Montage #1 - the equestrian set

The images for my very first Bush Babe montage

were cleverly selected by Kate (from Utah Zen) ...

What do you think?
I waited until the parcel finally negotiated the Australian and American postage systems and was safely with Kate, before sharing it with you. It took almost four weeks (why, I do not know!) so I was utterly relieved when she emailed me it arrived OK.

I shall add it to the image list here... I'll keep adding images as they prove popular with visitors and those purchasing prints for their walls.

If anyone else has any clever ideas for a set of photos from this site, I would love to hear your selection. Or even what you'd like to see more pics of.

Thanks!

BB

PS More foal photos coming soon!

Culture'n'City'n'Country Roads...

We have just returned from a whirlwind trip to the Big Smoke: Bris Vegas ('Brisbane' if you are actually looking on a map!). A weekend away. It was lovely - exhausting but lovely. We managed to sqeeze in two visits to rellies (hello Grandad and Gwen, hello cousins T,J and L!) a spot of shopping, movie viewing

Mr I kindly took the kiddies to Bolt and left me to munch on popcorn while inhaling Australia *sigh*.

Oh look - Mr I at Granite Glen!

Jeez we need some rain!

What?

Oh, sorry, it's Mr Jackman (aka the Drover) on Far Away Downs. On the big screen.

heh!

...

The sweeping epic was wonderfully sweeping. And epic. Mr Incredibles all-time favourite actor David Wendham plays the bad guy fabulously. Our Nicole's brow moves, and she is perfect as the uptight Pommy aristocrat, and Hugh... well. What can one say? He just simmers and flexes and glowers ... what more can a girl ask for?

My heart actually belongs to the youngest member of the cast, Brandon Walters, who has the most incredible liquid brown eyes ever. Like Nicole's character, I totally wanted to adopt him by scene two. The kid is amazing - and he can act too. A star is born...

...

Can you tell I really enjoyed this movie? Although (don't you hate a "but" in the middle of your movie review) I shall be sticking my hand up the next time Mr Luhrmann shoots a movie and needs a stock advisor. No-one gallops AT or THROUGH the cattle in real life, Baz. Not if they want the mob to stay together... a minor point I know, but one that jars if you have any experience in the saddle.

...

But then of course, Our Baz more than makes up for this little lapse with a bit of this...

(Mum, please look away now!)...

Just to keep us all engaged.

*wipes brow*
All is forgiven Baz. No, really...

...
The real 'excuse' for the trip though, was my Christmas gift from Mr Incredible - tickets to the Cirque du Soleil. I adore the Cirque... we have seen every single show that has been to Australia since the first one (Alegria, I think) about five years ago. I was utterly blown away at that first experience. Mesmerised. We have taken the kids to one show previously (during which they hid in our coats for almost half the show) but decided to once again share the experience with them. It can be a little overwhelming sometimes, but the performances are so incredible and the costumes so breathtaking that I thought it cruel not to share it with them.

So Dralion was booked and Voilet and Dash combed and primed (no, Dash, there are no elephants in the show!) for their Big Circus Encounter.

The excitement built as we approached the blue-and-yellow tent (seen here from the Gateway Bridge) ... the event was set up on the docks on the Brisbane River.

I insisted on taking my Nikon in with me and shot a couple of glances of the place but I am (as always) disappointed that I could not take photos of the show itself. Of course, I understand the no flash thing - distraction is the last thing these guys need!

It could be disasterous!

But really, no words can possibly share the whirl of vivid colour, incredible action, amazing contortions and connections of the performers, interspersed with comedic relief by nonsense-babbling (non-red-nosed) funnymen.

No TV show can do it either.

...

If you have never been to one, you MUST try to go. Honestly.

Make it a 'bucket list' thing to do.

It really takes you to another world.

An incredibly beautiful, haunting, uplifting, surreal, fabulous world. Or in two words:

Must.

See.

Warning#1:
A visit to Cirque du Soleil MAY wear you out!

...

And for other traffic-phobes out there:

Warning #2:

It involves a whole lotta this:

*Blah!*
I am so spoiled these days...

with this view from behind the wheel instead...

