. If the ice-cream van (all together now Di ...'ICE CREEEEEAM MAN') had more than 5 choices, it was not unknown for my Dad to say 'If you can't decide, you're not having anything at all'

I would far rather capitulate to someone else's decision making.

Don't know why, as I am quite growed-up in other respects ?

Will disappear for now, as there are lovely smells emanating from a very steamy kitchen.

The foties are of Watties , looking messy, happy & natural, now that she has returned from the sales.
She is waiting to be collected by her buyers.



Watties



Trina breaking the farm bike & Ledge fixing it



& the barn which the weanlings are staying in, for their week of handling.

ttfn,

Cx

Weekend off ? Surely not ?

Yes it's true. The last time I had more than 1 day off was Xmas & since the sales
it's been a superhuman effort to haul my a**** out of bed every day so I am
thrilled to report that I get twooo whole days to myself.

Let joy be unconfined.

I am going to start packing, preparatory to my move to the Stud, but at a very
leisurely rate.

And I am going to have not 1, but 2 lie-ins :)

Let's all work with neddies !

Hadleigh (the white guy, with rhythym, you may remember ?) tells me he
spent a day at Imber Court recently, with a view to joining the Mounted Police.
He has also had his first riding lesson, in fact probably 2 by now, as he was due to
have one Wednesday, which he enjoyed hugely.

I am torn between feeling very happy for him & being green with envy.

The last Christmas I was at home, I saw a display given by the Mounted Police
at Olympia. Their performance was nothing short of brilliant & I had a huge lump in
my throat as I watched the neddies jump through flaming hoops.
The crowd gave them a standing ovation at the end of their act & I felt
proud to work for the Police in a way I haven't felt for a long time.

I wish you the very best of luck with your application Hadders. Let me
know if there is anything I can do to help.

I am sure Cocky will assist you with any equine queries you may have.



Neddies in the mist. Like 'Gorillas in the mist'. Only, not.

Today was the final day for one mob of babies to be in & the first day for
the next mob (fillies this time) to come in.

The 1st 6 were led out to a paddock in 2 groups of 3, & very smart ickle
walkers they were too. It was lovely to see their joyous reaction to having
grass under their hooves again & they chose a gorgeous sunny
day to be liberated. All 5 cavorted around the paddock, whilst the 6th
one stood in the shade under a tree, watching his mates.

His name ?

'Energy efficient'.

The Tanners have gone to the fair this evening, with a request for candyfloss
for the lodger. I am using the time to Blog, e-mail & listen to a snippet of Radio 4
on-line.



'More horsey photos ?' asks Michelle.

Eric, whose exams are on Monday & Tuesday, asked Michelle if his attendance at
the fair was required.

'Not at all' she replied 'You can stay here & study if you like...'

'Ok' he said, doing that man thing of not realising there was more to come

'If you'd rather not spend time with your children'

'I'll go get changed then' he said, taking the hint.



Company car.

I showed Claire how to set up a Blog today, so that she could do the same as
I am, for her friends & family. This Blogging thing could catch on.

Happy Anniversary to Bill. 14 years a cop, this week.

Hello Mummie send me a e-mail, tell me stuff.

Stin Off all w/e, as you know by now, when is a good time for me to call ?

Lolly How's things ? Still going well I hope ? Let me know.

Weeny. Had an e-mail from 212LK. Blast from the past or what ? Said he'd bumped into you.


Until next time we meet, I am sending some more pics to Stin. (standby)

Cx

Bye Bye ...

Up at 0445 to take Koi-Lee to Hamilton airport.

It's harder to watch someone leave than it is to leave isn't it ?



Trelawney driveway

The last couple of days have been very wet, dull, & uninspiring.

Today the weanlings were branded. The vet does this, as it is done
with liquid nitrogen & only a registered person can use the nitrogen.

Branding is done partly for identification purposes & partly to prevent theft.
The babies have a number put on their offside shoulder (right hand side) & a Trelawney
brand on their nearside (left). The babies begin at 1 every year & the number below
that denotes the year.

For example, Racy Belle was 40 over 2, as he was the 40th foal born at Trelawney in 2002.

The brand is held in liquid nitrogen until cold, then placed on a shaved area on the twitched foal's
shoulder for a few seconds. The skin soon raises in the shape of the brand & the number is
clearly visible. Over the next few days, the hair immediately over that patch of skin turns
white as it dies, leaving the foals with a neat, clear, legible number.

