IT HAS BEEN FOUR DAYS

since I have sat down and blogged. Will my fans ever forgive me?????

Probably yes considering that Iam not sure just who reads this and Iam possibly just talking to myself.

Where is my Note of Absence?

I have none :-( all I can say is that I have worked my 20hours for the Government... (hmmm is Telstra known as the Government?) and both me and my bank account are feeling much better.

I dont actually mind the absence from Massie Lodge for 20hours. Whereas Evan is quite happy not to see another Human Being for a long period of time, I become a little "edgy" if I dont get a fix of the human race. One thing I will say is that after 20hours away, Iam quite happy to come back to Massie Lodge.

On my drive home from Toowoomba this afternoon (after having braved the queues in Coles... AAARGH!) I was wondering what can I blog about tonight. One or two things came to mind:-

1. Trousers finally having her baby on Tuesday morning and at a reasonable hour too!
2. Vicky
3. Rusty (who is now having the last laugh now that he is ball-less?) who now lives with Cheeky Chops and is now the one being harrassed
4. The mating habits of Kay (Kwila's Ambition) and Cheeky Chops the would be stallion (if he had balls that is)
5. Christmas in the Robinson Household
6. A visit from Uncle Bob from Sydney
7. My exciting 20 hours at Telstra Countrywide this week
8. Star Ferry (Susie)
9. Priming our liver's up for the weekend (we have visitors down from Cairns)
10. The BP Station at Nobby. Why they insist of charging 99c a litre for petrol and no one ever seems to stop there (especially because there is a cheaper place at Eatonvale)
11. The Miracle Mile. A standard bred's dream come true
12. Lancelot - why on earth he continues to smell even though he swims everyday. (No wonder Evan calls him "Smellalot")

Ok, where shall I start with this lot.

How about this?

Have you ever wondered just how different men and women are? I mean, we all get on, we live together every day but really when it comes right down to the crux of it, its a wonder Adam and Eve ever got it together.

I am the first to admit that Iam a "sensitive" and I do wear my heart and my emotions on my sleeve for all to see and to poke fun at. Evan and I really get on well together, we can talk and laugh and see the same funny things in something peculiar. However, why is it when he says a few words like "I dont care about your (whatever the subject may be)", they actually translate into something quite different by the time it has gone into my ears and processed by my brain....?"

"You are a stupid idiot and have no idea about what you are talking about"

"Yes, your bum is as wide as the front gate"

"What the hell have you done with your hair?"

"You really are letting yourself go"

and you fret and froth about it for the rest of the day. Have some obligatory tears and swear that you will never call him again during the day. By the time you can actually talk about what has transpired (and your have lost 20kgs through worry and anxiety), he has forgotten what was originally said and passed that moment about 12 years ago. The funny thing is that he will have absolutely no idea what the hell you are on about. Because it was nothing.

How different are men and women?

I have no idea where Iam getting all of this, or indeed where this is all coming from, especially when I had 12 interesting subjects to blog about. I mean how riveting would be, say... No.10?

But hang on, getting back to the subject at hand, can you imagine if men were the emotional/hormonal ones?

"Im sorry Officer I had to punch his lights out cause he told me I had a big bum?"

"I just had to put a hole in the wall because you said something that made me cry ;-( "

"Shriek, horror!!! There is a pimple on my chin? Where is the turps?"

Maybe its better that women are the hormonal and emotional ones after all is said and done.

The Eyes Have It.............

Monday just isnt Monday morning without the cuppa that is brought to me first thing in the morning. Am I spoilt or what? Nah, I'm just loved.

Today has been a strange day. It has been raining on and off since yesterday, however, today the wind has developed an cold edge to it and its almost like being back in Winter. Brrrrrr. Its really been the sort of day that you want to curl up on the lounge watch a few dvds and just share the time together. HAHA... it never happens here ... oh ok sometimes.

At 7.30am Evan's mobile has started to ring, which while annoying at times is good for us. Gallopers has been a little quiet during the spring carnival and hopefully things will get back to their chaotic state.

After going into town, having a coffee and doing a few things, I was spending some time doing up the website on Gallopers (with the heater on... in November???) . I noticed that Vicky was still standing way up in the corner on her own looking sad and miserable.

I couldnt stand it any longer, so I left my study and went out to her.

Have you ever looked right in the eyes of your animals? Are you ever amazed at what you see? Or even amazed at what you feel when you look into them? I have seen it written time and time again how animals (dogs and horses) have no emotions and the emotions that we see (or feel) are the emotions that we humans put into them.

What rubbish is that? I dont care that Iam not Uni qualified, but I know what I see.When my old boy, my dog Jack was ill, he may not have had the facility to speak how he felt, but his eyes told me his story - a story of pain and of courage to live and to be with me.

When it was time for him to go and the vet came here to Massie Lodge to send him to a more peaceful place, i could see in his eyes a questioning and then a contentment of what was happening.

