This past week has been same old-same old, excepting that everything is still new to us! EmJ and I have been working away at the horses - and having a blast!
When we are not haunting the stables, we are doing various odd jobs around the place and having fun chatting to people. I have also been riding out almost every day (even when it was snowing the other evening - now that was awesome!) - so far I have had a spin on Chiquita, Hombre, Mojave (pronounced Moha-vey), Rocky, Dax, Gringo (that was fun - we had a bucking/tanking/rushing canter/jumping horse staff ride - it was so mad [apparently all horse staff rides are], but utterly cool), Cobbitty, Cisco (a sweet flea bitten grey who is the smallest pony in the stables at around 13hh... Don't laugh; it was a training ride. Although it was kind of weird to have my feet hit the ground as soon as I dismounted. I could practically get him to run between my legs!) and last but not least, Arrow.
Arrow my 'project' atm, as he is a 4 year old Skewbald who is till very much a baby, while also being an awesomely potenital show-jumper who is slightly tense. Ok - more than a little tense, I call him Sparrow, 'coz he tends to take off a bit! I love riding him though, because it's a really fun challenge to get him trained up a bit more. He is so curious, sadly to say in a bit of a destructive way, but that'll change with a few well learnt lessons - and he is really responsive and I think he learns quickly which is awesome. So I'm riding him every day that I can during the week with one of the full time horse staff coming with me on her own horse Dynamic, and riding the other horses on the weekend when the camps are in. But enough about horses, as there is so much other stuff to do as well as all the riding!
Saturday night EmJ and I enjoyed the priviledge of attending our first Ceilidh - a traditional Scottish folk dancing celebration. It's the equivelant of an Australian Bush dance, but soooo much better and they have them more often which is fantastic. For starters, the music is way more awesome - Gaelic violin and flute with electric guitar(! So sweeeeet!) and for seconds, the guys here actually LIKE dancing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O.o
They (the men) all dress up in nice shirts and ties, if not that, in their kilts - the whole kit and caboodle! *purrs* It's so nice to see guys actually interested in dancing with you (although you still have to ask them to dance like back at home, because as always, there is a man shortage, but not quite the drought like in Australia!) and to top it off, most of them actually KNOW the dances and KNOW what they are doing!!! >_<
I can't tell you how much fun EmJ and I had, but I can tell you my favourite dances - Strip the Willow, which we do have in Aussie Bush dances (it was probably imported from Scotland anyways...) and the Basket Weave. It's too complicated to go into detail on, but I will describe one part of the Basket Weave. Basically you have four couples to make a square - you do all your little bits and circles and stuff, but then the fun starts! Two couples facing each other met in the middle of the square - the girls put their arms over the guy's shoulders and lock them. The men start dancing around in a circle, the girl's arms holding them together. Then the girl's feet come off the floor and you go around and around just like that with your feet flying!! It's soooo awesome! I loved it! And I never wanted the dancing to stop; I adore Gaelic dancing, and the music just sings in my blood. It's the Scottish ancestry I swear! I blame the fact that I am horse mad on the Gaelic Gypsy ancetery and that also includes the well and truely tumble I've taken in regards to Scotland - I am in love with this country - scenery, people, music, dancing - everything....
Anyways, gotta get off, I've been on the computer for hours.
TTFN, b.