The drives might be longer, but the scenery sure is better!

So now I am all "city-cultured out"... recovering from being on-the-move, driving for over 11 hours, shopping, movie-ing and cirque-ing.

...

So...how was your weekend?

Up close with Cutestuff 1 & 2

Did I mention somewhere about the current cutest things (don't forget the other one!) at Granite Glen?

And how these two breath-taking equine bubbas were sired by the late, great Admiral?

...
Clearly, I have been a little remiss at getting some more photos to make y'all go "aaaahhhhhh". And I am fond of a little appropriate "aaahhhing" ... what do you think? Shall I show some progress photos of Admiral's foals? Alright then, you twisted my arm!

...

Dash, Violet and I went out in the Prado to check on the pair of scamps... I warned my slightly rambunctious pair to try and keep a lid on their enthusiasm so they didn't scare the foals off while I was taking photos. They reluctantly agreed to "try and be quiet" and "try and move slowly" so as not to startle our subjects. Thus reassured (?) we set off down towards the dry river bed, where we found the brood mares and their offspring.

...

Got your "aaahing" gear ready??

This is what we found:
This is Cutestuff Number 1.

Obviously that's not his real name.

Actually he doesn't have a real name yet.

So until we all think of something outstanding, Cutestuff Number 1 (CS1) it is.

He's a colt (duh!) and is as handsome as Hugh Jackman.

Or Will Smith.

Or whoever floats your boat.

Mr Incredible and Hugh Jackman float mine.

(Just so you know!)

Number 1 is very handsome but still a real Mummy's Boy.

Not that there is anything wrong with that! After all, he is only two weeks old!
...

Oh look!

Here is his half-sister, Cutestuff Number 2 (CS2).

Work those eyelashes baby!

How adorable is she? Foals have such adorable eyelashes. And noses. And toeses.

Redheads rule (at least in the horse paddock here at Granite Glen).

Perhaps she could be called Ree? Heh.

Or maybe Bree (Desperate Housewives)?

(And is it just me, or is there a striking similarity between these two characters? What do you mean one is real and one is not? Heh!)

Now, where were we?

Oh. Cutestuff Number 2.

CS2 is a bit of a prankster.

She annoys her Ma endlessly with the whole "wriggle the rump under Mum's belly" trick.

This is something Violet tries on too. I feel for CS2's Mama.

Hang on! What's happened? No more posing little girl?

CS2 got a little shy all of a sudden, and trotted smartly around the other side of Mum while she pretended to nibble on a sheaf of hay... I turned around to find out what had caused this unexpected change of mood,

only to find this:

When I asked what on earth they were doing, Dash patiently explained:

We're being horses, 'course!

So the baby horses won't git scared an' all...
Right.

Of course.
Silly Mum.

My giggles then sent both Mamas packing, with foals in tow.

Darn!

How is it possible that even their fuzzy little bottoms are cute?

Mystery revealed: rusty wonderings

So, as the sign on our outdoor loo used to say:

'here tis':

The "real" story behind this week's mystery...

It was a clear sunny day, just before my sister's wedding,

when a very special parcel arrived at her place,

addressed to me, from far, far away...

It came from a place in Pennsylvania, a place I had only ever heard of.

From a woman who thought she had something I might enjoy.

Someone she imagined might share with her a love of "old stuff".

I had no idea what to expect in this box.

The possibilities seemed endless...

What on earth could it possibly be?

I opened it cautiously. Carefully. With great anticipation.

And under a carefully folded letter, I found this...

These...

I gasped.

A pair of rusty spurs.

They were just beautiful...

Then I read that carefully folded letter.

From Debby.

And I understood.

I understood that she had shared something important.

Something fantastic.

Something earthy and real and filled with untold stories and wonder.

And I felt utterly humbled.
For these old, old spurs were found by her, when she was just 12.
First one, on the banks of a creek near her home.
Then, a week later, the other.
She chanced on it, following her instincts, further down the same creek.
Spurs rusted and decayed from decades and decades and decades of weather.
Once worn by an unknown rider.
A man. Sometime before 1900. Maybe well before.
Possibly a Civil War soldier.

