Thursday, September 3, 2009

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Just able today, on our excursion to Dublin, to connect to internet.

I smell like horses, I’ve walked what seems like one hundred miles, and I’m loving it!

The daily weekday routine consists of meeting John in the courtyard no later than 8:00 am. Usually all we have is a cup of tea beforehand, but more can be consumed if hungry. A 10:00 am break of 30 minutes for tea and toast (or more), 5:00 pm end of work day. Dinner around 8:00 pm has been the norm.

Today, Kevin and I started our day by removing a wooden wall, cleaning and moving a stored washing machine and dryer to a new location for general use, then putting back said wooden wall, then break time.

While Kevin was off in another direction, the rest of my day was spent with the animals. After grooming the gelding, mucking three stalls, and moving the mare and injured filly out to the small side pasture, the remainder of my day was spent learning which pasture contained which groups of horses (mares with foals, two year olds only, gelding with boarders) which pastures and forest contained which groups of deer (herds of Moms and babies, herds of stags with families) and what to do with each group and when, walking the entire property through the forest . . . .Whew! Just getting from one side of the manor house to another, to the walled gardens, to the stables, to the machine shed, etc., each through different tunnel passageways, has been trying, but now there are two hundred acres with eight miles of perimeter to learn . . . . Plus the pathways through the forest . . . . Ai yai yai! What challenging fun!

Sunny most of the day with liquid sunshine throughout. A very pleasant day weather-wise.

The end to my day involved moving the gelding and helping with the treatment of the filly’s hind leg, which is still infected. She had surgery just before we arrived to open two abscesses. At least now she is more used to being handled and was less skittish today, but still a handful, poor thing.

The aroma in the kitchen was marvelous. Damson berries (a small sour dark purple fruit from a tree) had been “jammed” and also made into a sauce for the venison steak filets and roasted vegetables (picked fresh from the garden). What a scrumptious dinner.

A nice soak in a hot tub after doing a load of laundry (I don’t mind smelling like horses all day and night but I’m sure Kev can only take so much, ha) and then it’s off to our room to relax.

Tomorrow we’ll travel back to Dublin to return our rental car. No problem taking the day off, everyone here is so accommodating.

http://picasaweb.google.com/KevSRQ/ThursdaySeptember32009?authkey=Gv1sRgCIuUho-ztvW0Yg&feat=directlink