My beautiful darling Oriana. Rest in Peace Sweetheart. 

Shortie Pants on her way to the feed shed.  

Ozman. Our Dodge boy out of Zandrea. One thing about all of these babies is that most of them have all taken on the facial features of their mothers. Please note poor Vera in the background of this picture in Feeding Position No. 2 waiting ever-so-patiently for her dinner. 

"Caramel" who is a first season sire Moon Rocket baby. We have almost decided to sell her as a yearling next year. She is next on the Weaning Agenda - but "Shhhh" I havent told her yet.  

"Jakey" who is by Private Agenda out of Miss Independence (Libby) - half brother to Sunny. He is just gorgeous and one of mummie's favourites.... lol 

"Sunny" by Kbenjar out of Miss Independence (Libby). She has lots of bone and will be a nice compact type of filly. Very much like her mum who is a stocky girl. Sunny is a late bloomer...and I think the best is yet to come from her. 

This is the Afleetaffair/Audra filly (who I call the Impossible Princess!) from the yearling sales. She will be with us for a month or so before she will head up north with her owners and their trainer. 

.... AND MORE COMINGS AND GOINGS....

The comings and goings continue here at Massie Lodge :-

Arrival

A beautiful yearling from the sales last weekend. She is by Afleetaffair out of a mare called Audra, I have yet to think of a name for her, although (Impossible) Princess is at the top of the list. She didnt want to get out of the truck when she got here, and has not settled down yet. They are full of grain when they come from the sales, so we are expecting another day or so of silliness from her. But she is a very pretty girl is our Princess. She will stay with us for a month or so until she is to be broken in.

Departures

• Canno and Mosso (Cannington and Mr Moss) leave us today to go back into training. They have been an absolute delight to have and no trouble whatsoever.
  

• Maz left us about 3 weeks ago to start his new life.
  

• The Bobsey twins were sold as a pair and have gone to a new family on the south coast of NSW.
  

• Kay (Kwila's Ambition) has been sold in foal to Irish Royal and will have a beautiful family down in Melbourne who will spoil her rotten.
  

Weaned

April was weaned last weekend from Vera (Ophira) and it was not an easy parting by any stretch of the imagination. Both mum and daughter called and called out for each other for a couple of days. Now April calls for her dinner and Vera waits patiently at her bowl for hers. April is in the process of learning to trust us as both Lenny and Lily did.

Painful

Charlie on full yearling feed and being prepared for the June yearling sales. I think Evan will be happy for July to come around!

Passed On

My beautiful Oriana (Sports Works filly out of Ophira). Was away at the breakers and had a terrible, terrible accident. My, how I miss her beautiful face. Rest in Peace my beautiful baby girl.

Rainfall

Nil. Sorry I do tell a fib, we had 9mm the other week but made no difference whatsoever.

Growing Up

Caramel, Ozzie, Jakey and Shortie - all growing up too fast. Our Kbenjar yearling, Sunny (out of Miss Independence) is growing up nicely and is put together like an outhouse. But thats how I like thoroughbreds, with lots of bone and lots of scope to grow up big and strong.

Visitors to Massie Lodge

Uncle Bob is arriving on Thursday for a few days over Easter. One of Shortie's owners is coming down Saturday for a visit. Sue Black, her grandkids, Tahnika and Cecilia and of course Patch (the dog) will be down on Monday night for a week. Both Evan and I are looking forward to having a full house full of friends over Easter.

Did I say we havent had much rain? Yes I did. If you see any just sitting around doing nothing, can you send it this way? I promise we will look after it.

Helen :-)

See that cloud above Massie Lodge... it amounted to nothing - as usual. AAAAAArgh! 

This is Shortie Pants after a belly full of feed - asleep on her feet. Her eyes were shut, she was breathing deeply and quite content to stand behind mum and have a "catnap" while she licked the bowl! Shortie is a real sweetie. 

Oh, there is Jakey again. Mummy's boy... :-) 

Bessie Merle Robinson and Jake (and his mum Libby with the big tum in the background). He is a real sweetheart and, like Lily, has the beautiful temperament of Private Agenda. He is my Better Boy. 

View From Slavin (the Chestnut) and Rona (not her real name but her colour reminded me of roan). Rona is a real sweetie. They are never apart from each other, they walk in pairs, they eat in pairs, they pooh in pairs... etc. etc.. otherwise known as THE BOBSEY TWINS! 

Canno (Cannington - grey) and Mosso (Mr. Moss) - sounds like a comedy act? Actually they are 2 gentleman. 

This is RUSTY. Safe and sound in the Hospital Paddock. I have since removed the sign from his forehead which says, "HIT ME HERE!" 

Accident Prone...

Is the name we are thinking for one of the residents here at Massie Lodge. I have never come across a horse like this. If there is a piece of wire sticking up, or if there is an insect to be found looking for a target - iam sure that he has a big sign saying "Bite me here", or "Wrap the wire around this leg" ???

Actually, I should retitle this Blog to.... "THE TROUBLE WITH RUSTY...."

Rusty is our 2yo Canadian Silver gelding. He and Eric the Horse though they would play Harries Houdini and slip out the back fence onto the railway track. But they didnt stop there did they... no, they took themselves across the road to a nice grassy bit. Eric the Horse was fine, but Rusty? Nooooooo way, he found some wire and also gave himself a stone bruise to boot. We have since mended that piece of fence (just to clarify, the railway track is not busy, its a good railway line, not a passenger train) and Eric has had to get used to life without his partner in crime, Rusty. (Who is now up in the hospital paddock, feeling very sorry for himself indeed).

It was a very interesting time with the farrier this morning trying to do Rusty's feet. I think he got 3 of them done... and the 4th... will have to wait till next week (hopefully that stone bruise will of come to a head by then).

Ah yes, Farrier Day at Massie Lodge. Not quite sure which one of the 3 of us is the most tired after it... but at least all the horses have nice feet now. Miss Lily, our weanling girl had hers done for the first time and what a good girl she was! We decided that Master Lenny would miss this round as he has been quite a handful and the penny has just dropped with him and leading.

Master Charlie (our yearling boy), had his done in preparation for the sale in June. He will have a date with Adam the Farrier for some shoes prior to the sales. Lucky Adam!

Our agisters, Rona and View from Slavin (2 3yo fillies by Frisco View) - better known as the "Bobsey Twins", were most cooperative. Cannington and Mr. Moss (now known as Canno and Mosso) were angels.

Adam will be back in a few weeks to finish off a few of the old girls that he missed. WOW what fun that will be!

Rain still seems to elude us and it has become a sport to us to watch the storms go round our property. Its so frustrating... and everything that turned green is going brown again. Surely, it has to rain soon? No? AAAAAArgh!

We have finally got through Bessie Merle and her season although Iam beginning to worry that Lancelot is gay. Hmmm. Has anyone heard of homosexuality in dogs?

Next week sees number three in the weaning process with April ready to leave her mum. Its funny watching the babies become more independent. You see the babies up one end of the paddock and the mums up the other.... However, it does make me laugh when one of the babies has a panic attack and calls out to mum for dear life... "Muuuuuum, where the hell are you????" I dont think that April will be a difficult baby, however, she has a mind of her own that girl. It has taken Evan this long to get through to Lenny that he is not a boogey man.

Oh well, life continues on at Massie Lodge, one day at a time.

P.S. Can someone do a rain dance pleeeeease?