T’was the season to be……
Exhausted, cranky, tired etc etc… Don’t you just love Christmas? Actually, I can’t really complain about the festive season this year, which is a real surprise. Our Christmas went a little like this:-
Friday Night
Drinks over with the neighbours. Isn’t it funny how one drink turns into 21? But in all honesty it was a good night and especially the fact that all we had to do is traipse across the paddock, past Trousers and Shorts and climb under the bottom rail. Then, to negotiate the steel poles that were left on the ground, be greeted by our Neighbour’s dogs Lochie and Prince, walk past the shed and the absolutely gorgeous Carbon Fibre colt, then to be greeted by little Johnnie. FINALLY we made it!
We finally made the return journey cross-paddock after midnight only to be greeted by Bessie Merle, Lancey, Millsie and Matilda. Who then demanded their dinner?
Saturday
Exhausted, cranky, tired etc etc… Don’t you just love Christmas? Actually, I can’t really complain about the festive season this year, which is a real surprise. Our Christmas went a little like this:-
Friday Night
Drinks over with the neighbours. Isn’t it funny how one drink turns into 21? But in all honesty it was a good night and especially the fact that all we had to do is traipse across the paddock, past Trousers and Shorts and climb under the bottom rail. Then, to negotiate the steel poles that were left on the ground, be greeted by our Neighbour’s dogs Lochie and Prince, walk past the shed and the absolutely gorgeous Carbon Fibre colt, then to be greeted by little Johnnie. FINALLY we made it!
We finally made the return journey cross-paddock after midnight only to be greeted by Bessie Merle, Lancey, Millsie and Matilda. Who then demanded their dinner?
Saturday
Lets just say that we greeting the holiday with a hangover!
Ah Christmas Day. After the traditional cutting of the ham for toast on Christmas Day and the opening of Pressies, we made our way up to Brisbane to have lunch at my Uncle’s place.
I must say that Lunch was enjoyable even though it was quite strange sitting there with my “long lost” brother, I thought to myself how the years had been very hard on him and his partner. However, I know that drugs be it a narcotic or alcohol, will do that to you.
While it was nice to see everyone, it was even nicer to be coming home again.
Sunday
Off again this time into Carindale, a suburb of Brisbane to have a BBQ with some of our friends. Lunch was had (yes more food to contend with), and then we were off again home to feed the 4 paws and 4 hooved ones that were waiting for us once again.
By this time, both Evan and I are just plain exhausted and don’t want to have to drive for quite some time.
All is peaceful once again at Massie Lodge. Then Thursday comes around.
You know, it just never ceases to amaze me how many people in this world walk around with blinkers on with matching earmuffs and their brains shoved up their.......... hmmmm. I digress... slightly
Where was I before I rudely interrupted my train of thought?
Ah yes, the festive season………………….
New Years Eve
My brother Neil, his friend Jan and my nephew Adam came up for a couple of days and a good time was had by all! It was great to see Neil, Adam and Jan. It’s a pity that the New Year doesn’t come in any earlier in the night, as we all struggled to keep our eyes open!
Jan fell in love with Vera (my Prego Mare) and her filly, April who are now the established Victor mowers around our property and loving every minute of it. Its nice sitting on the verandah and looking up to see a big Chestnut face eating the grass near where you are sitting!
Speaking of the “kids”……….
Vera is doing much better now and we are very happy with her recovery , whatever infection she had seems to have disappeared and she certainly is doing much better in the coat and condition wise. April seems to be benefiting from Vera feeling much better as her foal hair is just about all gone. Just quietly I think that they both love the attention. Actually, right now if I look out my right hand side window (Iam sitting in the study), I can see Vera’s beautiful chestnut face right up at the window looking in and thinking “what the hell is going on in there?”….
Ah Christmas Day. After the traditional cutting of the ham for toast on Christmas Day and the opening of Pressies, we made our way up to Brisbane to have lunch at my Uncle’s place.
I must say that Lunch was enjoyable even though it was quite strange sitting there with my “long lost” brother, I thought to myself how the years had been very hard on him and his partner. However, I know that drugs be it a narcotic or alcohol, will do that to you.
While it was nice to see everyone, it was even nicer to be coming home again.
Sunday
Off again this time into Carindale, a suburb of Brisbane to have a BBQ with some of our friends. Lunch was had (yes more food to contend with), and then we were off again home to feed the 4 paws and 4 hooved ones that were waiting for us once again.
