Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch
  • Home
  • "Almost" Daily Diary
  • Maureen's 60th Birthday Trip to England
  • Gertie and Quest: A True Story - The Book
  • Foresaken Love
  • The Gentle Giants
  • Photo Gallery
  • WWOOFER Program
  • John & Jean Hudson Wedding Nov 2013
  • Lambs
  • Poo Time
  • Memories of a New Cattle Rancher

So much to tell...

6/7/2013

2 Comments

 
As the evenings draw longer, the winds don’t blow and the rain clouds no longer threaten the unwary, thoughts turn to saddling up our equine friends and taking a lazy trail ride through the leafy forest. Friends and family familiar with Charm will undoubtedly question the sanity in that statement……lazy and Charm don’t go in the same sentence but we live in hope and he is (along with us) growing older! Long time unused saddles are dusted down, saddle pads and bridles relocated and the mounting block (essential !! either our horses have grown or we have shrunk !) placed squarely in the middle of the barn yard. Lady ( commonly referred to in her absence as Lumpy Lady)  our big Shire mare and Charm  (beauty with attitude) watch the proceedings with growing suspicion and eventually resignation as they realise the long Winter vacation is over. From their stalls old man T Bone, the big bay gelding and Player the grey, whinny anxiously as first Charm the golden palomino and then Lady leave the yard. Old Cooper paces and Starbuck the black Appaloosa with no spots couldn’t care less, he’s had his grain, he has his hay and the saddle isn’t on his back. Brian having learnt the rudiments of Western riding and (I’m sure) struggling to remember hands legs and feet ( heels DOWN Brian !) settled deep into the big roomy saddle adopted the classic relaxed position and confidently pointed Charms nose toward the road. High up on Lady, Sarah headed off in the direction of the arena hoping that the Shire mare would be kind to her…..over a ton of un co operative horse can seriously upset even the best day and sadly it seemed Lady was bent on testing every element of tuition Greg had given the new rider perched up on her big broad back. Happily Sarah rose to the challenge and despite Lady’s best efforts succeeded in applying steering braking and accelerator all in the right order. Out on the trail, Brian was absorbing the beauty of the forest and enjoying the challenge of riding (spiders’ webs, overhanging branches and insects that don’t just bite, they chew) ….. and Charm, true to form was enjoying ensuring that it really was a challenge !! Both our new riders returned to the barnyard with their respective mounts ( always a good thing !) still smiling (even better !) and clearly the experience wasn’t too bad as they apparently were enthusiastic to have a re run ! ( gluttons for punishment). The following evening it was Brian’s’ turn to be tested by Lady in the arena ( is there something wrong with that statement ?) and Sarah headed off into the forest to feed the gnats   

Brian and Sarah, having spent an afternoon pruning the fruit trees found themselves out in the orchard with the chipper clearing up the branches they had worked so hard to chop down….a bit like digging holes and filling them in !!! Bran the border Collie never slow to spot an opportunity recognised that our two WWOOFER Volunteers were temporarily unsupervised and that every branch was a potential throwing stick. The dog, too intelligent to be disciplined tests everyone with the stick/stone/straw test, just in case they aren’t familiar with canine ordinance. Rules dictate that Bran doesn’t get to play stick on the ranch but the Border Collie apparently worked out that what we don’t know doesn’t count and with an air of desperation he scurried amongst the fallen branches to find a worthy twig that wasn’t attached to a big branch. Much tail wagging, head cocking and pleading yips could be seen as Bran attempted to find a willing play mate out in the orchard. So near yet so far Bran,…. so many sticks and no chance of a chase, sadly ( for Bran, happily for us)  Brian and Sarah know the rules and all sticks found themselves in the chipper. 

It’s been several days since I wrote, there has been so much activity on the ranch and I am out of time. Hopefully the photographs posted with this entry will cover some of the projects undertaken by our wonderful WWOOFER twosome. Much has been achieved…Greg is smiling…..life on the ranch is good. Take care, keep safe M
2 Comments
mum j says
6/7/2013 01:23:04 am

love the pics the horse and riders look great. all quite here ty god. lol. have a good day, loves 2 all. mum j.

Reply
Mal
6/7/2013 05:04:29 am

Hi Greg and Maureen. You have a great team of workers out there, sprucing the place up just great, I'm feeling old seeing those young ones beavering away. I'm a bit worried about that old man with the silly hat up a ladder, what has he done with his zimmer frame? Love & missing you all

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Its me, Maureen, (the Boss)

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.