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.

Birthday Week

This is not my photo, but as I share my birth week with Mum, I was sent this picture of her and Dad sporting flash new haircuts.

As I am in the middle of a play, the birthday itself was pretty low-key but no less enjoyable featuring breakfast with black pudding, and sitting in the garden with friends partaking of a few beers.

Suburban walks

Labour Day seems like the perfect day to do no work but to mentally and physically refresh with a walk around the local hill where tempting pathways lead off across green fields and past fragrant blooms.

 

After posting photos of these beautiful wisteria, people asked to see pictures of mine - so, ever happy to oblige...

I've been on walks recommended by walkcanberra.com, which lead me around areas familiar and previously unknown. I picked the walk around Hawker, which I know well and, while I enjoy the views, the added bonus of street libraries and free lemons were a highlight. 

I also stumbled (almost literally) across this neighbourhood herb garden, where the community share their love of  herbs with everyone. Each herb has a guide to help tell us how to cook with that particular herb and the associated health benefits. 

To ensure the success and longevity of the garden it is requested that folk use the scissors provided to pick the leaves, and to refrain from touching the covered plants as they are resting and regenerating. I love this initiative, particularly the recommendation to "Take what you need and leave what you don't". That is surely an apt lesson for life.

Another walk around the Weetangara suburb revealed more street libraries, sculptures, and beautiful flowers in gardens.

This ingenious method of training a wisteria appears to use an old rotary clothes line

This is a beautiful memorial to a person called Vanessa Louise Sutton. The inscription reads 'fly high beautiful butterfly'.

Ellen Clark Park is named in tribute to a long-serving teacher at Weetangera's first school from July 1894 to January 1920. In the 1870s the area was a thriving farming community , and the first school had 27 students when it opened on that that site in 1875: many of the surrounding streets are named after the families who attended it. 

The school building was made from blue gum and stringy-bark timber with slab walls and a shingled roof. Parents provided desks and benches. Later, a teacher's residence was built nearby. Children from the school planted a number of pine trees in the park over the years. The first pine trees were planted to commemorate 11 former students who had enlisted for the First World War. 

At the weekend we had beer and played our vinyl, while Melantho instantly jumped into the box we had used to carry the goods home. She does love a box, that girl.

And the weekend walk with friends was to Weston Park to admire the English Garden, planted with azaleas, rhododendrons and various other colourful flowering shrubs. 

I see Liverpool FC colours everywhere. I make my friends pose with them. Oh, come on; they were in matching outfits!

Our walk took us past the moving and emotional SIEV X memorial, which I have previously written about. 

I'm including these last two photos because Purple Lady says I always take pictures of her stuffing her face at the end of our walk - she wasn't able to accompany us this week, so I made sure I photographed Design Diva and The Luminosity complete with takeaway food instead!

Back home it was the perfect afternoon for a spot of gardening - everything is green and verdant... and growing! It was mainly mowing and weeding and pruning, but I captured some of the colour to take indoors with me.

A bonus weekend gift was being invited round to The Lovely Bonkers' house to meet their new puppy who is as yet so new that she hasn't got a name. But she is very cute

Calamity Sue with puppy

General Philosopher with puppy

Him Outdoors with puppy