It's those eyes that I see in my memories and the way he loved and trusted me with his life and his death.

And now, to remember him I have planted a vegie garden.

Do Horses Get Upset?

We have been very blessed today with 10mls of rain overnight. Just enough to carry on from the lot we have had over the last few weeks. There is plenty of new growth in the paddocks, the dams are still to the brim and the contours are still full of water. It certainly brought a smile to our face when we went Flyveil Hunting this morning. We seem to have a few "Harry" and "Harriet" Houdinis who are very adept in taking off their fly veil and leaving them in the remotest parts of the paddock (deliberately one would suspect if you knew the personalities of the horses!).

Do Horses Get Upset and show signs of depression? I believe so. Vicky our 3yo Vettori filly who although tried her heart out, was sacked by our trainer cause she was not fast enough (a very good reason i would suspect). Came home to us 3 weeks ago and was promptly sent off to Polo School to see if she would be suitable there.

I might add at this stage that Vicky did not have a mark, a cut or a hair out of place on her.

To start this story back at the beginning of this ill fated trip might be a good idea.

It was about 5 days after the last rain deluge and our house paddocks were very very slushy and yukky. The paddock (opposite our bedroom) has a crush at one end of it and this was where Vick was to get onto the truck. No problems, like a good girl she walked up the crush into the truck, was tied up and then was to be on her way to Polo School (PS for short).

Out of all the places this bloke could have taken the truck, he decided the muddy, slushy yukky spot was where he would drive the truck and indeed he got bogged.

To cut a long and boring part of the story short, an hour or so later, he was on his way with Vick who stood in the truck like a trooper to PS.

Friday I hear back from the prospective new owner that Miss Vick has "suddenly" become a windsucker. This was news to me as according to the trainer she was a good gal in the stables and never did anything silly like windsuck, roar, weave etc etc. Also that she was difficult and threw herself down on the ground and behaved like a mad girl. This was also news to me as I had also been told by the trainer that while Vick was a little bit of a fidget on the ground, to ride her was to be given a ride on an angel.

I got the feeling that the prospective owner really didnt like Vick from the start, so there were now two good reasons why they couldnt take her on. So, Miss Vicky was coming back in the same truck that took her away. I nearly died when i saw her on her return.

Vicky had a huge scar down the front of her face in the shape of a meat hook, it was the length of her nose. She also had had a run in on her near front and took some hair off there. Not to mention a stiff motion when she walked eminating from her hind quarters.

I nearly died.

I let Vicky alone the first day, gave her some dinner and thought i would take a closer look the next day (Saturday).

Come Saturday I was sitting in the study and looked out to the left to see a poor forlorn figure standing very still with her head down, looking very very sad. I got up from my chair and went out to see her.

On hearing my voice she came up to me and put her head into my chest for a cuddle and stood there for what seemed like hours.... I gave her a big cuddle and reassured her that nothing WOULD EVER hurt her, like her experience at PS, again.

Today (Sunday) both Evan and I went "flyveil hunting" which took us around the property and an opportunity to give each horse a cuddle. When we got to Vick, Evan was shocked at how upset she was within herself. Once a vibrant, happy-go-lucky filly now very very sad indeed.

I dont know what happened to Vicky at PS and Iam sure that i would be horrified if I found out what transpired but one thing I do know is that Vicky aint going anywhere soon and we will be keeping a very close eye on how she is, emotionally, over the next few weeks.

Helen.

I know, I know we dont need another broodie or another horse and she would present a couple of thousand to us, which is most wanted... but at what price???

What an amzing day yesterday was. I found out truly what the meaning of "being exhausted" meant.

We had Chris the vet come out to do a few things yesterday. Let me first say that before any of this stuff took place, Evan and I had to play musical horses and move them all around before the vet got here. It also meant stratigically moving them all so they didnt get upset... do you know how upset horses get when you start changing the routine of their lives? They rely on routine, routine, routine... and when you change something, or move someone around, it just about knocks them all around, like falling dominos.

First thing first, Rusty (the 2yo Canadian Silver colt) had to be moved out of the colts paddock. Well, what a to do. Rusty being a very head strong boy and the leader of Maz and Charles (the two other colts in the paddock) did not want to move out of his kingdom. Funny, I thought I heard a very faint, "hahaha sucked-in" in a most musical tone coming from both Maz and Charlie. Both of whom now felt safe without him in the paddock. Little did Charles know what lay in store for him!

So, Rusty was moved to a crush paddock where he would get his balls removed. OUCH!

A question for you all... which Canine had a very delectible dish of "Horse Testicles" for afternoon tea????

Matilda, naturally.

Next on the agenda was for Cheeky Chops (our 5yo Octagonal gelding who has been in the paddock for 12 months with a tendon injury) to be moved to the Hospital Paddock where he would get his tendon scanned. No drama with him, although once in the HP, walked up and down like a caged lion screaming .... "LET ME OUT OF HERE................." Chops was given a clean bill of health to start racing again.

