Big Bwave Berneses in the Rain

Final toilet stop on a stormy evening:

1) open door to let dogs out
2) Dogs stand at door saying 'but the ground is wet'
3) Owner goes out in rain and calls dogs
4) dogs venture carefully into rain
5) Owner gives toileting instruction
6) Dogs look at owner and say '......but it's raining'
7) Owner says 'hurry up'
8) Dogs continue to stand in rain (which in increasing in intensity) and say '........but......rain'
9) Repeat steps 5 to 8 several times
10) One dog sighs and manages to 'perform'
11) Successful dog retires inside
12) Unsuccessful dog tries to retire inside too.
13) Unsuccessful dog kicked back out into rain.
14) Repeat steps 5 to 8 several more times.
15) Second dog finally manages to oblige.
16) Everyone retires inside and spend the next half hour trying to get dry but end up going to bed soaking wet.

Winter is here!!!

It is a miserable evening. There are squally showers hurtling through and it is about 10 degrees outside (which is not warm for Auckland). There is flooding down in the South Island and snow is expected down there this week which will thrill the snowfields. :-) I love weather!!!

In my last post I had just fallen off Spyke. It was one of my 'better' falls and I managed to land on my head and get tangled in his legs which resulted in a mild concussion, a tiny bit of whiplash and a truly bruised butt!!! I actually felt OK (sore but OK) after falling and got back on and finished jumping (although poor Spyke clearly felt EXTREMELY bad about dropping me and didn't want to lift his legs over the jumps). The next morning however, while walking the dogs I felt quite nauseous and headachy - which I ignored. :-). I was booked to clip Spyke, Em, Bert and Oscar that afternoon and still managed it (I though I would be a LOT sorer (??) than I did so it wasn't too bad.
Pic of Spykes clip
On the Sunday I was entered to do the WRC Show Hunter but when we got there the ground was really wet and slippery so I decided that I would, in light of still feeling blah, forgo the jumping.

I was still feeling pretty hideous the next day (and found myself nearly throwing the iron through the window in a fit of irritation) so I ended up going to the doc and confirming concussion. He said I could feel like this (headachy and irritable) for at LEAST a MONTH!!!!!! 8-0

Soooooooo I pretty much turned Spyke out for the winter, which really is good timing as the weather really has turned to crappola.

I had a busy week with team building in Christchurch (which I loved, it's always good to catch up with the gang) but was pretty shot by the time I got home.

I had a really quiet weekend and slept a lot and felt a LOT better.

This last weekend Tina and I had a day trip to Taupo to watch the cross country of the 3 Day Event. It was so great to get out of Auckland for a day. The weather was fab, the horses were beautiful and the dogs had a great day (especially since they stole Tina's lunch on the way down when we stopped to grab a coffee in Tirau!!!). We gave them a swim in the lake on the way home. I didn't even notice the seven hours of driving.

Speaking of driving, we will not mention the $1100 Warrant of Fitness for my car - YIKES!!!!

Sorry but all pics will be links today as I can't make the laptop 'play'.

2* horse at Taupo

Shelley Ross

Pleeeeeeeeeeease!!

3* horse

Two Girls

Into the water

Great knees (not that I am obsessed with knees!!!)

The Taupo Gang

Ouch!!!!

I fell off!!! 'Nuff said.

But pictures from a walk in the forest:

Playing with 'continuous shoot'