By this time, both Evan and I are just plain exhausted and don’t want to have to drive for quite some time.
All is peaceful once again at Massie Lodge. Then Thursday comes around.
You know, it just never ceases to amaze me how many people in this world walk around with blinkers on with matching earmuffs and their brains shoved up their.......... hmmmm. I digress... slightly
Where was I before I rudely interrupted my train of thought?
Ah yes, the festive season………………….
New Years Eve
My brother Neil, his friend Jan and my nephew Adam came up for a couple of days and a good time was had by all! It was great to see Neil, Adam and Jan. It’s a pity that the New Year doesn’t come in any earlier in the night, as we all struggled to keep our eyes open!
Jan fell in love with Vera (my Prego Mare) and her filly, April who are now the established Victor mowers around our property and loving every minute of it. Its nice sitting on the verandah and looking up to see a big Chestnut face eating the grass near where you are sitting!
Speaking of the “kids”……….
Vera is doing much better now and we are very happy with her recovery , whatever infection she had seems to have disappeared and she certainly is doing much better in the coat and condition wise. April seems to be benefiting from Vera feeling much better as her foal hair is just about all gone. Just quietly I think that they both love the attention. Actually, right now if I look out my right hand side window (Iam sitting in the study), I can see Vera’s beautiful chestnut face right up at the window looking in and thinking “what the hell is going on in there?”….
Oriana is still with us and will be agisting with us till the end of the month when her new owner will send her to be broken in.
Missymoo, our 3yo Kinjite filly has come home for a freshen up from the breakers and will go back in 3 weeks time.
Trousers and Shorts have come home from Lyndhurst hopefully with Trousers in foal to Irish Royal. Perhaps a little light for my liking, but nothing a stint down the back paddock wont cure.
Nanna, Sweetie and Libby, our 3 girls in foal (Nanna is in foal and Sweetie and Libby are to be 45day tested next week) are doing well together down the back in our 30 acre paddock. Their babies, Lily (Nanna), Jake (Libby) and Lenny (Sweetie) have formed a little herd of their own and the boys are doing much better since coming home. Lily is an amazing filly and has now turned black (from brown). Odds on I think she will be a grey! She is a cracker of a filly and there is no way that she is being sold…. Well… I’am hoping that she won’t be sold…….. AAAAArgh!
Kay (Kwilas Ambition), my beautiful black mare, is in foal to Irish Royal and she is thriving since coming home.
And Chops….
Is still king of the girls and all the horses and still a right pain in the butt.
Susie (Star Ferry) hopefully will get a run on Sunday at the Sunshine Coast in a 1400m maiden. She did some fast work today and they were pretty pleased with her. Greg has changed tack with her training and has started giving her different work, rather than track work and is certainly thriving on the change, with the evidence in her fast work. Yes! She has got herself a start and Matty Morris will be riding her on Sunday (he does most of her work) and all going well, will continue to ride her if she pulls up well after tomorrow. Next stop is a step up to 1600m at Toowoomba next Saturday. GO THE GIRL.
Not that I have anything against the senior jocks, however, I do believe that there is some advantage with keeping the rider who does the track work. They know their horse. They know all their idiosyncrasies, the good bits and the bad bits… I actually like that. Matty is a good horseman and knows his horses – I like that as well.
Charlie (our Immovable Option yearling) has started his preparation for the sales next year. He is certainly proving a handful on one side… but on the other side a pleasure…. Sunny (our Kbenjar filly out of Libby), will be next up. Evan is great with the horses, especially the youngsters, very respectful yet firm if you know what I mean.
Dopey, Summer, Mariko and Eric the Horse continue to munch away happily down in the retirement paddocks, they are all looking very healthy indeed with grass bellies and a nice shiny coat.
Vicky (Vetiole) is having a visitor this afternoon all the way from Taree in NSW. I hate this part of the business and I just hope that if this guy buys her, he is kind to her and loves her as much as I do.
Ok I think that I have bent your ear for enough this time…………
Its now 2005… a whole new year… full of exciting opportunities, chances, dreams and horses. Perhaps it’s also a year for Lancelot and Bessie Merle to have puppies?
In fact, looking back to 2004…. Apart from a few hiccups and bumps in the road, it was a year full of good experiences and new friends that we have met through Massie Lodge. You cant ask for more than that.
Bring it all on 2005!
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