De-light
(This is a continuation of photos from my last post.)
Oh, the soft golden light of sunset
And a hot haze over the hills of Sussex, England!
And to top it all —
The glowing sun
Turned tails and manes
To molten gold and bronze.
For more de-light, please visit: Our World.
Foal play
Last week, I had the great pleasure of going out to a horse farm
To take photos for a friend.
I fell in love with the three-week-old foal, Celino.
He was full of love
And nibbles for his mother.
And she was so nurturing and tender
With him.
Love is grand, isn’t it,
No matter where you find it
Or in what form it takes.
For mare great photos (excuse the pun!), please visit: Our World.
Rolling hill skies
I’m off to visit my parents in England.
They live in a small village
Nestled at the foot of the rolling hills of the Downs.
For me, the golden fields
And wide open skies
Embody the beauty of the English countryside.
And finding two horses nuzzling each other
Is just the cherry on top of the cake.
(I’ll be back in a week, but the Our World link will be up and running as usual on Monday evening.)
For more beauty, please visit: Skywatch.
England with a side order of clouds
A BIG thank you to everyone for your comments on my posts while I was away.
Here are some big cloudy Sussex skies…
Clouds are a great topping for everything:
For hot horses in a field,
For my sister, the archer,
For bringing rain to the soft emerald hills
And for thatched cottages
Nestled in cozy valleys.
For more sky toppings, please visit: Skywatch.
Horse breath
It’s that time of year…
When breath become visible
And whiskers shimmer in the sun.
“Remember to breathe. It is after all, the secret of life.” — Gregory Maguire
For more gorgeous creatures, please visit: Camera Critters.
Horsing around
It was one of those glorious autumn days
When the chill afternoon air turned
Breath to delicious smoke.
When my daughter met a new friend,
Isa, the New Forest Pony.
(The horse seems to be smiling, don’t you think?)
They rode into the sunlight
And round and round again,
While golden light – as thick as honey –
Made us thankful to feel alive.
(Sometimes you just have to hang onto that feeling of joy for as long as you can.)
For more lively stories, please visit: Our World.
Postcard from spring
Spring sent me a postcard:
A pasture full of wildflowers.
A foal.
A pocketful of delight.
For more cuteness, please visit: Camera Critters.
Horse sense
“One reason why birds and horses are happy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.” — Dale Carnegie
Last week, when we arrived at the ranch, Anklebiter #1’s favourite horse was out teaching a girl how not to be frightened of horses.
So we saddled up this cutie instead.
Gleysir. An Icelandic horse with wild hair.
Just look at his fabulous winter coat! No wonder he never gets cold.
Some say that the art of riding – just like the art of life – is learning how to fall.
(But for me, it’s more about keeping the horse between myself and the ground.)
For more charming creatures, please visit: Camera Critters.
Bright spark
Every Friday, Anklebiter 1 (and sometimes number 2) and I head out to a horse ranch as soon as school finishes.
The road winds past dilapidated barns and wide open countryside; the road twisting and turning and narrowing as we near our destination in the middle of nowhere.
We brush Attila, who despite his name is a darling, and then we saddle up and my daughter rides away, with the rest of us (dog included) trailing after…
Last week, AB1 went to the field to fetch Attila. Several large horses blocked the way and wouldn’t let her out.
She asked me to help by unhitching the electric fence wires and then chase these horses – did I mention how huge they are? – away.
I took my gloves off and grabbed the hook thingie to detach the wires.
Apparently, you’re supposed to grab the plastic handles and not the actual wires of an electric fence…
I yelled loudly. I shook and you could almost see my skeleton as I vibrated like a cartoon character.
But my piercing scream did the trick. The large horses ran off, terrified.
The ranch owners came running.
“Oh, it’s just me!” I said with my singed hair standing up on end. “Just testing the electric fence for you…”
Pause.
“It all works fine!”
(No wonder my daughter says I’m embarrassing…)
For more electrifying stories, please visit: Camera Critters.
Thrills and spills
Anklebiter #1 (my daughter) has been in horse heaven all week at a wonderful place called Oak Wood Ranch.
She has ridden informally but never had lessons. Suddenly, there she was trotting and jumping by herself.
The riding camp ended with a show on the hottest day of the year.
Oscar took refuge in the stables.
The rest of us watched with anticipation as the riders twirled and jumped in the dust.
There were thrills – and some spills…
I immediately bonded with my daughter’s horse, Attila, because he proved that it is not only mothers who can be embarrassing! (Click the picture if you need to enlarge it.)
At the end, proud parents wiped away tears
And a child’s face lit up with the joy of accomplishment.
For more thrilling pictures, visit: My World!
Who says what?