The Great Hobby Horse Fiasco

Earlier this week I shared a little of our Melbourne Cup day - the finery and fashion. And the cuteness with which I am bombarded. But I kind of missed out on one of the more spectacular of the events. (Actually I am not sure that anything is more spectactular than a dog in a bow tie?)

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There were all kinds of shenanigans going on... especially during the Hobby Horse Derby.

Perhaps you were imagining that only children rode hobby horses? For those experienced in the ways of bush entertainment, the concept of fully-grown hard-working men grabbing the nearest pole-like object and galloping madly down a cleared grassed 'field' is not all that unusual. (Perhaps this happens in the Big Smoke too? If so correct me, please!)

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Shall I illustrate?

This is the host of our Bush Melbourne Cup day - Joel.

Joel was once a rodeo clown - can you tell?

He is also super fast and has a wicked sense of humour... he dressed especially for the race.

Gotta love those rugby socks, Joel! (Do you think he was trying to distract the competition?)

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The men got into teams of two for a kind of relay... the race was to consist of a return trip around a post set up about 50 metres from the start line, with second runner to take the 'steed' and complete the same course. Fairly simple rules. One would think. Shall we see what happened?

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The men lined up their frisky mounts, held them steady... the women shouted "GO"

and they were OFF...

If you can, please take a moment examine the 'horses' - there are some classics.

I particularly like the pink gumboot on the stick.

And the mop.

Does anyone recognise the groom from a wedding I recently photographed?

My cousin Tom got a pretty good start.

And that would be my brother on the far side...

He seems to have been thrown from his mount early on, and has taken to carrying it.

Most unusual. They are a competitive lot, my family.

But my brother has nothing on the wiliness of my uncle...

as you shall see.

See the bloke in the next shot in blue shirt and the hat,

already over the line to take the 'horse'?

That'd be my Uncle T.

An experienced polocrosse player and all round good guy.

Now I can't say exactly what went on next as I have no actual evidence.

(I think I may have been laughing too hard to press the shutter.)

But it may, or may not, have included a minor short-cut being taken by the more mature participants of the race. Which may or may not include my uncle. Like in the MIDDLE of the racetrack in front of EVERYONE. Subtle.

Because, miraculously...

He STREAKS to the finish line!

A clear winner.

And yes, the stewards enquiry is still going on.

(I must check to see if members of my family are on THAT panel too!)

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Oh, and in case you are wondering, the children did get a go at the mocked up horses too...

after the men had completed their 'race'.

Here is my niece Rose showing how it is done...

Somehow that pink gumboot horse looks 'right' with this rider!

Anyone recognise the jockey in second place?

Go Dash!

He never did pass his cousin, but took that in good humour.

He's not a fan of coming second usually, but he kind of adores her...

A little niggly part of me wonders though...

Is he cursing his chance at glory?

And wishing he had payed more attention to Uncle T's dubious race tactics?

Only time will tell!!

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My question to you:

What do you do for entertainment when friends, neighbours and family gather?

And is there cheating involved?

It's a CONSPIRACY!

And if I have not already overloaded you in the cute department...

there is a little something I need to share:

Heaven help me... another second cousin (sorry, first cousin, once-removed).

A cherub of the highest order.

One of the twins born earlier this year.

Oh those big solemn eyes.

Oh, those rosy chubby cheeks.

Oh, those dimpled hands...

WHY does it always come back to photos of babies on this blog?

Me? Clucky? Nah, couldn't be.

It's a just a conspiracy on a global scale.

Note to my family, would you PLEASE stop having gorgeous babies...

Seriously people. It's killing me!

Weather Wednesday - late and hot

It's hot.
Damned hot.
Hot and sweaty.
And I am late.
Can't sleep.

It's darned late and I am late.

(Lee from NJ got sick of waiting for this post and left a forecast in the last post!)

It's hot and still and dry.
Which is fine if your pool is full

(ours is finally, but with dark brown water)

but not if your air con has busted (ours has).
Forecast is for clouds, more almost 40 degrees Celsius

and a promise of less than 1mm.

I'd cheer, but it's hardly worth the effort.

And you?

Do share...

Bush Cup Details: heat, hats and hobby horses

Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day...

A day to throw on some glad rags

Fill up the esky with beer, wine and finger food

And head west in search of Race Day, Bush style!

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We found it. Sixty kilometres from Granite Glen at my cousin Em's lovely home.

