You Know When It's Freezing When........

you open the door to the refrigerator to get the milk out and your hands feel warmer inside than outside????

Seriously, it has been very, very cold here at Massie Lodge with it being - 4 this morning at about 7am. I had a very serious argument with myself when I woke up.... Do I...

Stay Under the Doona ... ?

Get Up and Help Evan ... ?

Stay Under the Doona ... ?

Get Up and Help Evan ... ?

After making an agonising decision, I compromised with myself and decided to stay under the doona until I drank my cup of tea and then got out (all rugged up including scarf) and stoked the fire and made Evan a hot breakfast.

Brrrr. Its taken all this time (the middle of August) to actually get to winter! Go figure.

Once again I find myself sitting here thinking about all the comings and goings here at Massie Lodge and my thoughts turn to an incident that happened on friday that really needs airing.

Track Work Riders........

Our beautiful Sunny went up to Pauls on Wednesday (no, the truck company didnt call), and Paul has not been able to get any of the track work riders to work her. WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THEM???? Even Paul's own girl , turned her nose up when asked to work Sunny around the Bull Ring at Toowoomba Turf Club. Ok, that was enough for me to get worked up (funnily enough, it does take me some pushing to get worked up....) but this was ridiculous! Sunny is as placed as... is quiet as a mouse.... and how the hell is she to be prepared for the Ready to Runs if no one will work her???? Why is it that they are so scared to ride the young ones? You would think that Jockeys would not have a sense of fear when it came to riding any horse? How are the young ones supposed to get educated if no one will ride them?

As you can probably tell, (sorry I digress, but iam looking over my computer screen now and at the moment Iam seeing Queenie galloping past, tail in the air.... oh and there is a buck..... squeeling as she flies past... anyone want to put her into work? Probably wouldnt get anyone to work her as she is "TOO OLD") I am pretty annoyed with this situation... actually it doesnt end there.

I thought I would get on the phone and see if speaking to anyone might help. First stop Toowoomba Turf Club. No. No response there, I was told to ring Queensland Racing. Ok, I make the call and wonder what the reception will be from the State body. First off I speak to the "Receptionist - type " person. Now, he takes my enquiry personally and gets very upset with me and fobs me off to another person. This other person gets on the phone and I can tell by his demeaner how he is going to treat my enquiry. Obviously, with the contempt that he feels that I deserve. Lucky for him that I was in "Telstra" mode and not in attack mode.

Basically he said to me that he "understands" why no one is riding the youngster as they are trying to keep themselves free of injury. If that is the case, how come other youngsters are being ridden who are out and out lunatics? I said to him thats just crazy, how do the youngsters learn how to become racehorses? He didnt like my response and went quiet.

I asked him did he know of any one who might be able to do the track work... and he said no... and I said to him... "We are paying good money per day to get our horse trained... and no body will bloody ride her, what is wrong with the lot up there???"

"Now, now Mrs. Robinson, there is no need for you to get upset and angry"

UPSET AND ANGRY??? I thought I hadnt even reached "Upset and Angry", although "Upset and Angry" was fast approaching.

"Leave it with me and I will see if I can find someone to help you out" he said.

Yeah, yeah right. Like hell.

Grrrr. Double Grrr. Boy did that get me riled up.... but I was most surprised at my control of my temper... (not that I have one...)and after hanging up from the gentleman, left the office and went for a walk in the arctic temperatures of Toowoomba to cool down.

What is wrong with these people? Perhaps its like most areas in this industry... cliquey? Surely if this is the case, why isnt there room for newbies in the industry?

One of the main reasons I gave up showing my dogs was because of the "cliqueness" that was rife in that area. It didnt matter if you had a champion dog ... the thing that mattered most was who was holding the leash!! AAArgh!

Hmmmm. I dont know where this all ends... why cant people just help other people when they need some help? Obviously its too much to ask, especially in this industry where its trainers against trackwork riders/jockeys, American Shuttlers against the Colonial Boys and so on.

