Saturday, July 19, 2008

Gone to the Dogs

My lovely has been away from home for six months. It doesn't feel that long but then it does. I have the odd teary episode like last Tuesday because I hadn't heard from her for four days and she was making a rendezvous with a soon-to-be-divorced woman in Dorking Surrey (yes we think the name's funny too). I had no idea where she was going, who this woman was . . .all I knew was that she would receive free food and board with a single parent family, two kids about 8 and 10, five dogs and about 15 ponies as long as she was prepared to babysit, cook, muck out and be a companion to the lady of the house. Then the doubts began and images of some Miss Marple murder mystery set in . . . sometimes I'm so paranoid. All I knew was that she was entrusting herself to some woman in the countryside who'd had an Aussie nanny for 12 months until Eliza had to return to Australia for University . . .I needn't have worried . . . after Caymans,. pyrana, death road, and Inca trails, Americans and Canucks, cocaine snorting cousins and laundry tossing girlfriends (the most obnoxious companions of all her travels) and the perils of London, she seems to have found pony paradise.

We have always been horse lovers, dog lovers . . . While her own Welsh Mountain embraces retirement and steals his Arab cousin's geriatric food (which some would see as karma). . she is amid show ponies, precocious yet delightful kids and is actually 'cooking' for the family (they must like chocolate and tuna is all I can say, not necessarily in that order).

She's a good girl and knows her mother goes into a spin if we don't talk once a week, so tonight, she began a conversation on Skype only to have Drummerboy iron (yes I said iron) a shirt and trip the circuit breaker which was overloaded with heaters. Poof! she's gone but not before showing me her current bedmate a lanky greyhound who loves a tickle. Just what the kid needed before her next spate of travel. She shares a house what can only be described as a menagarie and she's happy as a pig in poo. Just goes to show that some sort of stability no matter how mad is somehow necessary for your sanity when away from home. Apparently her new family are almost as mad as her own so she's feeling very comfortable although busy doing strange English things like 'harrowing' (pasture improvement), 'hacking' (trail riding) and well cooking . .I'm quite amazed and I haven't been asked for a single recipe!

So while the perfect couple head out for a night on the town:

This one's for you Hairy Maclary by Donaldson's Dairy. .


Lara the lazy Lurch, sleeps with Clare . . .


Monarch the Dartmoor Cobb, doesn't mind the camera . .

Sally, Expecting puppies and not happy about being photographed in her third trimester . . .

Jimmy the OCD Jack Russell - "show me the ball, have you got a ball, I can find he ball, where is the ball . . oh balls just let me eat the BALL!


Snooty Welshy with the gay name "Divine" . .Aussie kids smell funny . . .


In her element, a mad house, loads of animals . . .the allergies are holding out here with snuggly Sam
Aww, brown Bertie, someone who shares Chippy's hair . . No wonder she likes him


Miss you baby but happy that you're happy . . now get that pitch fork and shovel some shite.
Why doesn't she do this at home?

24 comments:

  1. Aahh, lovely post Baino. It must be tough that she is so far away. At least she's gone from one mad house to another. Tell her I can always loan her a poo picking bucket if she needs one! Debs x Bon weekend.
    P.S. Love the animal photos, will you post photos of the puppies when they are born.

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  2. I've just had a long conversation with her (and a a rather sleeply 9 year old Charlotte) and she's in her element although they are show ponies rather than the trail riding paddock bashers that we have. Half an hour on the trail and it's 'time to go home' we rode ours like bikes = all day! But the dogs and kids are lovely and she's enjoying the break from citydom. She is no stranger to poo picking! I hope the puppies are born whilst she's there!

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  3. aww sweet things, all, baino...

    you think dorking is funny?

    newfoundland has both 'dildo' and 'come by chance' :P lol

    we have many more... no doubt oz has, as well ;)

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  4. Anonymous11:44 pm

    Dorking is a very funny name, we have hundreds, but I do remember 'bobbing head' just outside Sydney !!!

    The worst thing she will have to cope with is the weather !

    Also, isn't skype the most wonderful thing. When Mrs M first went to the USA, we spent 6 weeks apart, skype was our saviour !

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  5. baino, this is just adorable. what a great way to get to know you. i have a daughter too who is under orders to phone me at least once a week (or more...). your girl is obviously a wonderful person in every way.

    the picture of the horse with those teeth and green fashionware is priceless--award winning. i'll bet you'd like to hop on over for a little visit.

    :)

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  6. my Baby Itchy Roborovski is just like a 2inch/5cm long Porkshire terrier..(!)

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  7. Anonymous8:04 am

    Yep, just stick on them rocket boots and hop the 12000 miles ...

    If only ...