Eric the Horse (Entirely) was to be brought up to be scoped. Eric is a lovely boy who was brought to us as a rescue horse in terrible condition. Eric (3) was retired yesterday and will live the rest of his life with us doing nothing but grazing the property and drinking.

Charles was to be got from his and Maz's paddock to be put in a stable box as he had to be microchipped. Charles decided that he would take a leaf out of Rusty's book and didnt want to be caught. Maz hightailed it right down the other end of the paddock and crossed his back legs and tried to blend in with the grass - "You gotta catch me if you want me....." Iam sure I saw him secretly laughing that he was being left alone.

Oriana and Sunny (the 2yearling fillies) were next. They were being microchipped as well. Talk about being the bobsey twins.

My beautiful Nanna (Splendid Feeling) and her lovely Private Agenda filly, Lily, were next to come up into one of the small paddocks for Nanna's 16day preg test. "OUCH, BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PUT THAT" was the word on Nanna's lips when Chris shoved his arm up her.......... lets just say that there is a lovely wee Canadian Silver baby in there.

Kay (Kwila's Ambition) was the next mare into the crush to see if she was close to being in season. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING...GET YOUR ARM, AND I MEAN YOUR WHOLE ARM OUT OF THERE!!!" Not a follicle in sight. So, a quick job with a hormone should see Kay come into season next week and then will go and visit IRISH ROYAL at Lyndhurst.

Do you ever get the feeling when you have gone to the vets, be it for a dog related trip or to buy something that you should be partaking in their practice's PROFIT SHARING SCHEME? Hmmm after yesteday, I believe that we should be up at the top of the list and our bank balance is feeling extremely nervous.

Meanwhile Turkish Trousers refuses to have her baby and is a week overdue. She watched the whole goings on yesterday from the top paddock. Mind you, she did get a bit narcy and started to whine when she didnt get any hay for lunch yesterday. Trousers has been told today, she has to have the baby before next Saturday as her owners are coming down from Cairns to visit her and her foal. It seems to be the trend this year with pregnant mares i.e. the later the better.

Well that was yesterday, Friday. I must mention that all the horses had to be taken back to their original place of origin. Evan and I came inside and had lunch at 4pm and then dinner at 6. This was followed by an extremely early night with the plan to sleep in a little today (Saturday).... hmmm best laid plans of mice and men.

Helen.

P.S. If you are ever planning to call us here at 6.30am in the morning it had better be for a good reason!!!!

AAAARGH!!!!

WELCOME!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Life and Times of Massie Lodge!Massie Lodge is situated in Warwick, Queensland and is run by me (Helen) and my husband Evan.

At this very point in time our numbers are:-

Dogs: 4 (2 Curlycoated Retrievers, 1 Kelpie Cross and Millie)

Horses: 26 at last count AAArgh! (Thoroughbreds)

Birds: 3 Peachface plus 1 new egg that i spied in the nest

Humans: 2

By the way there is no significance in the order, either!

We are mainly a thoroughbred agisting/spelling and breeding property. However, we do keep retired racehorses, mares that have finished their breeding, and others that have for whatever reason arent racing.

We have 1 filly in work at the moment, STAR FERRY who is by Red Anchor out of a Seventh Hussar mare called Smile's Angel. She is with Greg Kennedy at Caloundra in Queensland. She is about 3 weeks off racing... so that is something really exciting for us.

STAR FERRY, or Susie as she is called at home, was a bit of a mistake actually. Evan, as part of our business Gallopers Australiawide Bloodstock (www.gallopers.com.au) normally attends the Magic Million Monthly sales on behalf of clients, however this particular day I was doing some temp work with Telstra and phoned him during the auction."Has the Red Anchor filly come in yet Evan?" I said, hoping like crazy that she hadnt."Yes, she has just walked in the ring" He said. At that point I felt like she was meant to be ours... i mean the timing was just impeccable! "Why...?""How is the bidding going...?" I asked"$450.00... hang on its $500.""YOU MUST PUT A BID IN... I HAVE TO HAVE HER...."

The rest is as they say, history. Susie has been with us ever since and this is her second preparation with Greg. The first being an educational prep. Poor Evan. I do feel sorry for him because whenI set my mind on something, I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!

This brings to my mind the Magic Millions National Weanling and Broodmare sale in 2003. Our Euclase mare was in the catalogue and being by Euclase, (By Century - Better Boy) I had to have her. Well I sent him down to the Gold Coast on his own. I can remember the tension when Libby came in the ring... he puts up with a lot my Evan does.

Anyway I do digress and you will find in this blog that I do get off one train of thought and go onto another. But one thing I can assure you is that there is never a dull moment here. Watch this space!