Things what I has been up to lately.
Long time no typey ... I'm currently living in Surrey (for the majority of my time) and I have been an unemployed loser for just under 2 weeks now. Although I do have a few Shire-related jobs lined up, and I'm considering styling myself as a live-in groom for glenatron because I like to imagine that mucking out All The Stables somehow makes up for bringing no money into this relationship. Ahem. Also I'm writing my amazing best-selling novel. Or writing a novel. Or just writing. One of those. Working on an art project, too. More to come on that.
Anywho! Here is a lovely guide to what I've been up to for the past fortnight. Ben bought me a shiny new camera for my birthday, so there are lovely illustrations too! Yaaaayy!
On August 30th Ben & I met up with Mum and went to see the Paralympic Dressage at Greenwich Park. The tickets were only £10 each, and there were no seating arrangements - so Mum got in early and bagged us all seats on the front row! Niiiice.
Unfortunately, because this is England, the weather was absolutely atrocious.
Lee Pearson and Gentleman for the UK, nine times gold medal winners!
So glad I got to see it, though; the courage of those riders is just unbelievable. Over half of them were there because they'd been injured through horse-riding accidents (one woman had been opening a gate from horseback and her horse had run in the opposite direction, leaving her a partial paraplegic. Horsey friends, think how often you've had mishaps worse than that but walked away from!).
If I'm on a horse and it spooks, it's generally not a big deal - I can wrap my legs around and stay on. But for the majority of these riders, that's not an option; and I think having the guts to get up on half a ton of horseflesh is one of the bravest things I've seen. Not to mention they get up there and get their mounts to perform incredible moves that I couldn't manage with four fully functional limbs!
The horses are something special too; some riders had disabilities that caused involuntary movements, and how the hell does the horse know when one movement is to be ignored but another means 'do this'? Mindblowing. I am not a dressage fan, but this was wonderful to see. Very glad I went.
On September 1st Ben & I went with Mum & Dad to see the cross country phase of Burghley Horse Trials. I usually go every year because it coincides with my birthday, last year was the only exception because I was in America!
This combination involves the horse having to go down and then up very steep banks with jumps on either side; this rider lost her stirrup over the first jump, but she still made it through and over the jump on the other side!
Ben with Burghley House in the background. :) The Shires did a wedding there last Friday, actually!
Mary King going over the Leaf Pit, my favourite jump combination; you go over this drop, down into a steep 'valley' and then have to gather your horse up again quickly to pop over a narrow jump at the bottom.
Mark Todd = FREAKIN' LEGEND. <3
Ah - this is at the start of the jump where that rider lost her stirrup! Scary, huh?
My birthday was on the 3rd. Jen and Kala came round after work and Loz surprise-visited me, too - yay birthdays!
My dairy-free birthday 'cake' that Jen made me, hahaha.
The next day, Jen had the day off work so I dragged her into Peterborough to see the museum (it's been closed for over a year because they were doing refurbishments). Basically, what we found were plenty of excuses to dress up...
Vikings!
Romans!
Medieval hat wearers!
Dead things!
GOD DAMN FRENCH PRISONERS OF WAR.
Napoleonic-era British soldiers!
MOAR. HATS.
On the 5th and 6th I did some work with the Shires; the 6 horse team was put together for the first time this year, as preparation starts for the Lord Mayor's Show in November.
Classic photo. Macey was the only horse in the field not selected to take part ... I guess he got his revenge.
We're doing an agricultural show in Surrey at the end of the month; here's Henry practising.
On the 5th, Mum & I put Dinky and Flash out in the big field by the driveway. Now that I'm not spending much time there, I felt it was unfair for Mum to keep the set-up I'd had - now she only needs to look after Pepsi. This was basically my farewell to the gingers. :|
Bye bye, Flash. <3
Oh; also, as a leaving present, my team bought me a frog. :D This is Bulmerhoe. He's a chubby painted bullfrog. I luffs him.
Anywho! Here is a lovely guide to what I've been up to for the past fortnight. Ben bought me a shiny new camera for my birthday, so there are lovely illustrations too! Yaaaayy!
On August 30th Ben & I met up with Mum and went to see the Paralympic Dressage at Greenwich Park. The tickets were only £10 each, and there were no seating arrangements - so Mum got in early and bagged us all seats on the front row! Niiiice.
Unfortunately, because this is England, the weather was absolutely atrocious.
Lee Pearson and Gentleman for the UK, nine times gold medal winners!
So glad I got to see it, though; the courage of those riders is just unbelievable. Over half of them were there because they'd been injured through horse-riding accidents (one woman had been opening a gate from horseback and her horse had run in the opposite direction, leaving her a partial paraplegic. Horsey friends, think how often you've had mishaps worse than that but walked away from!).
If I'm on a horse and it spooks, it's generally not a big deal - I can wrap my legs around and stay on. But for the majority of these riders, that's not an option; and I think having the guts to get up on half a ton of horseflesh is one of the bravest things I've seen. Not to mention they get up there and get their mounts to perform incredible moves that I couldn't manage with four fully functional limbs!
The horses are something special too; some riders had disabilities that caused involuntary movements, and how the hell does the horse know when one movement is to be ignored but another means 'do this'? Mindblowing. I am not a dressage fan, but this was wonderful to see. Very glad I went.
On September 1st Ben & I went with Mum & Dad to see the cross country phase of Burghley Horse Trials. I usually go every year because it coincides with my birthday, last year was the only exception because I was in America!
This combination involves the horse having to go down and then up very steep banks with jumps on either side; this rider lost her stirrup over the first jump, but she still made it through and over the jump on the other side!
Ben with Burghley House in the background. :) The Shires did a wedding there last Friday, actually!
Mary King going over the Leaf Pit, my favourite jump combination; you go over this drop, down into a steep 'valley' and then have to gather your horse up again quickly to pop over a narrow jump at the bottom.
Mark Todd = FREAKIN' LEGEND. <3
Ah - this is at the start of the jump where that rider lost her stirrup! Scary, huh?
My birthday was on the 3rd. Jen and Kala came round after work and Loz surprise-visited me, too - yay birthdays!
My dairy-free birthday 'cake' that Jen made me, hahaha.
The next day, Jen had the day off work so I dragged her into Peterborough to see the museum (it's been closed for over a year because they were doing refurbishments). Basically, what we found were plenty of excuses to dress up...
Vikings!
Romans!
Medieval hat wearers!
Dead things!
GOD DAMN FRENCH PRISONERS OF WAR.
Napoleonic-era British soldiers!
MOAR. HATS.
On the 5th and 6th I did some work with the Shires; the 6 horse team was put together for the first time this year, as preparation starts for the Lord Mayor's Show in November.
Classic photo. Macey was the only horse in the field not selected to take part ... I guess he got his revenge.
We're doing an agricultural show in Surrey at the end of the month; here's Henry practising.
On the 5th, Mum & I put Dinky and Flash out in the big field by the driveway. Now that I'm not spending much time there, I felt it was unfair for Mum to keep the set-up I'd had - now she only needs to look after Pepsi. This was basically my farewell to the gingers. :|
Bye bye, Flash. <3
Oh; also, as a leaving present, my team bought me a frog. :D This is Bulmerhoe. He's a chubby painted bullfrog. I luffs him.