Past the burned-out paddocks, over the long dirt roads, under a wide blue sky.

It was a hot (oy the heat) but happy day.

I made a little effort (hey I painted my nails!) but failed to reach the sartorial elegence of most present on the day. I have a serious issue with hats - they just look weird on me. Unless they are caps or cowboy hats, I cannot wear them.

It's among my many foibles.

There was even a dog with a better outfit on than me...

Say hello to Jack.

Jack can work a camera, and work a crowd...

To wit: both achieved simultaneously!

In an effort to outdo this satorially splendid pooch

the local ladies put in the hard yards to spruce up too...

Gorgeousness abounded.

Feathered fascinators made a big comeback ... sidenote: I can't do fascinators either.

I tried, I really did. But me and the feathers, it was just wrong. So very wrong.

Here however is someone who can wear a hat with style...

one of my recent commenters, I believe, looking stunning.

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There was a fashion parade also, with models plucked from the onlookers.

(I cried off from duties, being old, fat and lame... and busy, on photo duty!)

This beautiful young woman was among the models, and she did a great job...

Not the least of her challenges was negotiating the steps in these fabulous shoes...

Oh, the envy I feel at her pretty feet, her agile negotiation of the steps, those shoes...

*sigh*

I couldn't even negotiate the lawn in 1 inch heels without hitting the turf. Pathetic!

But you are not here to contemplate my physical and mental issues, or clumsiness.

You are here for FUN and PRETTY today.

Oh look...

Sweet and pretty.

That will do nicely ...

My cousin's daughter (soooo, my second cousin?) frolicking on the 'race-track'where the hobby horse derby took place. Is she not the cutest thing? (And yes, I am aware that I say that about pretty much every young human on this blog. But seriously people... scrumptious, no?)

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I will showcase more on the HH Derby tomorrow.

It was a riot.
In the meantime ...

a sneak preview of warm-up in the mounting yard.

Whoa back big boy!

This kid is another very distant rellie, and clearly knows a thing or two about riding.

He should, his parents are amazing horse people.

We were all very impressed with his technique.

I am not sure if this is how he usually leads his ponies home, however?

A stewards enquiry is underway as we speak...

The Post-Cup, Pre-Proper Post preview...

A quick note tonight - I am exhausted, over-tired and I have serious guilt complex issues arising from the sad fact that my children went to bed tonight having imbibed (wait for it) Cheezels in the car for dinner. I know. I bow my head in shame. There was no bath either... but man they had sweet smiles on their dials as they slept through the car-to-bed transfer a little while ago.

We spent the day at my cousins' homestead - for the Melbourne Cup. (For non-Aussies, the Cup is a horse race run in Melbourne - no really - and people throughout our wide, brown land stop pretty much everything to watch it. Actually, it's a fabulous excuse to dress up, gather with friends, splurge a little on sweeps, calcutta auctions or straight out TAB betting, and cheer on horses you have never heard of before. Not a whole lot of study goes into this effort generally. Betting wildly on pretty jockey colours, lucky numbers or intriguing names seems to have as much positive result as anything. For me anyway!

My cousin is an awesome hostess and the day was fabulous beyond words. There were fancy fascinators and market stalls, fashion parades, laughter, finger food and many, many abandoned high heels by the day's end. I have a lot of photos... some of which I might share here. Some I won't. For instance, my SIL Curly has expressly forbidden me to post photos of her turn in the fashion parade. The woman is almost eight months pregnant and looks great, but I am not here to force fame on the unwilling. (Heh)

I may however allow you to feast your eyes on the best dressed dog at the event. An image you will take with you for some time, I assure you.

I did get some interest in the calendar idea, so I may pursue this little project. If you haven't already, don't forget to vote on my poll at the right. I cannot do this without your input!!

So on that note I shall sign off, and head my aching feet in the direction of my bed... if you are wondering, the horse with the funkiest name won today: Shocking. No, really!

Shocking. What a great name...

Welcome to the

Bush Babe Calendar order page.

Thanks so much for dropping by...

The inaugural (2010) The Beauty of the Bush calendar is now OFFICIALLY on sale.

It is filled with images of the Australian countryside (known locally as 'the Bush'), it's freaky animals, hard-workin' people and gorgeous landscapes. And I have thrown a bit of Aussie horse action into the mix too.

It's a limited edition so it's first in, first served.

And I will sign each calendar personally (indicate if you'd rather an unsigned copy)

Whether you'd like one (or ten) it's easy-peasy!
Here's how....

