Droopy's Blog at GardenStew.com

Me, The Movie Star

Droopy — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:08:02 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:08 pm (GMT 0)

My efforts in the Marathon class at the driving do I attended have been YouTubed. *lol* Those stable girls are really something. If you'd like to watch us, just click on this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtA47YqzC2E

The first equipage is in the same club as me. Her horse is a Norwegian breed called Dølahorse. Then there's us. We didn't go fast but we're cute. :D The third equipage is also from our club. She drives a Norwegian fjord horse. I hope you like the film.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Seven - Final

Droopy — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:26:27 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 7:26 am (GMT 0)

Well, after we reluctantly left Holland we decided it was time to play. The girls had been very good during our visit, so as a reward we went to BonBon-land. There was a large crowd by the entrance:

When we finally got inside there were lots of fun things to do. We just started on the first and went from there.

I'd look like that turtle too if I had to swirl round and round all day:

The rail bikes up high:

The cobra tower. I went up there, and suddenly we were back down again. That was actually fun:

We went for a little "Round the world"-boat trip:

Bad croc!

There was also a huge house with little doll displays. Everything was so neat:

Danish Guards:

After this we went up to Helsingør, didn't get a parking ticket but it was close, slept one night in Sweden, crossed the border to Norway, spotted a moose cow with twins grazing by the main road, visited an aunt and uncle by Norway's biggest lake and then finally got home to an overgrown garden and some very colourful veggie patches:

Oh, it was so good to be home! Thanks for tagging along as I've tried to find out where we have been and what we've been doing.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Six

Droopy — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:01:29 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 7:01 pm (GMT 0)

We're in Holland, finally. It's been a very long drive to get here. Our estimate is about 1,600 km or 994 miles from here to there. Of course we didn't go straight there, so we don't know how far we've driven. But anyways, we're in Holland.

So we drove along the big dike road, asked directions to a good camping site and ended up here:

The view behind the camping car:

And the view in front of the camping car:

The neighbours:

There were rabbits on the grass and moles underneath it, all very exotic to us northeners. Also exotic was the fact that the toilets had no paper and no soap, so we had to carry our own with us. Hm. Strange customs in this country.

The day after we went to see the nearest town, Hoorn. It was beautiful! Especially the old part of it:

I have a tendency to snap photos askew, but this house is really askew:

The town square:

More houses and ornaments:

Look at this house. It looks like a curious old lady looking left and right so she won't miss anything:

The entry to the Old Ladies' House:

The Museum back garden:

They were big on cheese, obviously:

Our knowledgeable guide and gracious host might know a lot more about the houses and ornaments than I do. I walked about with my nose up, my jaw hanging and probably looked like your typical idiotic tourist.

The following day we went to Hosta Paradise. I posted that in it's own thread in "Member's Gallery".

Then we went and had a look at a garden some of you might recognize:

We also got to do a bit of sight-seeing in the more rural parts around Hoorn:

I have to say we took a lot more photos. This is just a small taste of the sights.

Next stop is BonBon-land in Denmark, on our way home.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Five

Droopy — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:15:12 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:15 am (GMT 0)

Since the Norwegian coast is rather rugged we haven't got very many big, flat expanses of sand, and none that are as big as the one we saw near Ribe on the Danish west coast. We took a trip to a small island called Mandø, and actually got to drive on the sea floor. Very exotic for us.

By the shore on the mainland:

And into the sea we went:

There were low dikes all around the island:

The means of transport:

By Mandø beach. There are small dots way out on the horizon, and they are people. Very difficult to go for a swim here. A couple of kilometers to walk there, a swim and then the long way back? Nah:

We went back to Ribe to check out the cathedral and the medieval part of town. Ribe is Denmark's oldest town, or so they claim:

And up into the tower:

We found some proper transport for our sightseeing:

Some of the streets and houses. People live here, so it's not a museum:

One of the more original medieval-looking houses. It was under repair:

I saw people walking about who actually stopped and looked through the windows of the homes. Ouch. How inconsiderate can one be?

We stopped at an Italian restaurant and had pasta, since our smallest celebrated her birthday this day.

