In No Words Or Less
A life with horses and photographyArchive for March, 2007
I’ll always vote Will
VALLEYWAG HOTTIES: Nominate your favorite Web 2.0 hottie – Valleywag
And Nick Douglas of course…
technorati tags:Will Pate, Nick Douglas, new, shiny, internet, hotties, vote
Blogged with Flock
The sick world we live in.
Blogged with Flock
AHS in the southern southerns
Still bitching about my camera, but something far more serious and important has come up:
Outbreak of African Horse Sickness in the southern Cape – Started with a case in Stellenbosch and now reported cases in Paarl…
that’s a little too close to home, so J and I asked B about getting the old boys innoculated, just in case. he was silent, but that sometimes means he wants to think about it, which is fine. we also come into contact with competition horses nearly every time we ride… and those competition horses are innoculated, but they travel all over the place… you never know.
This also means that all shows in the southern cape have been cancelled up to and including the 13th April 2007. That means the show this weekend (dressage at NRA) is included.
The vets will do an evaluation at that time and decide if the travel ban should be lifted, and if the shows can go on as planned.
Africa. So beautiful, but sometimes so cruel.
Had awesome ride on Witchy today, with M and Juli and K and Watchy ( i thought i was going to be riding Watchy, but K was feeling up for the ride) – we had this mad canter dash through the lower bush, to “wake Watchy up” … it certainly woke them all up! Although M is a little worried because Jules didn’t eat her dinner last night or her breakfast this morning and she was feeling a little lethargic today… so when i left she was coming back with her horse thermometer to check her temperature.
I hope she’s ok… she’s such a special horse. but M’s horses are all so fit and healthy, i’m sure she’ll bounce anything off. there’s also been a virus going around, which might be what’s gotten into Jules.
M’s sister arrives home from the UK on Tuesday next week – they both can’t WAIT to see each other! And T (the sister) can’t wait to get back in the saddle and ride on the beach!
Also had a really good ride on Ex this afternoon, with J and Alchemy. We even met up with S on Catch, on their way home as well, so we all walked home together – it was actually really nice. S was in a talkative mood, and we all yakked all the way home. Ex and Catch pranced and performed on the sandtrack near the farm and S said “ah, i had forgotten this!” which is why we kinda stopped riding out together so long ago… but she said that if keeping the peace means Ex must go in front, then in front he must go! I’m glad things are ok between us now… it really wasn’t nice when she was upset with me and i had no idea why.
my body is so tired… got the WPHS awards ceremony tomorrow night – not sure if i’m looking forward to it or not… lots of people… but i should be fine, and C and the gang are going, as is M and her friends.. so it should be good. M and K want to drag me out later, but i don’t think i’m up for that. I’ll see how pretty i feel 
SFB.
And then some.
Got the camera back friday afternoon (thanks J) and was eagerly awaiting my chance to shine this weekend at the big eventing show in Noordhoek.
Saturday started out really promising, with no sign of the black “shadow” at the bottom of the images i took (or the right, depending on camera orientation at the time).. i was happy.
However, by the afternoon I noticed some shots had a slight “fade” at the bottom. I grew worried, but thought it must just be “the light” and my imagination.
I mean R950 later, they MUST have fixed something, right?
Today. oh man. today.
i was… BITTERLY disappointed.
From early on this morning (Sunday) the shadow on the images just got worse and worse. By late morning, it was so bad i was deleting 10 shots in a row (even after switching the camera off and on when getting the first “error” ).
It’s now even worse than when i sent it in. it happens more times than it doesn’t, and at one point it happened 16 shots in a row (turning the camera off after 3 shots didn’t even help).
I am so angry. so hurt. i paid all that money (which wasn’t even MINE!! because i don’t HAVE it)
and now it’s worse.
i’m trying so hard to be positive about this. but please, someone, tell me what’s positive in this situation?
please? i’m begging someone.
ENLIGHTEN ME.
technorati tags:camera, money, angry, sad, hurt, disappointed, costs, horses, photography, what now?, issues
Blogged with Flock
successful garage scrounge
hooray! i found the snackwich maker!
i also found various bits and bobs i thought i’d lost forever
but still no photographs… i’m hopeful, however, as there are still 4 giant boxes that i have not gotten to (can’t REACH actually) – i know some of them will have books in them…. one of them HAS to have my photographs…
i found A’s art pieces, some still in frames (we packed in a hurry) and some in their protective sleeve thingies.
not too sure what i can do with them – i could post them i suppose (frameless, obviously) but he would have to pay the postage.
right now i can’t afford anything – will have to borrow from brotherling dearest to pay for my camera, which SHOULD be coming home today.
that reminds me, i should call them and ask when it will be ready.
technorati tags:camera, photographs, boxes, garage, snackwich maker, artwork, forgotten things
Blogged with Flock
I want a laptop, just so i can have one of these…
snippet 15
Like a knife being slid slowly down her throat, right down her chest. Straight into her heart.
That was the grief she felt.
Like slivers of razors running through her veins. Throbbing with her pulse.
His blue eyes. So pale they looked like clouded sky. No glow now. No sparkle.
