As I think about summarising the last month for you I’m torn between writing this, unpacking the dishwasher, getting dinner ready, and getting Ben’s swimming gear ready for his lesson that starts in 40 minutes. Needless to say, I’ll try and do all that and more in that time frame and get frazzled in the process. It seems I never learn!
My attempt to be organised - but being realistic the car is never going to get cleaned
School has started for Ben (year 3) and Abby (year 1), so things have been a little hectic getting back into the school routine. After school activities have begun in earnest and my blackboard that I use to help keep life in order is very colourful. The girls have their birthdays in the next two weeks, so I’ve got their birthday party to organise too. Anyone fancy helping me make cakes? Some of the cakes that are being presented at birthday parties these days are pretty impressive creations!
The Snowy Mountain Show Jumping Festival in Jindabyne was a great show, and there were 4 rings running with several familiar faces out there, especially marshalling (thanks Anwen and Alex!). It was an enjoyable show, despite me forgetting which classes I had entered, and riding in the 110-115cm classes when Astro had barely been out of the paddock for a week, after a three week holiday. They say no guts, no glory, but I’ve proven that glory is relative! He jumped really well considering the preparation, but much to Laura’s amusement “mummy went splat”. Typically, during my last round of the show, I under rode a line, and he tried to get two strides where there was only really one, and I somersaulted over the top. I average one involuntary dismount a year, and it seems to occur at this show each year – I wonder if there’s a message there?
I'm not ready for this yet!
Between going to Jindabyne and now, we had a great month of school holidays, thanks mostly to our neighbours owning a pool that they have generously said that we can use when we want! Needless to say, we’ve happily played in the pool almost every day, for on average 2-3 hours. This is certainly the hottest summer that I can remember, so have really appreciated it. In the mornings when it was cooler I foolishly took the kids out to where Astro is agisted, and they rode possibly the cutest pony on the planet, Zena. I’m very tempted to smuggle her into the back yard, but not all that keen on traveling down the road as mother of a rider just yet! I’ve made more plum jam than I think we will be able to eat in a year, and the tomatoes are ripening at a great rate. I’ve grown watermelons for the first time ever and I’m ridiculously excited about how they are growing – there are about 8 melons developing.
Ben in the biscuit while on holiday
We competed at Wallaby Hill farm this weekend, and managed not to melt. It was rather warm, and I’m not sure Astro was all that impressed with having to work in that heat, as I always riding in the cool of the morning at home – but it means we are unconditioned to the warmer temperatures at an event! I was happy with his test, he jumped well in the showjumping and we went clear cross country, and finished in 7th place. Brad Longhurst was the SJ course designer and I’ve ridden over many of his tracks. He really likes you to ride forward, and that suits us well. (I checked the times of others in my class, I was the 3rd fastest!) I really enjoy riding at Wallaby Hill Farm, it really is such a paradise, Alex and Derek are doing a fantastic job there. Possibly what made it even better is that I was able to leave my kids at home. Love them to bits, but it’s hard work juggling all that is entailed with having 3 kids at an event.
I finished seventh at Wallaby Hill
I’ve entered SIEC (gulp – my credit card is in shock) and looking forward to that as well.
Planning is well underway for the CNC event that we are running in Canberra on the 15/16 March, as well as holding a clinic with Lucinda Green on the 13/14 Feb. And I’ve just discovered that Ben has a swimming carnival on Thursday when I was planning on whippersnipping the XC course – luckily I managed to chat to Nadia (who was my dressage judge at Wallaby Hill – so we had a quick discussion about that before I entered at A!) and we’ve delegated it to her hubby! I’m busy recruiting jump judges at the moment so if anyone wants to come along, let me know.
I know that in six months time I will be complaining about how cold it is, but let’s hope we get some relief from this heat and that we get some rain. The land certainly needs it.
Take care,
K