And the day after we went through Germany and to Holland.

We actually managed to get stuck waiting for a ferry. In inland Germany, can you imagine? As if we haven't got enough ferries to wait for closer to home.

The view while we were waiting for the ferry:

We spent one night at this very crowded, noisy camping site:

And then we crossed into Holland and took the dike road. That was so cool. Here we are, stopping for coffee and a snack:

More about Holland in my next entry.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Four

Droopy — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:19:10 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:19 am (GMT 0)

The Lion Park, or Givskud Zoo is a safari park where one can drive around or walk about. There are lots of different animals and small activities for children, but it's not quite a play park. We like to visit it and look at the inhabitants there.

South-American ostriches, I can't remember what they are called now:

North-American buffaloes:

The Africans had a field day:

People are so silly sometimes. A couple with a trolley had put a banana in a bag and left it open. Too good to miss said Mother Monkey and promptly stole the banana:

Mommys and babies look pretty much the same, wheter monkeys or humans:

The lemurs didn't want to do much. It was too hot:

The red panda bear is the cutest critter:

Flamingos:

This sign really says it all:

And here they are, some of them:

We also had a look at the camels. I think they wanted to be petted, but we didn't:

Then we went to find somewhere to sleep, and found a very nice, small site near a river. The Danish are very proud of their rivers. Most have their names on signs by the road, and half the time it's more like a creek than a river. This one, "The King's River", was less than 10 meters wide, and that includes the wetlands on both banks. Not very impressive for a Norwegian:

The following day we went to Ribe to go on a tidal safari and to check the old medieval town out.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Three

Droopy — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:35:49 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:35 am (GMT 0)

Oh, Legoland, wonderful play park with the most fantastic creations in Lego bricks, a very nicely planted-up ground and the mini-trees and other plants in the mini-town. It's so nice to visit, and this year we were lucky enough to pick a day without the big crowds.

Some of the wonderful scenes:

I thought I had photographed Mount Rushmore, but I obviously haven't. Sitting Bull is very big and the pirates are life-size.

This donkey was in Legoredo town, a western-inspired collection of shops and restaurants.

There are lots of roundabouts, roller coasters and stuff. I had to go with the girls in three of them and came home with three "Scream"-by-Munch-lookalike photos. *lol* This was't so bad, though:

Some of the planting arrangements:

There's lots of water everywhere, all nicely laid out and planted up:

From the tower, an overview:

The miniature Lego towns and landscapes. The details are amazing. I put some of these photos in "My Garden". They're a bit bigger than these:

The fountain is working:

Amalienborg, the Danish Queen's castle:

Swedish mid-summer celebrations:

Scottish scenery:

There's also a very pretty aquarium, a rather new feature. I found these upside-down jelly fish very interesting.

And this sea anemone too:

I obviously had too much fun to photograph much. Oh, me, what am I like. Anyway, our next stop was at a safari park called Billund Zoo, where we could drive among giraffes, zebras and even lions.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part Two

Droopy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:54:46 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:54 am (GMT 0)

Denmark is our favourite holiday country for camping. The grounds are big, the country is small and there's never far to go for anything.

We started by going to Grenen, the northenmost point of Denmark:

Transport. It was a bit far to walk:

Lighthouse. We went up there:

The view from the lighthouse:

Skagen town in the distance:

A house from Skagen. It's a lovely, little town:

Some Danish landscape. Denmark is flat:

Here's the beach by our favourite camping site, Hov Camping in Jylland:

We went swimming a couple of times:

When in Denmark there are a few things we like to do every time we visit. The rainforest in Randers is one:

It's made up by three domes like this, one for Africa, one for Asia and one for South America:

It's so nice inside:

Lots of animals roam free in there. The girls are studying some big toads:

Some of the inhabitants in the rain forest:

The little monkeys were everywhere, and the girls loved them:

Snakes and butterflies had their own department. Most snakes were locked in, fortunately:

We had to eat too:

Next stop was Legoland.

The Five-Countries Holiday - Part One

Droopy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:27:11 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:27 am (GMT 0)

That's what we'll be calling this year's holiday. It's been a long one, but we've had such fun. :) Here are some photos. We started, of course, here in Norway.

