Please Forgive Me...

for not posting.

It's not that I haven't wanted to... it's just that we have been a hive of activity here at Massie Lodge and only now (after the last visitor, my brother Neil) has left that I have had the time to sit and do it!

Have we been busy? Yes we have.

Friday ... wake up at 6.30am and instantly turn into Martha Stewart and use my magic wand to clean up Massie Lodge for our visitors that were arriving at 2.00pm (I wish!). Not forgetting to help Evan with the Equine residents that also require regular attention and love.

By 1.00pm we have both had it. LOL. The house is spotless, the canine residents have been shuttled out the back house paddock for a few hours (Matilda has the worst habit of chasing the vacuum cleaner.... AAArgh!) and we are both looking forward to kicking back and enjoying the company of our friends from Mt. Tamborine, Michael and Di and my brother Neil (all pictured above enjoying breakfast on the verandah) who is flying up from Sydney for 4 days. (Surely its time to open the bar at 2pm?) lol

After a very big night of eating, drinking and laughing, I woke up a little "shady" on Saturday and had to get stuck into the Berroca to get myself ready for the Warwick Races that day.

After a few (???) more glasses of champagne at the races, I suggest to everyone to come back for dinner on Saturday night.

I call Evan...

"Hello Evan, I think we are having 6 people over for dinner tonight.... what is in the freezer??"

Thank goodness for home-made Pizzas.... lol

After crawling into bed after midnight, we both fall into a deep coma, only to be awakened by Matilda at 7am. Max and Jimmy call out and tell us that they are feed deficient and have to be fed NOW!

Life is sensational.

Helen.

The gals ... Tanya, Wendy and Kassy 

The mounting enclosure... 

... The Members Area at Warwick Turf Club 

Crowds to the left of me... 

... Crowds to the right of me... 

Thank you to Tuscan Jazz (a four year old Chariot mare) who gave me a very nice return for my $25 bet that I won on the day. :) 

Miss Maddie waiting patiently for her dinner... and hoping that the rain keeps away till then! 

Joie looking resplendent in her mud coat  

Iam Max... and Iam muddy (sorry dad!) 

Bessie Merle and Milly not game to come out with the skies grumbling above... 

Spikey-man .... out with his mum trying to feed the hooved-ones before it rains... 

Not long after this, the skies opened... :) 

At this stage, its hissing down.... which is absolutely fantastic for this time of year! 

And Now For Something Completely Different...

.... taking Spikey man to the vet.

LOL ... did I say different?

hahaha

Yes, that's how we spent this morning, taking Spikey man to see Elicia, the dog vet in at Warwick Vets after jumping off Evan's ute (which Iam sure was encouraged by Matilda!), while he was driving at 5okm/h and did a nose dive into the road...

Luckily a cut gum and chin is the only result of Spikey's daredevil adventure - and it could of been much worse.

After taking Spikey into the vet it was back to fixing up the fence for Evan (which is nearly finished (thank goodness) and me catching up on some domestic stuff (which of course is my most favourite thing in the world to do - NOT).

All the residents are doing well and enjoying the warmer days ...

As I look out over the monitor from the study window, I can see the late afternoon sunset reflecting off the beautiful Maddie standing quietly, having a pick - what a beautiful time of the afternoon it is!

Helen.

Standing At the Gate

to the back paddock, hay in hand I spot the two ladies right at the far back fence of their 30 acre paddock ... I call out .... "SWEETIE .... c'mon!!"

Her chestnut head turns towards me and I can see her thinking to herself ... " Could this possibly be a a food call? Or, is she going to do something to me? Ah, hay in hand, all clear Libby - let's go!"

I dont have to shout twice as I can see that she has decided its a food call rather a call for a pat or something useless like that.

I feel the ground start to rumble underneath me..... Shorts (Pictured above, eating her lunch...) and Floss in their yard are galloping around like mad things. Lenny and Jake feel the movement in the earth's crust as well and start squealing and bucking like a couple of banshees.

Could this be an earthquake? Could this be the end of the world as we know it?

Ah, no... its Sweetie and Libby moving "quickly" over to the gate to get to their hay. This gait is known as the trobbling gait ... which is trotting and wobbling at the same time!