A man who lost both spurs one day.

Near a creek.
In rural Pennsylvania.
A man who had little idea his simple spurs would spark the imagination of a 12-year-old girl... And then, almost four decades later, a woman on the opposite side of the globe would hold them, feel them, and be transported with wonderings and ponderings.
...
He might have also been amazed that the intrigue would spread further. How could he know that the this-side-of-the-world woman had a four-year-old daughter would also hold them and demand that the carefully folded letter be read one more time. And as the words spilled once again over her little blonde head, her fingers would grip tighter over the rusty rollers and her brown eyes light up in wonder.

At the soldier's spurs, from the other side of the world.
.
Thankyou Deb.

The REAL "and the winner is..."

OK. I have it under control now.

That blinking "post options" bucked me off momentarily, but I dusted myself off and climbed right back in that saddle.

It weren't aisy!

*spits hayseed out of mouth*

...

Of course, now I get to keep my originally posted winners and ADD to them...

Which is kinda good, as this contest was soooooooo hard to pick a winner in!
Let me first say that I undoubtedly have the FUNNIEST commenters in the WORLD.
(Not sure how I managed that little trick, but I'm taking full credit!)

...
The talent amongst my readers here makes it heaven to read my comments section (splutter tissues in hand), but hell to pick a winner from my silly Mystery Photo comps!

After much nail-biting and trauma, here are Mum's comments:

...

OMG! Too many winners here to pick just one.

Hmmm… let’s see…

(gets out pin to find out where it lands to decide.)
After much consideration, and a few committee meetings and a lot of laughs, we think it will have to go to:

the didgeridoo holder,

closely followed by the elephants

and the dinosaurs

(I know, I know, she is ineligible, and so are you, Debby! I know you are going to be so disappointed your lovely goannas missed out! Now there’s an interesting panorama, now I come to think of it.)
Sorry all you other entrants, but thought it had to bear little relation to the truth.

Love Mum.

...

So that's my Ma's review of things, given due consideration as she packs for a weekend away with Dad... and added into my two-bob's worth added in, the final winners are:

*insert very annoying drimroll here*...
BIG SIS

...didgeridoos, love epics and war scenes (Australia the movie, here I come!)
GEM

...for her wonderfully-Aussie-themed story crammed with as many Strine-isms as I have ever heard, leading dramatically into Waltzing Matilda territory...
PENCIL WRITER

...for her amazing (very thought provoking) insight into the Ninja moves and defensive techniques of elephants.
(Oh, an honorable mention to Scotty - you definitely made Mum spit her coffee!)
...
I adored each and every entry though and read them all about 20 times.
Then wished I hadn't. Because it just made it even harder to choose a winner.
Thanks everyone for taking the time and energy to enter.
I do hope you enjoyed checking back and reading all the amazing, splutter-worthy entries as much as we did...
The real story (kinda) will be posted later today.
Now I need to give my poor stretched giggle-muscles a Radox bath...

and finish writing the 'real rusty deal'.
:-)
BB

Ooooppssss!

Did someone say "greenhorn"?

I accidentally posted a mock-up winner announcement just now...

But the competition isn't over!

Not by a long shot.

The real winners will be announced tomorrow.

After y'all have finished entering.

After the stated deadline (tonight).

After I stop swearing at the computer and after I work out what date it is today.

Blogger's "Post Options" is a trap for beginners.

Trust me on this!

Last chance... get your entries in!

The competition is hot and fierce...

and downright hilarious!

And I have an 8 x 12" print of any image I have taken and posted here at Bush Babe (of Granite Glen) promised for the maddest and most coffee-spitworthy of my readers' entries.

Here is the inspiration behind the madness...

To get ye rear/hiney/butt to the comments section here and get inspired by the imaginative literary efforts already posted. Put your thinking/crazy cap on and join the melee.

Entries close Thursday midnight!

Go on...

you know you want to...