A mountain crossing called Valdresflya. I kept thinking about Toni and the Texans when we drove passed all the snow. Notice the tall stakes by the side of the road. They need them in winter to navigate by when they plow the road:

Our first stop was by this lovely beach. We went swimming, and the water wasn't too cold even though it's a river/lake:

Then the zoo and play park in Kristiansand:

Captain Sabeltann's pirate ship:

We got to see the celebrations in Cardamom Town:

Tobias in the tower:

Aunt Sofie, the strictest aunt in the world:

The Zoo's got lots of different animals but each species' grounds are so big we won't always get to see them. We did see the lions:

Cardamom Town is very pretty, and there are plant arrangements all over the place:

Then we went to an outdoor museum while waiting for the boat to Denmark. There's a mini-town showing what the old town in Kristiansand looked like:

There's also a collection of houses rescued from the old town:

A farm from Telemark somewhere:

This is how the hay was dried before silage bales and hay driers were invented:

And here's the ferry we took to Denmark. Three and a half hours to cross, and we ate most of the time:

So the next entry will be about Denmark and Denmark only.

Me and my @£$% mishaps!

Droopy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:45:45 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:45 pm (GMT 0)

I learned those bad words from Capt. Kirk.

Since we got a lovely, new Cypripedium, and since my mother's determined to see us with a huge orchid collection I thought I'd make an orchid patch with all that lovely pine needle and rotted wood-mulch mother insisted I took home yesterday. And when it was done, I thought that I'd move at least the C. parviflorum to the new home.

So off I went with my little garden shovel and tried to lift the C. p. very gently from where it was growing. And then I had to try harder, and a bit harder, and as I carefully used the little spade (what on earth do you call them?) and my fingers to tease the roots up, my patience evaporated slowly. So I finally took a determined grip underneath that Cypripedium and HEAVED! It came up, and brought the Cypripedium "Ulla Silkens" with it. And not only that, but poor Ulla promptly fell apart too.

So here I am, not a very happy bunny at the moment. The C. parviflorum is split in three, as planned, but our poor Ulla is suddenly down from a nice clump with four spikes to two small clumps with two spikes each. *sigh*

Worst thing is, she's still blooming and should be left in place to bloom out and die down a bit.

I keep my fingers crossed for her, and am going to ask my husband for a stiff gin'n'it as soon as I've had my dinner of chocolate pudding with vanilla sauce and strawberries and cream for dessert. I got to see if I can find some better mood in there somewhere.

A bit worn and worried today

Droopy — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:33:08 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:33 pm (GMT 0)

I've been outside, trying to find out what's what in our garden. The one thing I have found out is that a few of our plants are just demanding too much room, and I'm not willing to grant it.

This is some kind of very invasive, pretty leaf plant that my husband insisted on bringing home. It self-seeds way too freely, and I shall have to dig it up, every bit of it, and plant it in a container somewhere to keep it out of trouble.

And just look at this. The Ranunculus aconitifolius is supposed to be an early bloomer, but it's also supposed to be done when those lilies in the background get as tall as they are now:

The variegated form of Astrantia is way too big for the date, and the columbines will be bloomed out before the lull around mid-summer:

The snowball bush is chock-a-block with blooms, which is nice, but not a month ahead of time:

Our honeysuckle usually spreads it's delightful perfume from mid-summer and onwards into July, but I'll wager it will be done blooming by mid-summer this year:

Ligularia buds in May? Impossible! But not in 2009:

Our delightful little Trollius with the green edge is blooming it's little heart out, and the greenery growing around it is nearly smothering it. *sigh*

As for the Meconopsis, they usually start in early June. This is late May, and they're nearly done. This is M. betonicifolia:

Usually we complain about the lack of summer warmth up here on 62 degrees north, but this year I fear that the summer blooms will be done before summer's here, and the autumn blooms will bloom in summer. Which will leave me with a rather drab autumn.