Life. Always look on the bright side..... Hah!

Helen.

She looks just like my beautiful Vera... 

A big welcome to "Madely Miss" or Maddie to Massie Lodge. Maddie is in foal to Dantibes and will foal mid September. I think she is booked in to go to Monashee Mountain. Lucky girl! :) 

ODDS AND SODS

Yes, today's post is rather all over the place with bits and pieces from everywhere.... however, the funny thing is that they mostly fit into the "Odds and Sods" Categories... so lets get to it!

Odd...

It has come to my attention that there is one part of Cannington's paddock that he wont venture into. You can leave hay, a feed tin full to the brim with feed, sugar, whatever.... but he will just not venture into this part of the paddock. Very strange behaviour from the spelling grey horse me thinks.. unless of course there is something there that only equines can see, or smell. It's like there is an invisible barrier... who knows? (music from the Twilight Zone)...

Sods...

Now the "sods" part is an easy part to write because there are so many of them around! Where do I start? Ok. Transport companies (yes, them!) We called them yesterday to come and take Sunny up to the trainers to start getting ready for the ready-to-runs. While most organised companies can say to you... "Yes, we will be there tomorrow, in the afternoon and will give you a call on approach". Not this mob. I think the response we got was ... "Awwww I think we are down your way t'morra or the next day...cant tell you when, but will pick her up. I will call you" HAH! Not a word was heard today from them. Am I surprised? No, Iam not. (lound grrr). What a shocker!

Odd...

The way the form is on the Queensland Racing site. It is in an Adobe file, however, you can never quite read the horse that lands on the bottom of each page because the page breaks the information up and it flicks over . I must admit that I was brought up on a diet of Racenet form and I actually do like that the best... easy to read etc etc... C'mon guys, lets see you get rid of that Adobe business!!!



Odd...

The way Matilda sits in front of the heater in the study and stares into the heat and is deliriously happy when she is doing it. Yes, a strange dog at times and please note not from my side of the family...lol

Sod...

A prospective purchaser of a horse gets a horse vetted including scoped and the horse passes the inspection with flying colours and then says that the horse isnt long enough??? Whatever happened to a good horse is never a bad colour? Hmmm.

I could go on with the Sods for a while.......................... (better change the mood)...

Odd...

Is the colour of my hair at the moment after having a brain wave to put some life in to it.... (Sod is the company that made the colour because im sure they put the wrong colour in the wrong bottle??)

******** o0o *********

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

All is going ahead nicely with Susie at Paul's. Tuesdsay sees a jump out at Toowoomba and then I guess on to a race start. Now if only the transport company will come and pick up Sunny? Maybe I should run another book?

Tomorrow sees me back at work... and Evan managing both the property and Gallopers single handedly (hmm is there such a word??), gee he is a clever fellow is my Evan.

Oh, Oh... there is one more Sod.........

Sod... (BIG SOD)

Actually SOTM (Sod Of The Month) goes to the ACCC who basically told Evan to get lost when he wrote to them about the Sky/Austar problem that occured over the weekend. Well done lads. Not.

Life (is wasted on the sods)

Helen.

... and finally Little Joe gets his own picture 

NO I DONT WANT A CHAT CHARLIE! BUGGAR OFF! 

Charley continues to see if Hava wants a chat.............. and Little Joe wants attention.... "I want my picture taken too!!!" 

Young Charlie (Immovable Option/Kwila's Ambition) getting to know Havachat, who was not sure if she felt like a chat with the young boy. Little Jo (on the left) has just noticed me in the paddock.... 

Queenie meanwhile is on lawnmower duty. 5 mins after this picture was taken she was off out the front gate and on her way to Brisbane (or to the colt that lives 2 doors down.....lol) 

Cannington in the corner of his paddock that he likes to be in.....the one next to Queenie! 

Matilda. Please only take photos of my left side!!!!  

Sunday, Just Isnt Sunday....

... without a sleep in, your first cup of tea brought to you and a lazy breakfast out on the back verandah! Buggar the morning newspaper.... I dont want to hear the headlines, I dont want to see any politicians trying to win popularity points on the TV and I definitely dont want my mobile phone playing it's "Bewitched" theme (I must change that too).

Surely there can be one day in the week that I dont have to suffer any of the above? I sit down and join Evan outside and we both start munching into our vegemite toast - I have my cup of coffee at the ready.... and then Evan's phone rings.............

"I want to buy a racehorse... it must be in full work....... it must have the champion ability of Sunline, the looks of Lonhro and I will only pay $2000!" He continues.... "It musnt do anything silly like windsuck or weave or roar, it must have perfect legs and feet, and (wait for it....) it must only have had a few starts - I dont want any of those rejects who have had 20 starts..."

"Oh and I dont want it vet checked!"

By this stage, Evan has gone into his Gallopers routine.... and has started to pace up and down the lounge room as he speaks. The faster he paces the harder this conversation is getting.

Even when you buy a horse that has been vet checked, there are no guarantees... take for example Cheeky Chops, he was poked, prodded and scoped by a leading vet... but he still bowed his tendon in his second start.

The conversation continues on (its been 45minutes) and I can see Evan's ear starting to radiate green from the mobile phone. Evan has gone through every horse on the list $2,000 and under but still no excitement from the other party as none of them are Sunline or Lonhro.

Perhaps an unraced / untried horse might be the go? Perhaps Sunline II is hiding in there?

No, nothing there...

What about a Yearling? No, too expensive to break in and train up.

The conversation continues on and its now been 56 minutes. I can see that Evan has gone into diplomatic mode and has suggested that the prospective buyer try the Magic Millions site.

Whoever said that there is glamour in the Bloodstock industry must have been off their trolley at the time. From what we have found its an industry of fashion (likes and dislikes), people not returning phone calls and people who bypass the Bloodstock Agent and go straight to the trainer and forget about the person who is trying to make a living selling thoroughbreds!

Where is the glamour? With Gallopers we deal with every day people who have a dream to race a thoroughbred and why shouldn't they? This sport is for everyone!

Finally the conversation winds up (after 1hr and 15mins) and the intended buyer decides to watch the site and wait for Sunline II at $2,000 (with all the conditions of course!) to appear on the site.

Evan turns off his phone and comes back outside, shakes his head and grumbles at me. I laugh because I know as much as he grumbles about it, that this business is under his skin and in his blood and he couldnt leave it even if he wanted to.

We are joined on the verandah by all of the canines with Bessie Merle looking for a special cuddle from her dad. I look up to see Queenie coming into the house paddock and notice that Caramel is flying round her yard like a mad thing. Our resident family of Magpies have decided to see whats on offer and are sitting on the house paddock fence.

Its gotta be damn close to heaven? You think?


Helen.

Leonard Skinner. He's just a funny boy..... who has a new toy... a soccer ball with a rope on it... he picks it up and flings it around and hits himself in the head....as I said, funny boy! 

New arrival to Massie Lodge, Throb. AKA Lightning Angel. Still settling in in his new surroundings 

My little boy, Jakey... who is a yearling now... gotta love the Jakestar! 

Havachat.... who wasnt in the mood today... for a chat that is.... talk about bossy britches! 

My beautiful Snooks.... aka Silken Snooks... gotta love my Century gal :) 

JULES aka Summer Morn.... who is visiting Aucash this year. 

Evan and Bessie Merle on the side verandah. Dig that crazy hat of Evans! :) 

STOP THE PRESSES!

I think that I spoke too soon.

A message has just came across our TV Screen and it says the following:-


"Due to local action taken by Sky Channel, TVN has been suspended from broadcast. We will fight this action and hope to restore this channel to you."


MONGRELS!

Life. Its alright if you live in the city.

Helen.