I asked Ledge about the branding process & whether or not it was painful for the foals.

His reply was that it appeared uncomfortable, but more humane than the old
alternative which was fire-branding which he considered harsh on the babies.

I watched all 6 foals, immediately after the process & only one appeared affected
by the procedure. He was agitated & pacing his box & couldn't seem to get comfortable.
I certainly thought it was going to be harder on them than it was.

Yesterday, the farrier came & trimmed all their feet so it's been an intense few days
for them.



And this is where the babies live

This week has seen Ledge, assisted by Chris handling the weanlings every day & it's
been a fascinating process to observe.

On Monday morning they were handled in their boxes for the very 1st time, when he
placed a rope around their neck. He encouraged them to walk towards him, praising them
& releasing the pressure as they did so. Each foal was handled for no more
than about 10 minutes. After that, headcollars were fitted & they were allowed to
get used to the idea of having something on their heads.

The next day leadropes were clipped to the halters & each foal was led around its
box. Ledge is very clear in his expectations of the foals. If they behave properly
they are praised & conversely if they mess about they are reprimanded quietly
but firmly & asked to perform the task again.

Later that day, they were led out of thir boxes in pairs to walk around the yard
directly outside the barn. The yard is completely enclosed & every gate
shut just in case one of the foals should manage to break free.
The horses are led every day as yearlings so good leading manners are a
prerequisite. It is the groundwork which Ledge does now, which makes the staff's
life easier, come the yearling prep season.

Long, orange stock sticks are used in conjunction with lead ropes to encourage
the foals to walk on promptly when requested. These are held at waist height in the
left hand, perpendicular to the ground. If the foal hesitates or refuses to walk
on , the idea is to gently place it behind yourself & alongside the foal's quarters.

The foals are asked to walk, stop, turn, wait whilst another foal passes, & all the
things they will find themselves doing in another few months on a daily basis.

The ideal place to be when leading a youngster, or any horse, is at the shoulder.
It's dangerous to be ahead of them as they can either duck behind you, or strike
out with a front foot. It's equally dangerous to get caught behind a horse for
reasons which anyone who read about Claire, will appreciate.

Sorry if this sounds like one of those dry 1920's manuals but my usual 'style'
seems to have deserted me this evening, think I'm just too knackered.

The babies have also been wearing very cute weanling rugs this week. They soon
became accustomed to these too, after a couple of them spent the first evening
'glued' to the partition in their boxes, convinced they were paralysed by the fiendish
things on their backs.

That's pretty much all for today, Michelle was preparing a deliciously scented Mexican
meal when she was interrupted by a visitor in the form of a teacher from Harriette's
school. She is here to do a 'home check' prior to the school allowing a Japanese exchange
student to stay at Cedar Lodge for a couple of weeks.

One of my English teachers once labelled me an iconoclast & he obviously knew me
well because the urge to misbehave when being viewed by a teacher doing a
homecheck is overwhelming.

Michelle looks just the part, introducing the kids & Eric, 'my husband who's studying'.
Cue Eric, looking up from his books at the table, the perfect model of dutiful
father/scholar.

The point at which Michelle gestures to me on the computer with the words '& this is
Carol, our lodger, she rents the cottage' is when I long to pick my nose, scratch my a***,
or cough up a hairball. I really am a very bad person.

It's something about the way teachers speak, I just can't help it. Maybe it is because
they address kids all day that they feel it necessary to adopt the slightly instructive,
supercilious manner with adults too. Whatever the rason, I am dying to burst into the
kitchen & tell teacher that Michelle has not 1 degree but 2. It probably wouldnt help
to secure a Japanese student staying here though so I will be good & wind my neck in.

I must just elaborate & say, this is only some teachers. I had some very good ones & they
do by & large perform a difficult task. Then there are those who wear corduroy jackets
with leatherette elbow patches, don't let me get started on them.

Enough. 'Down Briggsy, in your bed'.

Fankyou Di for my lovely letter, e-mails are great, letters are even better, especially when
they have very cute drawings of something you are trying to describe. Aah.

Got the reply to the e-mail Ang, think I would like Cathy :)

Will try & call you tonight Stu.

Chef, thanks for the remarks, I thought I did the red corrections ?



Until next time Bloggers,

Cx

Dawn @ Trelawney



Purty ..



Agapanthus



Man those rams look hot !