Giddy Up!

We have decided to have a Blackhurst Do on New Year's Day, and I have been inspired by a combination of the World Hobby Horse Championships and the Olympics. Contestants will compete in three disciplines: cross country, showjumping, and dressage. There will also be a 'best in show' and a mystery 'heads or tails' round. We went shopping for obligatory prizes - cups and rosettes. 

 

We took a few photos and made instructional videos for the contestants so they could get a sneak peek at the terrain. 

On the day itself, we began with the dressage, after which the scores are as follows:

1. Alex and Candy the Cane (30)
2. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (25)
3. Charles and Phar Coff (20)
4. Elaine and Felicity (18) 
5. Lani and Alan Stickman (16)
6. Lyndelle and Epiphany (14)
7. Victoria and Priscilla (12)
8. Peter and Horace Woodpole (10)

Alex and Candy the Cane

Ann Maree and Silver Steed

Charles and Phar Coff

Elaine and Felicity

Lani and Alan Stickman

Lyndelle and Epiphany

Victoria and Priscilla

Peter and Horace Woodpole

Our second round was the cross-coutry. I didn't get photos of the event because I was too busy with time-keeping duties, but here are some images of the competitors being led through the course on a reconnoitre.

We had a couple of late-comers arrive, so the results of the cross-country are as follows:

1. Lani and Alan Stickman (30)
2. Alex and Candy the Cane (25)
3. Victoria and Priscilla (20)
4. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (18)
5. Lyndelle and Epiphany (16)
6. Peter and Horace Woodpole (14)
7. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (12)
8. Elaine and Felicity (10)
9. Charles and Phar Coff (10)
10. Liz and 'Opeless (10)

This means that standings after Round Two, with all to play for, are:

1. Alex and Candy the Cane (55)
2. Lani and Alan Stickman (46)
3. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (43)
4. Victoria and Priscilla (32)
5. Lyndelle and Epiphany (30)
6. Charles and Phar Coff (30)
7. Elaine and Felicity (28)
8. Peter and Horace Woodpole (24)
9. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (12)
10. Liz and 'Opeless (10)

The next round was the show-jumping, which was hotly contested and demanded a re-run of the top three to determine the placings. Once again I was on time-keeping duties, but my trusty side kick was positioned at the water jump to take action photos. 

Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse

We had a late scratching, so are now down a contestant, but herewith, the results for the show-jumping:

1. Peter and Horace Woodpole (30)
2. Lani and Alan Stickman (25)
3. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (20)
4. Alex and Candy the Cane (18)
5. Victoria and Priscilla (16)
6. Elaine and Felicity (14)
7. Charles and Phar Coff (12)
8. Lyndelle and Epiphany (10)
9. Liz and 'Opeless (10)

Alex and Candy the Cane

Lani and Alan Stickman

Victoria and Priscilla

Lyndelle and Epiphany

The standings after Round Three have changed again, with it being very tight at the top and some mid-table shufflings, and now appear thus:

1. Alex and Candy the Cane (73)
2. Lani and Alan Stickman (71)
3. Peter and Horace Woodpole (54)
4. Victoria and Priscilla (48)
5. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (43)
6. Elaine and Felicity (42)
7. Charles and Phar Coff (42)
8. Lyndelle and Epiphany (40)
9. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (32)
10. Liz and 'Opeless (20)

Round Four was Best in Show - due to my inability to upload video, I am unable to show how all the competitors took to the ring to parade past the judges demonstrating deportment and demeanour and the effort they maintained to showcase their bond with the horse. I can, however, share this photo and the scores from Round Four.

1. Lyndelle and Epiphany (30)
2. Liz and 'Opeless (25)
3. Charles and Phar Coff (20)
4. Lani and Alan Stickman (18)
5. Victoria and Priscilla (16)
6. Elaine and Felicity (14)
7. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (12)
8. Alex and Candy the Cane (10)
9. Peter and Horace Woodpole (10)

As you can imagine, this had an effect on the overall standings which are now as follows:

1. Lani and Alan Stickman (89)
2. Alex and Candy the Cane (83)
3. Lyndelle and Epiphany (70)
4. Victoria and Priscilla (64)
5. Peter and Horace Woodpole (64)
6. Charles and Phar Coff (62)
7. Elaine and Felicity (56)
8. Liz and 'Opeless (45)
9. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (44)
10. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (43)

The final round - Heads or Tails - was an indoor affair for the riders only, while the horses had a well-deserved break. I gave each contestant the name of either a horse that had competed in the Badminton Horse Trials or a cocktail (hence heads or tails), with possible explanations, and they had to pick which one was true. For example:

Clover Club

• A grey mare described as being 'small in stature and mighty in spirit', she was the first horse to win Badminton ridden by an American 
• Pre-Prohibition era cocktail made with raspberry syrup, gin, lemon juice and egg-white named after a popular Philadelphia men's club

(It's the drink)

This involved a fiendish scoring system wherein points could be won as well as lost for a wrong answer, and contestants could nominate others to take their question. I'll put all the questions on another post so you can play along at home. It also involved a few cocktails of our own making, so we will not be entering into any correspondence over the final scores, which are as follows:

1. Victoria and Priscilla (124)
2. Lani and Alan Stickman (119)
3. Charles and Phar Coff (112)
4. Liz and 'Opeless (105)
5. Peter and Horace Woodpole (64)
6. Alex and Candy the Cane (63)
7. Elaine and Felicity (56)
8. Heidi and Horsey McHorse Horse (54)
9. Lyndelle and Epiphany (50)
10. Ann Maree and Silver Steed (43)

We also had a packet of wooden spoons, which were given to Lyndelle (Ann Maree had left and missed the last three rounds of competition). Being the amazingly talented person she is, she crafted them into things of beauty, which I'm sure will be highly prized at future events.