I might feel this way because I've worked long and hard and nothing seems to show of it today. Or I might take the sorrows in advance. I'm very good at that. But I do feel a bit down in the dumps. Sorry about that, but it's good to let off some steam.

Old homes and bits and pieces

Droopy — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:38:39 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 3:38 pm (GMT 0)

A dentist called Sandvig from Lillehammer decided it would be a great idea to collect old houses from the valley. So he did. Now it's a big park full of history. Whole farms have been moved here. The buildings are made from timber, but it's the decorations that really got to me.

When you enter Maihaugen, this is what greets you:

Some small farms further up the valley still look like this. They're often holiday homes now:

A Stave Church:

Not exactly tiny trees there:

I didn't much like the stairs:

I did like the gates:

Some houses used stone for roofs:

Some had turf, and some had wood:

Some details from the outside:

I thought this looked like a row of pussycats:

This is a storage building for food, called a stabbur:

Whetstone had to be easily accessible:

Traditional fence:

Detail:

A very typical example of a house from between 1400 and 1800. I think this house comes from a well-to-do family:

Even though the doors are small, the locks are impressive:

The Maihaugen Collections

Droopy — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:22:18 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:22 pm (GMT 0)

There are so many things to see in Maihaugen, Lillehammer. The most known and photographed are the houses, but I'll deal with those later. Today I want to show the cultural treasures from a not-too-distant past. That was when everyting was hand-made, and one strove to please the eye as well as the hand in ordinary, everyday things. Like the spoons. People brought their own wooden spoons for the meals, and there were some lovely ones:

Care for a drink? The welcome toast was made in one of these bowls or "birds", and the vessel was passed around:

If a young man went courting and decided to pop the question, he often brought a household implement, lovingly carved and painted. These "mangletre" were used to smooth clothes and came with a rolling pin. I've never used one:

Lovely handles on them:

And they are pretty old:

If the lucky man got his "yes", off you went to church. Psalm books were few and far between, and you had to take extra special care of it if you were lucky to have one. Nice boxes:

The bride's outfit was topped by a silver crown, like one of these:

All homes had to have storage facilities. These are some examples:

The price of a cow in 1650:

If the people were wealthy, they'd have some cupboards for their treasures:

The treasures:

When out in the fields you could bring some food in something like this:

And your home might look like this, but that's for another day:

May 17th Parade and Stuff

Droopy — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:00:14 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 5:00 pm (GMT 0)

Well, that's over and done with for this year then. We're sitting here, too full to move, and too tired to attempt to move if we weren't so full. Our feet are hurting too. *whimper*

The day started out with glorious weather, and it stayed glorious all day. The sun's still shining, it's 18.45 now.

Here are a few photos from today.

The parade is beginning to form in the school yard. Looks pretty chaotic to me:

Some will stop at nothing to film the parade:

There were lots of spectators along the route, cheering with us:

Can you see the parade stretching off into the distance?

And no end in sight either:

Now some details. The men with bunad are allowed to carry knives. The handiwork that goes into them is wonderful:

This little girl even decorated her braids:

Lots of the bunads have little pockets, and of course with a silver decoration and embroidery:

Many also have silver belts, like this one:

And the brooches are special. Each type of bunad use different ones:

I wonder how long this took to make:

This is standard accessory on men, women and children on our special day:

All in all a delightful day full of brass band music, happy children, songs and shouting.

In a Country Churchyard

Droopy — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:28:09 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 3:28 pm (GMT 0)

Whenever I visit my grandparents' graves this song by Chris de Burgh churns in my head. We've got the ravens, the overgrown graves, no church but a small chapel, and a lovely beach with the wonderful sound of surf on sand. Come with me to the island of my childhood.

The ferry isn't very big, but then the trip isn't very long either. About 20 minutes if we get the direct route, or 35 minutes with a stop on another island.

My old, battered car here:

And there's the mountain of "my" island:

The chapel:

The memorial dedicated to all those lost at sea:

The newest half of the graveyard looks nice and shiny:

The next-door neighbours:

Just look at this fabulous sand:

And the lovely colour of the sea:

One could think this was on a tropical beach, but turn around and your illusion is dispersed:

On days like today I could be tempted to live there, and especially when I look at all the exciting tracks on the beach:

But when the storms are bad in autumn and winter I know that I really would prefer to stay in my own home. So home we went. Maybe next time we go we will have time to explore the old caves on the other side of the island.

