Showing posts with label No Rain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label No Rain. Show all posts

Wednesday, 7 June 2023

Brrrrrrr......It's A Cold Cold Summer, The Treasure Hunt Madness Continues! And The Suffolk Show

 YES - I Am Going To Bang On About The Weather!!!!!   I mean WHAT is happening?? For the last month we have had not a drop of rain. Or Sunshine, or Warmth, or a change in the bloody wind!  That wind has constantly blown in from the North East.  The only variation is the speed. Somewhere between 15mph and 30mph.  It's cold.  Really cold.  Around 12c in the constantly grey skies.  I am still wearing fleece lined leggings, and vast fleece hoodies. And fluffy socks!!!! I'd Like To Complain!  I am also well aware that only half the country will understand.  I see the Weather...... I see the West is basking in summer temperatures.  

At least with the lack of rain, the eaten grass is browning off. I know that sounds odd, but with a bunch of natives ( and 2 of them metabolically challenged) the sooner the grass turns into standing hay the better. Mind you its become a mallet job to hammer in the electric fence posts in the ever expanding track system.  

And so the Top Barn Treasure Hunt madness continues!!  Some people have my complete and utter admiration. People have been travelling their horses on incredible long trips to get a picture of the Ocean. Makes me feel guilty as we are only 6 or 7 miles from the Ocean (North Sea) and yet we cannot get there!  Charlie can now be ridden 4 steps without throwing a class A wobbler.  But 7 miles may be pushing it!  And sadly no trailer.  Others have been hanging out besides motorways hoping to catch an Eddie Stobart Lorry!  Or calling 999 in order to spot a police car ( you know who you are).  And then there are the people who have camped with their horses in order to catch a sunset and sunrise.  Something I may consider if this never ending cloud lifts.  And the 200 milers...... Wow. I can only hope to do this with Charlie in the future.

Meanwhile we are plodding along in our own style. Since the road has been widened at the bottom of our drive and all the hedges removed, we have a good view of the traffic.  So Charlie and i have been walking to the end of the Drive (which is now scary to him) and up through the Hill Field, in order to lurk, phone ready in case something interesting comes by. We also have a telephone wire running across the field, but it seems to be repellent to the local birds. Although i have had a nice time watching the Kestrels, Red Kite and Buzzards hunting.  I have seen an ambulance (but not a police car) and a white lorry. The driver assured me it was an Eddie Stobart Lorry on it's way to be painted!  So the road leads to the Coast.  A mecca for Campers and cyclists.  After hanging out for ages on Tuesday, Charlie and I were on our way back, when I glanced back.....and saw not one but two campers decked out in pushbikes!  Too far away for a pic!























So with these Treasure Hunting Walk Outs and Agility Practice we have racked up a massive 12 miles (out of the 25 miles pledged).  We have this!  Talking of Agility,  Charlie managed another 1st place in the May WO Silver Liberty Course and a 2nd in our first Advanced WO class.

As promised we have been working on a new trick.  I am getting him to pass me his saddle pad.  its a work in progress....

Last week I went to The Suffolk Show. Its been a few years since I last went.  We had a great day out doing the usual......getting free samples, spending money (like £4 for a Latte) queuing for everything and annoying all the animals trying to catch a break in their stables/stalls. We also watched the Shetland Grand National. Love it!! And the Terrier baiting.  The Terrier was great, but the general publics dogs were sooo funny.  They let 3 Cockerpoos loose at once.  One chased the bait while the other 2 chased each other.  We happened on this cute (and very tired) Suffolk foal...











And a funny thing happened.  I was scratching the ears of a large friendly Suffolk gelding.  He started to groom me back, and smelt the tobacco in my top pocket. He then curled his lips to smell it better. Haha a smiler!  I tickled his top lip, and he curled it back. Next time I said "Smile". He did. By then we had an audience. So we did it again.  I patted him and said "Sorry Boy, I don't have a treat".  A nearby spectator said she had a mint. I told her Thanks, but we really shouldn't feed other peoples horses. "I thought he was your horse" she said. "No" I replied, "I've only just met him".  "But how did you teach him to smile?" she asked. 

Well that's how it goes!

Sunday, 20 September 2020

Still NO RAIN, Dog Attack and The Dance Video

 So just a quick catch up, as I promised myself I wouldn't leave it so long. 

We still have NO RAIN. NO SEPTEMBER FLUSH!  Its looking a lot like Burnt Grass Ranch again.  We are down to dust and sand very quickly with no re-growth.  So it's Hay all the way!  And some Grass Bricks from Feedmark.  A big brick, takes an hour to soak down, and everyone gets a little Timothy Grass each day. They are all enjoying it. We are hoping it will help little Coco put on a little weight. As a Shetland she is still on the lean side, and we want some fat on her before Winter.  At the moment, Winter is looking a long way off (its still hot! And Dry!), but i have a feeling it will come hard and sudden.  I mean, it's 2020, The Year Of Doom and Gloom so why wouldn't it be a long hard Winter???



















Sand, Sand everywhere!!!!


So on Tuesday I had Charlie in the school to work on our dance moves. Freya was nearby in the truck. Caged in.  Charlie and I are having fun. Then I notice the Maligator has squeezed through the tiniest gap into the front of the truck. Before I could blink, she had dived through the window and was underneath Charlie.  I had to let him go, as he was scared.  Luckily Jo arrived at this point, and after a while (felt like hours) we had caught Freya, and Jo whisked her off to the tack-room.  

Thankfully Charlie was as calm as the Bull in the Money Calmm Ad, and we had a good session, working on The Tristan Tucker method of drawing the horse towards you....and the scary mounting block. Freya twisted her ankle (dog fetlock), or got a paw trod on. Not sure which, as there is no heat or swelling, but is definitely lame so has been on House Rest ever since, with a lead walk daily. NOT a happy Maligator!!!! This has given me time to work with Charlie on our dance routine.  I wanted a slick routine, with guitars and music to finish the 25 Things video series, but we are a way off that.  So I have put together the "how to" version instead and it's now live on YouTube.  Watch out for the finished slick version later!!

 https://youtu.be/L22ljwEaVZM