His hands, covered in blood and bits of flesh, growing cold in hers.
“Why did you leave my side? Why did you not hold the line?” she rasped. The icy rain began to pummel her helmetless head relentlessly.
“I couldn’t get there in time…”
The bucketing rain began to wash the mess of gore from his hands and body. His sword hand was twisted and broken. The fingers bent at angles and the bones sticking through the skin. These were the minor injuries. The killing blow was evident in his crushed side.
The troll that had caused the damage lay dead behind her, her great axe stuck fast in its skull.
Astur stood panting an arms length from her. His beautiful white face scraped and bloodied, his armour torn from him. His black mane matted with gore. He bled from many wounds, but would not leave her side. A true warhorse. A true friend.
But even that brave horse could not get her to his side fast enough. And here he lay, his head on her knees, his hands in hers.
“Oh my darling, my darling…” she sobbed. Some of her warriors stood and watched in sympathy. These two were the stuff of legend. There would be songs. But songs could not bring him back to her. Songs would not heal the hurt.
There were no words to speak to her, so none were spoken. They waited silently for her command. Their horses regaining their breath. Their wounded being cared for by Halas, as he made his way amongst them. His red robes glistened with rivulets of blood. His blind eyes glowed.
There they all stood. On this battlefield, victorious, but at such a cost it could not be fathomed until the dead had been counted. And there were so many.
“This war was not ours, my beloved, like many other wars. Our luck ran out.” she said softly. She took a shuddering breath and gently laid his arms across his body. She softly closed his eyes with her fingertips. His sword she took, and then she stood, looking down at him one last time.
Astur stepped closer to her and put his nose against her chest. His sister, Melur, had been the mount that carried her beloved into battle. She too was lost.
these are a few of my favourite things…
when the dog bites,
when the bee stings,
when i’m feeling sad…
I simply put in Shrek or Shrek 2 and then i don’t feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel so baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
*dances like Julie in the hills*
So i got over my little wallow the other night… i just needed a little emotional outburst.
i feel better now.
even though my camera is broken and went in to be repaired today and will probably cost me over R1500 … and i’m not sure when i will get it back… (hopefully in time for next weekend’s eventing at NRA) (i really really hope)
this is why i really would like to win the lotto.
but i’m going to be fine.
technorati tags: not so bad, even though my camera is broken, and it’s going to cost me a fortune to fix, i’m gonna be ok, i got friiiiiiiiiiiiiiends, and Shrek
allow me to wallow
i had such a bad night last night. didn’t sleep at all.
totally submerged myself in self pity. it was disgusting.
but i think i needed to do it.
shall i explain why? is it worth it?
it started to creep up on me a day or so ago… and then last night it all came crashing in on me.
my cousins (who i love dearly – and this rage/general pity-fest is not directed at THEM, just at the situation) who are very wealthy, recently came up tops again. their son (who is a sweet kid) found a Gold Ticket (yes, like that movie) in an icecream wrapper. It was one in TEN, in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. the entire country. So, since he is underaged, they flew my cousin, his mom, up to JHB for the awards ceremony – where they picked a gold key out of a hat and then saw if it matched the gold BMW Z4 Roadster. And guess what? She picked the right key. Out of ten, out of the ENTIRE country.
They won the car. It’s worth around R500 000 i think, maybe more. They already have 3 cars. One of those latest and greatest 4X4 trucks for the husband, a fancy Nissan Pajero for the wife and a little “run around” for the eldest son (WHO CAN’T EVEN DRIVE YET). So of COURSE they need another car, right? So… they are going to “drive it a bit and enjoy it” then they are going to sell it and the youngest son (who found the ticket in the first place) is going to get the money. Because you know, they really need it. (can you smell the bitterness?) I’m not angry at them. i’m glad for them. i just … i can’t see the reasoning. i just can’t.
And i can’t even get 2 numbers to match on the Lotto. not even 2. out of 8 lines, or even 16 lines. not even 2 numbers.
and there i was getting all excited over something so pathetic and stupid as my photos in the (AFRIKAANS) newspaper (in the kiddies section) and a photo in a gallery on the other side of the world which i will never see anyway.
and of course, now my camera is acting up. and it’s probably going to cost a fortune to fix. because that’s just the way it goes with me.
so right now. i am so low you could scrape me off a centipede’s foot.
i know it’s stupid of me. I _know_ i’m being silly wailing at the universe and crying “UNFAIR UNFAIR” but at this moment i don’t care.
i’m a good person. i give, even when i have nothing to give. i share. i’m kind to people. i don’t steal, i don’t lie, i don’t cheat.
but here i am. still in debt from when A left me. still struggling to get my head above water. fighting every frikkin step, against something i can’t even see, and don’t understand.
i can hardly breathe i’m so down. like i’m being crushed.
and it’s so pathetic it makes me angry.
with myself – nobody else.
because i _should_ be happy – i’m lucky in my health. in my friends, my amazing family. i _know_ this.
but right now i’m feeling so selfish it hurts.
this ache in my chest like i’ve been kicked.
someone tell me it’s going to work out? please. even if you have to lie.
technorati tags: self-pity, wallow, complaining, money, loser