Pumpkin patch all ready

Droopy — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:55:39 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:55 pm (GMT 0)

We've been busy today, converting the youngest girl's sandbox into a pumpkin patch. We managed to get the sand out, removed the bottom cover and started with dead stuff from the garden:

The bottom layer ready ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Then we hauled the bags of horse dung up and sat them ready for use:

Horse dung, one bag ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Most of the dung added ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Then we added a soil that holds water well but if dry is very hard. It won't dry since it's above the manure but below the top soil:

The water-retaining soil added ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

The top soil is a mix of sand and rich stable compost, and the worms love it. That's my finger:

Big worm! That's my finger ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

We are ready to sow, but where's the gardener-to-be? I found her in front of the TV, with a pile of Barbie dolls and games. *sigh* But out she came, we sowed and put the mini-greenhouse up.

All done. Now grow! ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

I hope her pumpkins will grow for her. We've never sown this early before. I've got extra pumpkin seeds sitting in the bathroom just in case these won't sprout.

While we were at it, we fixed the middle girl's patch too. Ready for carrots:

Ready for the carrot seeds ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Well watered and looking good. The green sprouts are calendula and my mishap-marthagon-bulb-scales-babies:

Carrots sown and watered ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

We had 22C at the warmest today, so we were hot!

A Gal's Gotta Do... And Break Stuff While Doing

Droopy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:53:03 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 8:53 pm (GMT 0)

I have been working up my courage to fix Gabriella's driving harness. One of the hind fasteners broke due to my foolishness in thinking the doors didn't both need to be fully open. Well, they do, and I have proof as to why too. Had. Until this evening.

Leather is tough, and our shoe maker is hyper allergic to horses. The closest harness maker is moving shop and has all his stuff packed away. And I'm such a sissy when it comes to mending stuff I've never mended before. But needs must etc. So this evening I broke out the sail maker's needle set my husband had stashed away, some scissors and my handbag. I needed a piece of the strap to mend the harness you see.

The sail maker's needle was obviously carbon iron or something. It broke the minute it touched the leather. But I had a long, sharp, slim needle. Can't imagine why, since I don't sew. So I set to, and I did it! Some photos to document my success:

What I used to fix the thing:

Oh, the poor needles! One broken, one bent:

This is what the harness looked like before it broke:

And this is the side I mended:

I'm feeling pretty good about myself at the moment, I must admit. I promise this one success won't change me. *lol*

Spring Fun

Droopy — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:05:14 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:05 pm (GMT 0)

I haven't been much of a blogger on the garden front lately, have I? Well, nothing much has happened, so I've had little to blog about, really. But now that the spring cleaning is almost done, I feel a lot perkier and ready to write about stuff again.

The first thing that happened was my mother's phone call. She had dug up a huge hosta, and would I please come get it. Well, thank you mom! I've no room for a huge hosta at the moment, so it's sitting outside in a big bag, wainting for me to dig a hole for it somewhere.

Then I went bananas on the cone pine. Well, it kept poking my back and face when I weeded around it, so I thought it could do with a little cut. My problem is I just don't know when to stop:

Ouch! Still ugly. ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

The crocus are all done now, and their grass looks very untidy. I don't like to cut it, since I believe the bulbs will need the energy from the dying leaves. My grandmother also believed that, and she used a simple trick, the knot:

Granny-knots ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Foliage out of the way, leaving room for whatever's coming up around it, and when it's dead I just pick up the brown knot and chuck it in the compost. Easy-peasy.