LOL

As I watch Sweetie and Libby come over to me I have to laugh at their stomachs .... as they wobble over its amazing just how much bigger they seem and with them now officially in their last trimester they are going to get a lot bigger and Sweetie's fuse diminish to almost nothing!

'Tis a lovely time of the year me thinks.

Helen.

Sweetie... having her lunch ... looking very good in coat and tummy! 

The Beautiful Miss Libby in full pregnancy bloom :-) 

Leo's mare that we "watched" overnight ... although you cant see, bubs has dropped and is ready for takeoff!! 

One not very happy Bessie Merle (with Lance in the background not being very happy about bath time either!) after having a bath this morning. Both Evan and I agree, the smell of au-de-deadroo is NOT very pleasant! 

IT'S OFFICIAL....

It's the weekend and possibly a good chance for a sleep in....Hmmm, maybe not... this morning I did wake up with Spikey man up on the bed and curled up next to me and hogging all the blanket (and Evan was not impressed!).

Not much time to muck around this morning as I was off to have morning tea with a friend in Killarney (which did go on for a few hours!) and Millie was coming along for the trip. It was certainly nice sitting on Kassy's verandah having a few cups of coffee, enjoying the very lovely sunny morning.

While I was gone, work continued around Massie Lodge with Evan moving Shorts and Flossie back into their paddock with the newly completed steel fence and bringing The Diva out into the bigger yard next to Max and Jim; mind you they are both on watch as you are never quite sure when a young man's mind will turn to a lovely mare - and given that Spring is nearly in the air!

Evan and I are on mare watch for our next door neighbour Leo whose Stylish Century mare is due to give birth to her Catcher in the Rye foal in the next day or so. So that's what we will be doing tonight and tomorrow.

Well, time for me to relax a bit more.... gee I love Saturday afternoons (and Sunday mornings even better!).

Talk again soon!

Helen.

Tuesday is ...

hell day?

No, not quite, but a very busy day for both Evan and I with Adam coming this morning to trim 8 mares which took about 3 or so hours...

And the Farrier Academy Awards for the following categories go to ....

Fidgit of the Day Goes to ..... Joie.... who would not stand still!
Hardest Mare to Catch Goes to ..... Vera ... who at 20 has decided that she is past all this stuff
Windsucker of the Day Award Goes to ... who else? Trousers... who loves the taste of steel
Best Behaved Mare of the Day Award Goes to ... Maddie .... except when Joie stuck her nose up Maddie's bum and Maddie tried to lash out and kick her, but instead only just missed Adam instead!

lol

(I digress....)


Muck about on the Studbook site for at least an hour trying to work out how to navigate around it.

Then it was into Warwick to get horsefeed ....

Then check the postbox....

Get some more petrol at some outrageous price.....

Zoom home in time to give the equine's their lunch...

Feed the human population at Massie Lodge .....???

Wait for Chris the vet who came out to take a look at Joseph's leg. 45 mins later ...

Time to rug, de-pooh and feed the critters

Fix up Gallopers website...

Add some news to Australian Thoroughbred Watch ....

Upload photos....

I have to say that Iam exhausted. The time now is 8.42pm and I have just about had enough of this computer, and of Tuesday.

The canine population of Massie Lodge is also flat out in a coma after following us around all day. Lancey (pictured above) decided when we were down the back to try out one of the back dams... and as you will see by his legs, didnt have quite enough water in it for him to have a swim!

But in all honesty, I wouldnt be anywhere else.

Time to go and put my feet up and watch some trash on tv!

Helen.

"Is it ok if I just fall asleep..... just wake me when you have finished...." 

"I cant watch!" Southern aka Another Southern 

Queenie, aka "Why For Not" ....  

The Beautiful Maddie .... a gorgeous girl who is going to go off and find a husband this season :-) 

"Oh dad can I rest my head on your shoulder?" The Lovely Maddie 

The Peanut Gallery (Trousers and Vera)... please note that Trousers has found something to um, er grab on to.... lol 

"Hah, if you think Iam going to stand still while you trim my feet, you have GOT to be kidding...." (Joie de Victorie)