enough...

I have had enough of this weather...nearly 40C most days and 25C most nights...horrid horrid horrid weather and humid...

Perth has been sweltering in its hottest summer in 33 years and second hottest summer in more than 110 years of records...

I know we live in Australia but really enough is enough! But the forecast for the next seven days is the same...
And tonight we had a power cut so I was getting a little hot and grumpy!!

We have been hiding inside for many days...painting and so on...

And having friends for play dates...

I  only really go outside for school runs, to water the garden a little, and feed the animals and administer mozzie deterrents!

Chief is doing well though I am sure he is not so keen on wearing the bug rug all the time..but the mozzies were biting me at 10.30 am Thursday and him too...

Jazz is doing better now she has the collar on so she cannot scratch or rub her nose...it still looks bad but at least the swelling has improved and it is starting to scab...

I am working on the classes for the Retreat....but not much else planned for the weekend...I am hoping Ben will be home on Sunday! Lissy

little ballerina...

Morganne spends a lot of time twirling around the house and doing arabesques and saying "ballerina,ballerina!"

She really likes to watch Angelina Ballerina...though she couldn't understand why Angelina wasn't going to be there too...

Today we finally made it to her first dance class...she slept through the first two! Evangeline helped get her slippers on...

She was concentrating very hard and did a great job considering she has never been before!



I think she is going to really enjoy this...Lissy

and more animal sagas...

Firstly we had a BIG snake on the lawn this morning...it was dead..so I am guessing the dogs must have found it...it is over a meter long...Shauna very bravely put it in the bin! Thankfully it doesn't appear that the dogs were bitten..it is a dugite...we had about 10 babies around and in the house last summer..but I have never seen a big one...

Chief seems to be doing ok with his lycra hood and coat...thought the mozzies still find the gaps around his throat and chest so more spray and cream tonight...

And I had my first ride here on him today as the lumps on his body were mostly gone! Just a gentle walk around the paddock as I did not want him to sweat and make his bites itchy!

But poor old Jazz has been back to the vet...more injections and more pills...and she now has a "collar" bucket thing on her head...this is what her nose was like today...getting worse...as she is scratching and rubbing it on everything...so hopefully it will be a lot better by morning...the vet couldn't clean it or put cream on as it was too sore...horrid isn't it...and she can lick it with her long tongue...

Jazz is in the pool area tonight as that is enclosed by flyscreen and I can keep an eye on her...and I have put another mozzie zapper out there...and the cats are staying on the other side of the pool fencing!

I am hoping the animal sagas are at an end...though if Jazz isn't lots better we will be heading back to the vet in the morning...Lissy

more equine and canine mozzies sagas...

Well not only are the mosquitoes keen on thoroughbred horses they also seem to like Wiemaraner dogs....I noticed Jazz had a lot of bumps on her last night too...so sprayed her with repellent as well...

Then this morning I got up to see this...look at her poor nose...so I took her off to the vet... a couple of injections and some pills to give her and hopefully it will start to heal in the next 24 hours...so long as she doesn't keep scratching...cream is no good as she licks it off...

I was relieved to see when I took Chief's bug rug off today most of his lumps were going down under the coat...but his face was still munched...

I bought some pour on repellent to use tonight...and some cream to put on his ears and nose...it stinks but he was fairly tolerant...and a new fly mask he can wear at night...I am putting garlic in his feed and apparently yellow sulphur is good too...

I might try and give Jazz garlic too...and I have put a huge mosquito zapper over near the dog yard to see it that helps control mosquitoes around the yard and horses...

I will keep spraying them, using the stinky cream on their noses and using the bug rug over the next few weeks until hopefully the mosquitoes bugger off!

So about $400 in vet bills, bug rugs, sprays and potions later we are beating the mozzies hopefully! Apparently the council has not been spraying so much recently...Lissy

munched by mozzies...

Poor Chief has been munched by mozzies...I feel terrible...He must be very uncomfortable...
I have sprayed him with repellent and bought him a special aussie bug rug...and hope that helps...it is supposed to be impregnated with repellant...

But it may take a few days for all these bites to go away too...

And  they are on his face as well...I am thinking a full fly veil with ears might be needed...but not sure how he will see so well at night with that on...

There will not be any riding happening for a few days anyway...but we have been doing a bit of Parelli work on line...good for him to settle into to his new home...

Bella and Chief seem very happy together...

I hope I put enough repellent on tonight...the mozzies munch me too and it is not nice....dawn and dusk is the problem time...I shall see what other products are available tomorrow...they do not seem to bother Bella at all...Lissy

love song...

Each night I sing a little "love song" that I made up when Evangeline was a baby...she sometimes sings it to me or sings her own version...and now Morganne is doing the same..

Tonight she sang...I love mummy, I love Sangeline, I love my daddy he's at work on the boat, I love my mummy, and I love Sangeline and I love my daddy I miss my daddy all day...or something close to that...so very cute...

I would have love to have recorded it on video...

And today I had brunch with my friend Jen to celebrate her birthday...with gorgeous bub Zachary too...
Ben is at work...They called up Friday night and he went to work on Saturday morning to relieve the master on a boat whose father in law passed away so not sure how long he will be gone...he is out at sea dodging two cyclones coming down the west coast...Lissy

bringing Chief home...

This afternoon Chief came home...very exciting...

And even better Bella and Chief seems to be friends straight away...not one bit of nastiness as yet...here they are saying hello...

And doing a few laps of the paddock together...

and then settling into eating...
 
A pretty good day all in all...Lissy

riding...

It is so nice to be riding again..I have been riding regularly in the last week trialling Chief...it is so great to be back in the saddle and finding my "seat" again...which is considerably larger than when last I rode! But is bound to diminish now I can exercise...trotting is great exercise! Especially with a foot injury that means I cannot do most other forms of exercise!

I had my last trial today on Chief in Bullsbrook....Charity and her husband (cannot spell his name!) have been really fabulous while I have been there...helping me get to know Chief and learn the Parelli method of natural horsemanship...I really like it...and as you can see I am happily riding Chief around in a halter (hackamore)...no bit...I feel very confident riding him...Charity took some photos for me today!

I have lots to learn but it is handy Chief "knows'' the stuff so we are not beginners together...though he is trying to pull the wool over my eyes a bit! I just have to show him more leadership in our new partnership!

He is just what I wanted...something quiet and reliable while I reconnect with riding...and have some fun!Though I never thought I would find that in a 5 year old Thoroughbred ex race horse! Proves that in all things you should be open minded! Now I need some with me playing the Parelli games with Chief! Lissy

team penning...

Until recently I had no idea what team penning was....the couple that I am purchasing Chief off have just started team penning...it is a horse sport involving cows...

You are in team of 3 riders and you have 2 minutes to get three cows into the holding yard.

There are about 20 cows in the herd and they have different coloured colours...when the clock is started you are given a collar colour to go for. It is actually quite hard...

Last night Mum and I took the girls to watch...it was rather nice sitting on the grass watching for an hour or so...

Evangeline just wanted to climb on the fence...


And Morganne wanted to roll down the hill...she wanted to climb the fence to but I would not let her....

I took some photos on auto so they are not great...it was sunset and then the lights were put on...I need to find out what settings on manual I can use so I can take better ones next time...But fun was had by all...Lissy

first day in uniform...

Today Morganne had her first day in uniform...she just wanted to pull faces and play around rather than have photos taken!

But she still looks very cute! So far school is going well! Lissy