........................................................................................................................

TO ORDER:

1. Send me an email at bushbabeaustralia@gmail.com with:
- your NAME
- FULL POSTAL ADDRESS (where you'd like the calendar to go)
- HOW MANY COPIES of the calendar you would like to purchase.

(I will reply with the total cost - the calendar price itself doesn't vary but the postage does, depending on where you are and how heavy the parcel ends up.)

2. I will send you an invoice from my PayPal account (for all y'all overseas) and it will send an email to you with details for payment. I can also arrange for direct deposit with Aussie customers if necessary.

COST: Each calendar is $29 plus postage*

*varies but within Australia: from $5; overseas from $10 for regular mail. Multiple copies to a single address will of course cost less per item.

..........................................................................................................................

DON'T WAIT TOO LONG!

Be sure to get in early (cut-off for orders will be December 4 - but keep in mind that to get your calendars there before the New Year (or Christmas if it's a gift) I need to have lots of postage time. I will do my very best to get everything in the mail as soon as your funds clear, but don't forget that I live at whoop-whoop and our mail run takes place only twice a week!

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Thanks so much for your interest in this little project. I'd love to hear back from you when your calendar arrives ... and I hope you enjoy a taste of my world throughout 2010.

Cheers!
BB

If anyone is mad enough to wish to put a button up on their blog to link to this page here is the image to copy into your sidebar:

(this version is 300 px wide) and the appropriate link is http://bushbabe.blogspot.com/2009/10/bush-babe-calendar.html

Shrek and the Swamp

You know how we have a pool?

A pool my father built when he was just a teenager?

A pool that provides some serious relief from the Aussie heat in the summer months?

And you know how (despite many, many lotto entries)

we still don't have Sven the pool boy at our beck and call?

And did you also know that our pool pump decided to up and DIE over winter?

So, as Summer approached at a gallop, our lovely big pool actually resembled

the Shrek Swamp in consistency and colour?

Not pretty - you can thank me later for not taking a photo of it

in all it's mucky glory!

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It reminded me of when Jeanie and our brother Pig and I were kids

(the pool was built very much pre-filtration)

and Dad would simply skim the leaves etc off the top,

pull the cane toads out,

and in we would dive.

We never expected to see the bottom of the pool,

and were quite amazed at the council pools

with their blue clear stingy-eyes water.

Of course, the toad thing wasn't so great.

I had dreams/nightmares about diving into a pool

with ONLY toads in it.

*Shudder*

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Anyway, we bought a new pool pump a few weeks ago

but it just couldn't handle the degree of Shrek-ness of our pool.

(say after me: 'YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE SHREK-NESS!')

We decided to give in, pump out the filth

and irrigate some parched pasture

with the old water and start afresh.

Which is when a lovely big cloud

dropped almost two inches of rain on our house!

Yay! But OY the timing...

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So yesterday Dad (Pagi), my hard-working hubby (Mr Incredible)

and the kids got scrubbing.

While I took photos.

And I mowed the lawn.

(So what if it's a ride-on mower!

Laziness is no good unless it is well carried out!)

Ever seen a bush pool cleaned out?

Well, I am here to inform and educate...

if not to scrub!

Pick the lazy bones in this family portrait...

Hello!!!!
You can clearly see where the boys have been scrubbing

and where they have not.

I'm telling you, this pool was FILTHY.

Dash was on hose duty, with Violet wielding a small red brush.

I suspect she was using it more to point out the spots that needed attention,

than actually scrubbing...

She's a chip off the old block, that one.

(Her Ma is so proud!)

By the time I had done the mowing the pool job was pretty much done,

with just the final sweeping of last bits of brown sludge

into the 'trap' hole in the floor of the deep end for bucketing out.

We find water guns most helpful to help cool Daddy off when the sweeping work gets too sweaty... I use the term 'we' loosely - cameras don't like water too much!

As you can see, Dash and Violet revelled in this chore...

They care little about mucky water... it was wet and cool and fun!

We did give Mr Incredible a break eventually, with a pool-side coffee.

With the pool empty and relatively clean, we turned the hose on.

The kids lay on the pool floor and let the water trickle past them...

Our own water park!

Of course the garden hose will take a few days to fill this monster hole,

so I can't yet give you an 'after' photo just yet...

In the meantime...

Heeeeeeeere's Axel...

the pool-side boot-minder:

He's about as useful as I am!