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  8. Great that she's having such a good time and that you speak so often. I see you've practically got a zoo out there!

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  9. Anonymous9:50 am

    Awww...The last is my favourite. The adventure continues. You'll be there soon enough. :)

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  10. Anonymous11:20 am

    Aww I'm so pleased she's having a lovely time....except for the fact that her shitty little welsh mountain escaped yesterday, kicked at the dogs, tore around the house and finally after a frustrating little jaunt was easily caught by moi and placed back with his very very upset Laurie - who'd been left behind in the paddock! There is Karma though - whilst he was trailblazing around our house, he slipped in the "wet patch" and fell over....only to get up safe and sound, but oh how we laughed at him! This ones for you Clarebear! Love Ya Heaps - Babysis

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  11. Fabulous post with all the animals and fuzzy thoughts :) It's funny how we hear our kids do things like cooking with full competency for other families etc. My son even put up another family's christmas tree one year. Couldn't even get him to put the star on ours!

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  12. LW: anything with the word dork in it is snickerworthy. Yeh we've got funny names alright, might be a future post in that one! However, I wouldn't for the life of me want to live in Dildo!

    Your memory fails you Moon, it's Bobbin Head. I did once see a bus with Kickamoocow as it's destination! Yep Skype's my lifeline. Not just to Clare but I have a few friends I chat with using it.

    Well KJ you know how it is, if you're tight with your family there are rules . . let me know who you're with, what you're doing and when you'll be home! She's a great kid alright. They're the cutest ponies. She says the woman she's living with is very much like my sister! Nice to have a month with family before moving on again with another friend who's expected over there at the end of August. It's also good to get out of London. Most Aussies never see anything of England other than it's capital city.

    Gleds, I think that little Jack Russell has a ping or two in his tail!

    Mahatma, you are being facetious. If I had rocket boots I'd be right outside your front door with a high five let me tell you!

    Haha . .not my zoo Quicky, the Dorking Zoo ..although we have two dogs and two horses and abundant cockatoos and parrots and the odd silky ibis not to mention the ducks and rabbits that arrive uninvited!

    Yeh JD . . .next year, it's Paris or bust!

    Really Lou? How'd he get out the little houdini? Probably smelled the toast! Must admit, he'd have come in the kitchen if I'd let him. That little cob reminds me of Chippy. Walked right up to him once before he got on his feet and I think that was only because he thought I was carrying fud!

    Haha . . Anony too true, Adam's the cook in our household although Clare can turn her hand to it if chocolate is involved. Apparently she's cooked Tuna bake, Spag Bol and stir fry . . goes to show when push comes to shove the girl's been paying attention!

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  13. Anonymous7:03 pm

    Miss Marple wouldn't investigate murders in anywhere so prosaic as Dorking.

    No.

    Murders in Dorking would be more Inspector Frost.

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  14. I'll take your word for it Ian! Apparently it's the birthplace of Daniel Defoe

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  15. Anonymous9:45 pm

    Clarebear is sure having a ball!
    Lovely pics.

    Did anyone ever tell you that she looks just like you? Well I thing she does.

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  16. I wish I could do that. Go coock for a English family and hack and stuff. Hang in there Baino!!

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  17. seems folk there are proud of the name! :O lol

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  18. http://www.virtual-tours-newfoundland.ca/Dildo/dildo.html

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  19. Anonymous6:23 am

    Well it was 1997 when I was there, and I only spent 3 weeks around Sydney in my year, .... did make me laugh though ! A did Nimbim !

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  20. Actually Grannymar one other person has but I can't see it. Maybe when I was 23!

    Hi Ebony . .hope you enjoyed your trip to London. You could do it too when school finishes, great way to see the country.

    Thanks for the link LW! Now I can say I've been to Dildo

    Well you've one up on me Moon . .never been to Nimbin!

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  21. Wow, I feel so popular with this post - why don't people comment on my blog?? I'll have you know I cooked a lovely brocolli, snowpea and bacon pasta in a creamy tomato sauce tonight! It was 'the best pasta sauce' the kids have ever tasted! So there! BabySis - don't worry, as soon as I get home I'm getting back on the horse so to speak, I miss riding Chippy, he and Laurie would love it here! But our riding methods are so much more fun - get on and go. None of these fancy boots and hats, jeans and joggers will do!!!

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  22. Hey baby. Don't let those spoiled brats walk all over you . . The English invented good manners so insist on them, you're the Au Pair not their slave! Well done on the cooking BTW!

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  23. Anonymous9:08 am

    clarence, no-one comments on your blog because you hardly ever write on it. and I HAVE commented on it, several million times!!

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  24. sounds ok put that way, baino :O lol

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