Oh when will this end.....?

To get a feel for our experience here in the past week, just reread what I wrote last week and likely the week before that, and that's about it. The only change is that the intervals of warm are getting shorter and of cold are correspondingly longer. Every Tuesday (except tomorrow, I feel confident in saying) we hit about 22C / 70 F, a nice warm temperature for being outdoors in short sleeves, for gardening, and almost a bit too warm for riding comfort if you're in the sun and working at it. Every Wednesday the temperature plummets to about plus 2 C / 36 F, then the next day it snows. Only difference this week is we've hit the near freezing mark today (Monday) which is a couple of days early. And apparently snow is still possible in the next couple of days. So there's *that* bit of joyous news out of the way. I'm sorry to bang on about this week after week, but it does make me feel a tad better, and it should make you feel a *lot* better about where you live, unless your weather is even worse, or unless you live here as well, in which case you will totally understand. 

I've been using some of the "trapped indoors yet again" time to generate some new artworks from my photo collection, and the bonus of boarding my horse where there is an indoor ring is that my riding life can continue. Goodness knows I'm tired of the inside of that ring after the many months of winter (we are in our sixth month of below average temperatures) but on the days when the wind is howling, rain or snow coming down sideways, and things are generally foul, the indoor ring is a haven and a refuge, and I am properly grateful for it. 

The little birds of the area continue to carry on with their agendas, with the occasional unusual one appearing, usually after one of the foul weather episodes where they have been blown off course or have precipitated out of the sky to lay over until the wind abates and the cloud cover lifts. Jim (the official family birder) was telling me today about some birding terms that I hadn't heard before. One was a "big year" where a (need I say fanatical, well financed and with a flexible lifestyle) birder takes a year out of their life and goes all over the world in pursuit of bird sightings to add to their life list. Second term was a "big day" where a less ambitious (or at least less well heeled and shorter on time) birder will go hard for 24 hours non-stop, collecting as many sightings over as much territory as they can manage in that time frame. I'm not clear about what-all they are seeing in the night-time hours of their 24, but presumably there are owls and night-hunters, although how they would be spotted in the dark is yet another question. The third term was the "big sit", where a birder will park him or herself in a chair or on the ground, and stay there motionless for several hours, letting the birds of the area come to them. This was all news to me and confirms for me yet again that compared to birders we horse people are relatively normal. 

Today's shots illustrate some of the above information. First shot is one of the art pieces I got assembled while house-bound due to the weather. I call the one "Page Runner" and it features one of the young Gypsy cobs of which I am so enamored. You can check out my website to see a couple of other recent photomontages featuring these horses. If this link doesn't work (and I have a feeling that it might not), go to my website www.judywoodartphotography.com and check the first four images in the Photomontage gallery. 

The next two shots were taken on the 22 C/ 70 F day for this past week, which was Saturday. It was a supremely lovely day as you can see in the photos, although you can additionally see that there isn't much yet in the way of leaves or greenery in the countryside. It's also darn dry and we could use some serious moisture, rather than the irritating amounts we've been getting which get in the way of outdoor activities but do nothing for subsoil moisture. 

One of the signs of spring at the barn is the Pony Club lessons that involve eventing training, which is what the kids were doing this weekend. Shot number two shows Nichelle and Red going uphill onto the little bank, heading for another bounce upward to the top. All the horses acquitted themselves well, as did the riders. Apparently I missed the day when kids and horses were parting company all over the place and generally getting right out of hand. These are amongst the first outdoor lessons of the year, and certainly the first in the big sand ring that has the elements they are working with, so the horses tend to get quite excited, and the kids a bit daunted, with the results one would expect under the circumstances. However, that's what their very experienced instructor is there for, and she soon gets everyone sorted out and functioning well. 

Shot three shows Caity (cousin to Nichelle of the previous shot) with her new filly. This young mare hasn't been under saddle very long (relatively speaking), so she's not yet in the lessons I was photographing. After her schooling ride in another ring, her rider was taking her for a bit of a wander to relax and observe the other horses. This type of quiet teaching is important for producing a horse that will be able to deal with whatever she might experience in the course of her working life, and is a pleasant task on a nice day like yesterday was.  Dancer wasn't at all phased by the action in the sand ring as the "working" horses zipped past her viewpoint, which bodes well for her ability to stay calm and attentive to her rider. 

Shot four is one I got as I went the "long way" home from the barn via a farm where there was a farrier clinic taking place. This event was going to be written up in some magazine articles and my farrier Norm had requested that I call by with the camera to get some shots while the clinic was underway. This one shows the visiting farrier (well, a little bit of him at any rate) as he is hot-shoeing the demo horse. I was quite amazed at the number of participants at this clinic, and that was only a portion of the farriers from central and northern parts of the province. 

Final shot is of a small bird that Jim wanted me to photograph. This was done during my "little sit" earlier today. I parked myself near the front yard feeding area and tried to be motionless and invisible until the sparrows got used to my presence. They are very spooky little birds and flee quickly and with great regularity, but if you can be still for long enough that the sparrows feel safe in coming back to the feeder, all the other little birds will come too. I was quite proud of myself as I sat for maybe 15 or 20 minutes (felt like it, anyway) which for me is quite an achievement. I tend to be action oriented for my shots so if I've hung around for 2 or 3 minutes and nothing exciting has happened, I generally get frustrated and quit. This type of shooting is good for developing my patience, if nothing else. If I could practice on a nicer day with a bit of sun, I think I might be able to get right into it!! Maybe next week.