Congratulations to all participants in the inaugural Blackhurst Horse Trials. Look out for futher instalments...

Meanwhile, in more leisurely pursuits, here is the reading tower for the start of the year.

Bedside book tower

A walk up Red Hill with a view down to the tardis, and over to the Parliamentary Triangle.

It's warm where we are so what better way to celebrate a derby win (Burnley beat Blackburn 1-0 in the Championship) than with a glass of bubbles in the back garden, I mean show-jumping arena.

Bloody Long Walk Part One

Restrictions are easing; pubs are opening; beer is being poured. It would be rude not to.

Beers with chums at To All My Friends

At the end of November I'm walking The Bloody Long Walk with friends. It's 35km and goes from the top of Red Hill, through the posh suburbs of Canberra where all the embassies are, skirts Parliament, and then round the lake. We have started doing some 'warm-up' walks so that we know the route and are aware of the distance. 

For Part One we walked from Red Hill to Lennox Gardens. One of the things I like about Canberra is that all the embassies are designed to reflect the architectural features of the country. Here are North Korea and India.

The route goes around Parliament, where people with guns patrol the grounds. I always feel anxious seeing people bearing guns, but they were all very pleasant. 

There are formal gardens on the eastern side of Parliament House (inspired by English and French formal garden designs). The gardens are guarded by a pair of lions, traditionally installed at the entrances or imperial and government buildings in China. They are usually found in pairs, the male resting a paw on a ball, and the female restraining a playful cub on its back. These guardian lions were a gift from the People's Republic of China in 1988. 

The traditional water feature in the centre creates gentle sound and movement and is surrounded by displays of annuals with approximately 3,500 plants, which are changed in spring and autumn.

We also walked past Old Parliament House, where the wisteria was still in bloom.

Across the choppy waters of the lake, the National Museum sits on Acton Peninsular. Design Diva told me that it was formerly the hospital for Canberra, which is not ideally situated as there was limited space for growth and only one way in and out. On 13 July 1997, the plans to demolish the old buildings went horribly wrong. Over 100,000 people attended the implosion from the other side of the lake; one of the largest crowds in the history of Canberra. Unfortunately, large pieces of debris reached across the lake injuring nine people and instantly killing Katie Bender, a twelve-year-old girl. The main building did not fully disintegrate and was manually demolished afterwards. There is now a memorial on the site to Katie Bender.

At Lennox Gardens we find the Canberra Nara Peace Park and the Beijing Garden. A distinctive feature of Canberra Nara Peace Park is its 'borrowed landscape', or the extension of the park's boundaries to encompass landmarks such as Lake Burley Griffin, Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie and Lotus Bay.

Toku was commissioned to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of Japan's ancient capital, Nara. The sculpture has three main elements: a five-storied pagoda form which represents Canberra; a floating stone representing Nara; and the form of a small bird symbolising peace. The bird (on the left-hand corner of the second tier down) represents a Latham's snipe, a species which migrates annually between Japan and Canberra. The artist has created Toku to express the amicable relationship and mutual understanding shared by Canberra and Nara as sister cities. 

Toku (2010) by Shinki Kato

It seems the Chinese like to create statues of animals coming to harm. Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow is regarded as a national treasure; a famous representative sculpture from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD). The original sculpture was unearthed in Wuwei County, Gansu Province. Apparently, 'this reproduction depicts the Heavenly Steed of Chinese legend, in dynamic flight with one hoof stepping on the back of a swallow, accentuating the speed and power of the horse'. 

Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow

At least these cranes look unharmed

I liked the four celestial symbols, which are creatures in Chinese mythology that represent the four cardinal points and the four seasons. They are the Black Tortoise (north/ winter), the Azure Dragon (east/ spring), the Scarlet Bird (south/summer) and the White Tiger (west/ autumn). Representations of the Four Celestial symbols date from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of China (475 - 221BC).

One particularly odd thing was the Stone of Appreciation from Tai Lake. The plaque informs us that limestone from Tai Lake has been prized as garden ornamentation since the Tang Dynsaty (618-907 AD). Also known as Chinese scholars' stones, rock specimens are admired for their convoluted forms and the balance of strength and delicacy.

The Stone of Appreciation displays the four recognised qualities of fineness (shou), openness (tou), perforations (lou) and wrinkling (zhou). I'm pretty sure I display some of those qualities too. Design Diva pointed out that the reciprocal colonisation process continues as the stone appears to be a breeding ground for local spiders. 

The Stone of Appreciation

There's also a small section of the gardens planted with colourful azaleas and rhododendrons, bordered by dainty little pathways.

More red and white azaleas

We finished our walk by returning to the start point (where we had left a vehicle - the organisation of parking cars at each end was a bit befuddling that early in the morning) and having a hearty breakfast at the Redhill Café & Bar.

And we finished the weekend with bubbles and soup at the home of Dr Kay and Patience Itself, where we celebrated their beautiful spring blooms for Azaleiade.