It's blooming outside, and some critters take advantage of that. This particular critter is now dead:

Cheeky snail! ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

I've spent the last few days crushing beetles. Horrible things. They can ruin lilies in no time at all. The grown-ups eat the leaves and lay their eggs, and the greedy, little larvae finish the lily off. So I've got lots of dead, red things out there:

The dreaded lily beetle ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Now, for the blooms. We've got a few of those, fortunately. The primroses are well on their way:

Red primulas ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Primula lilacina ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Primula marginata ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Double, sweet pink Primula ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Double white Primula ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Double dark red Primula ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

Then there's my beloved Canadian:

Sanguinaria canadensis ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

And our sweet, timid Japanese:

Hacquetia epipactis "Variegata" ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

This is an American:

Trillium pusillum ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

I don't know where this originated from, but it's cousin grows wild in our woods.

Anemone nemorosa monstrosa ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

And now for a dire warning. When picking wild Lily-of-the-valley seven years ago, I accidentally pulled out a couple of roots. I took them home and planted them. Now they've invaded my husband's Crocosmia Lucifer and is spreading like wildfire:

Invasive Lily-of-the-valley ( photo / image / picture from Droopy's Garden )

I've got lots and lots of digging to do here, and I have to move them to somwhere where they can do as they please.

Well, that was my season well and truly started. Hooray!

Can drive, can't speak English

Droopy — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:09:22 -0400

Author: Droopy
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:09 pm (GMT 0)

I found myself bundled up on the floor this morning, laughing my head off. The reason for this was our rally ace Petter Solberg's spoken English.(Wikipedia link) He has driven for Ford and Subaru and has done very well for himself so far. Now he's without a contract and I have a feeling he ought to concentrate on his English, just to be on the safe side.

Here are a couple of his language "pearls":

"I'm driving around the corner and crash in the christmas tree."

"I had bad pigs in my dekk." (Tr.: My tire studs were bad.)

"There was a moose in the engine." (Tr. There was a mouse in the engine.)

"It was so much dog on the window." (Tr. The windows were fogged up.)

"It's not the fart that kills you, it's the smell." (Tr. It's not the speed that kills you but the impact.)

And finally, my favourite:

"But-but, it's not only-only you know!"

I give the chap credit for speaking English anyway, despite him mixing in Norwegian words, and for his big, hearty laugh and his enthusiasm for his sport. At least he doesn't lack courage!

However, I'm still laughing.

Need some help, come with me to the stables

Droopy — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:00:52 -0500

Author: Droopy
Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 2:00 pm (GMT 0)

I've got both ponies to tend to today, wanna help out?

This is Truls's box. He's very tidy. The pee is in the middle, and the muck is in the back:

Here's Gabriella's box. It looks tidy, but there's lots hidden underneath there:

Don't forget to sort out the pee:

Well done, it looks nice now:

We need to make the hay ready, best find the bags for it:

Here's the weight, the bags and the hay, let's start putting the hay into the bags and weigh them, shall we? We need three bags per horse. One for breakfast, one for dinner and one for supper:

I use Ikea-bags, they're durable, easy to clean and just the right size:

Here we are, all done:

And the bags need to be put in place too:

The horses need their pellets and oats. Two boxes per horse, one for breakfast and one for supper:

The oats are in a special container:

Let's put a little something in their cribs for when they get back in, shall we?

Since the sun's shining we need to carry some water to the paddocks:

Here they are, enjoying the sunshine:

Truls is pleased with the water, but wanted some lunch too. Sorry Truls, a bit too early:

Gabriella's water trough was full, so all we need to do here is pet her:

Maybe, just maybe we can find a straw or two to share?

Let's have a coffee break now:

A quick look at the parrots, and we're off:

Thanks for helping me, well done! :D

The last day of January

Droopy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:03:04 -0500

Author: Droopy
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:03 am (GMT 0)

January ended on a rather mild note. The ground is frozen but the sun was out, and it gave some nice heat too. We took the horses out for a drive and ride, as we have done for the last Saturdays. Here we are:

Little Gabriella is a very pretty pony, isn't she:

Here's Truls. I usually let this girl ride him on our Saturday trips, since I can't both ride and drive at the same time:

We've got no colour outside, bar that purple hellebore and the single snowdrop, but we've got a bit of colour inside. This is my youngest girl's amaryllis:

We bought six lovely primroses last week-end. Four of them collapsed promtly, but these two are still going strong:

The mornings have been very nice lately. I like the golden clouds: