Poor Paisley.

There was a trip to the vet, some general anaesthetic, a scalpel wielded, and a sore little boxer girl. Paisley has had her womanly bits removed. YAY!!

She was so excited to go to the vets this morning. Her tune has changed. She got home, promptly threw up on the kitchen floor and has just fallen into bed asleep. A big day for a little girl.

Poor Paisley.

a list of simples.....

The almost springing sun streaming through the leadlight of a door that once lived in a Californian bungalow but now furnishes the entrance to our strawbale house.

Three hairy fat ponies staring longingly over a fence at pasture that is screaming to be grazed, but full of springly sugars that are equine forboden.

Two sleeping boxers catching a quick nanna nap before venturing outside for the last play of the day.

Naughty chickens laying their eggs anywhere but in their laying boxes.

Fruit trees that are shaking off the last of their winter sleep before bursting into blossom.

......spring is almost here.....

Saddling Up on a Gorgeous Winter Day

Today was such a lovely day that I simply could not resist saddling up the pony and tootling around the paddocks.

Which of course, gave me the perfect opportunity to photograph Cash in all of his stepping out on the town gear. Cash is my primary riding horse. He is a 16hh hairy yeti of a Standardbred. Come late spring he will be less yeti-like.

First of all I had to go find him. He had been lying down have a siesta in the sun. Despite so much horse/ground contact he wasn´t too muddy.

The biggest issue I always have with haltering up Cash is the appaloosa that is always attached to the lead rein.

I was kind of hoping for a good over the shoulder shot. I usually have two horses following Cash and myself through the paddocks.

Firstly Cash´s ¨sneakers¨. Yes, my horse wears hoof boots with pads inside to cushion his soles and hoof frogs. Earlier this year he was diagnosed with Navicular Syndrome which was downgraded to laminitis. He may have navicular changes, but seeing as he moves freely and happily when wearing boots and pads, we will just continue to do just that. As my vet chiro said she can xray Cash´s hooves from various angles and give me a definitive diagnosis of navicular, but the management will still remain the same. So she recommended NOT xraying and just continue with boots and pads anyway and save myself alot of money along the way. Sensible woman.

I forgot to take a closeup pic of Cash´s bitless bridle. It is a Nurtural Bitless Bridle from Canada. I am still on the fence with this bitless bridle, but as my instructor says, if it works, it works. So I am still using it. Besides it matches Cash´s saddle perfectly.

This is Cash´s new saddle in all of its comfortable glory. It is a WoW saddle and although the name is a little corny, it is true. You sit in the saddle and the first word out of your mouth is ¨Wow!¨, actually I my first words were ¨OMG!¨ Deliberately, of course. I am not a trend sheep.

And check out those stirrups! My absolute favourites, they sit at a 90 degree angle to the horse so are always able to picked up by the feet easily. When you have crappy knees like mine, these stirrups are a kneesaver.

I didn´t even THINK to take some pics from the saddle and my photographer was at work. I am a pretty useless blogger!!!!

All in all it was a lovely day for tootling.

A Little Op Shop Haul

Having been over to Saving For Travel and reading about her charity shop hauls, I figured it was about time that a) I post something and b) share some of my little second hand finds. The first is my gorgeous set of Daffodil yellow plates and bowls. I LOVE this setting! It is my little piece of summer in the midst of winter.

Next is my little pudding bowls. I adore bowls for eating from, serving from, cooking in or even just putting little treasures. A bowl begs to receive, whether that be nourishment, gifts, love or respect. The humble curves protect precious cargo. Bowls exist to be filled.

My next few finds reveal my shoe fetish, in particular for heels. These purple velvet pointies are lethal and tacky in extremis with their golden cobweb heels. Still, I love them!

The next is a puddle of glam. A lovely beaded sequinned evening purse for the outrageous sum of one dollar. The silver cuff is is peppered with amethyst stones and is quite unlike any other piece of jewellery that I own. Still, I am prepared to live on the edge, a little.

Heels, heels and more heels. The yellow pair were a complete impulse buy. The yellow dinner setting set me off on a tangent of sunshine and these shoes were sitting in an op shop begging to be purchased...so I did. The pink shoes are simply divine. My kind of prettiness that teams up so well with denim. The grey high heels were another surprise find. I don´t often find shoes in my hoofsize, so when I find them, if I like them, I buy them.

...and one of Rubin, just because he is a big spunk!

WoW

Yes, I am back in the saddle on my pony and loving it simply because I have a new saddle that both of us love. I have a beautiful KN Symphonie Dressage Saddle that I adore...so comfy, the leather is beautiful it looks an absolute treat on any horse. However Cash decided that despite a few professional fittings that he was not going to have a bar of it. Out came the treeless saddle. He loves it. I hate it. It was further exacerbating my almost constant back pain. I didn´t ride. He went lame...no biggie. I was faced with retiring him.

Then our chiro vet assessed Cash, recommended popping him in hoof boots and getting out there and riding him. My lower back groaned at the thought. I used every excuse under the sun NOT to ride Cash. (It is really all the treeless saddles fault!)

Then I got trapped at work by the rally organiser who railroaded me into joining the Standardbred Riding Group which meant that I would have to get in the saddle again. Which I did and hated it.

I attended riding group with my lovely steed and we both had a blast.

Then my riding instructor, who hates the treeless saddle as much as I do, tried her saddle on Cash and lo and behold it fitted and he was a very happy camper.

Then I happened across one of these saddles second hand, had a riding lesson in it....and I fell in love with horse riding all over again. While I began the riding lesson with spasming lower back pain, I ended the lesson pain free. I am STILL pain free. This saddle may just save me spending money on specialists that I pay to keep me upright and walking. It has already saved me $65 this week alone.

WoW.

What a saddle.

My Little Camera at the ¨Dome¨

Of course, not in my hands, but the hands of one of HH´s workmates.

Not bad for a point and shoot.

HH is a diehard Western Bulldogs fan. He has held the same seats through three name changes of the venue and twelve years. He has seen the same supporters grow older, grow wiser, learn about the game and go through weird piercings and now bringing their children to the game. There are new babies, new walking aids, new hearing aids, new partners, and new supporters. Grey hair, pink hair, freshly bobbed hair and no hair. I could have added no teeth to the list, but that would have been more indicative of a Collingwood supporter profile.

As Australian Rules Football is a winter sport, these are our crappy weather friends.

As a collective we cry....¨Doggie! Doggie! Doggie! WOOF WOOF WOOF!¨

I don´t think this will be the year of the Dog, but our support will never wane.


C´arn the Dogs.

All Quiet on the Posting Front.

I have been a slave to work.

Cash and I had a riding lesson on Thursday.

The garden is overgrown with weeds and things that are self seeding.

It is raining.

I am scared to turn my mobile phone on in case work needs me.

HH is baking muffins.

I had a glass of my favourite red wine last night...and I didn´t even really enjoy it.

There is a funk and Daffodil is firmly entrenched in it.

Give me my blankie, I am mid-sooky.