Last weeks photo shows our new stable and tanks looking fantastic until you get close and see that there is still a mountain of landscaping yet to be done.  Our easy peasy thinking months ago was that we'd re-fence half the property and build a 24mx7m shed at the same time.   One week in and those rose coloured glasses shattered when the first problem arose - the pad needed more cut and fill than first advised - solution (agonising, measuring, fretting) move the entire shed 8m further down the slope.  This small incident heralded the beginning of oh so many similar "negotiations"...

No gate pushing, no neighing, no Rebel charging about like a banshee.  The miniatures spent the first 3 days tentatively exploring Pearl’s paddock ready to fly should she suddenly appear and rouse on them – a bit hard to hide such a large horse and cheeky foal but there you go, anything is possible in their little heads.  So it’s all very quiet at Deacons Gate these days and I miss them both.  Mind you there are advantages, poo collecting, feed preparations, trough cleaning, grooming and fussing over them alone took at least an hour every morning, so I am spending more time talking to the chooks...

Pearl is heading off this season to be serviced by a Bundaberg Shire stallion, Southern Cross Spitfire. All was prepared the night before for Pearl and Rebel’s stay up North, feed instructions, bug spray, mite spray, sun creme, scoop, measures, wormers and feed were stacked/packed ready for loading. We were ready to say good bye, hoped she and Rebel would load well and headed off to bed with the camera charging, ready for the morning. Friday 6.45am and it’s raining! Now normally we’d be rejoicing the rain, but today, of course it rained today, because we were trying to load a fretting...