Post by Sue Palmer on Feb 10, 2010 18:14:48 GMT 1
Where did the time go?! I had an 'interesting' start to 2010, after breaking my toe in the middle of December last year, meaning I couldn't drive for 3 weeks. So Simon kindly took over the job of visiting Bell every day in the snow and the ice, finding a water butt and working out which tap on the yard still worked (luckily there was one that worked the whole way through!) - I think he enjoyed having Bell to himself for a while though! The toe finally healed (well, it wasn't the break really that was the problem, it was the fact that the nail was taken off, and that'll take around a year to grow back apparently!) and I was able to get back to work; I managed one day, and then the snow came! So another couple of weeks off due to icy roads, frozen arenas, and horses not being able to be worked or turned out. The behavioural work all cancelled either because there was nowhere safe to work the horses, or because the weather had been so bad they hadn't been able to do their homework since the last visit. The physio work all cancelled because the horses hadn't been turned out or worked, and so many people were convinced that once the horses got turned out again they would go so crazy that they would undo any good the physio had done anyway! Very tough on the bank balance when you're fully self employed and there's no way of getting to work!
Still, we survived, and in truth it probably did me a lot of good to sit on the sofa for 5 weeks - I normally run around far too much (well, drive rather than run, but you know what I mean!). I made the most of it and got my monthly newsletter up and running, 'Brain or Pain' - if you haven't received it, you can sign up on my homepage (www.holistichorsehelp.com). Also got my accounts up to date, and made a start on the mammoth job of changing my name from Brown to Palmer with all the relevant organisations - trouble is every single one of them wants to see the original marriage certificate!
Now of course work is crazy busy again, which is great, and then on top of that we've just started touring with Monty Roberts again - very exciting! The first demo was at Southview Equestrian Centre in Cheshire, a very sweet 'starter', a really complex mounting issue, the wonderful Copy and Pie, a new 'problem horse' of Kelly's, and then a beautiful grey Arab mare who didn't want to go onto the trailer. Owners happy, tour team tired but really pleased with how smoothly everything ran! It was lovely to have an afternoon demo rather than an evening one, although I'm not sure it was any warmer! Very strange to be driving home in time for dinner though, instead of straight to a Travelodge at 1am! It was really exciting to have Into The Lens prints for sale at a demo for the first time, including an exclusive signed print of Monty Roberts on Jays Master Copy, and an exclusive signed print of Kelly Marks on American Pie. Looking forward to more of the same!
Tour goes on for another month - four more dates scattered around the country (assuming we can get to Kent where weather reports are currently forecasting 10cm of snow!), and there's plenty of freelance booked in between tour dates, so I'll be busy as always. I've found a course that I'm going to book on for later in the year, on saddle fitting and farrier issues, in relation to Equine Body Work - the first course I did with those guys was excellent and Dr Kerry Ridgeway is teaching this one so it should be equally as good. I'm also booked on a two day seminar with Jean-Marie Denoix which I'm really looking forward to, that's in April. There's always so much more to know! My bi-annual Equine Specific First Aid course is this Friday, and they've just rung me to say there's no heating (and yes, it's snowing there too), so I think I need to take a hot water bottle with me there! So there's plenty to look forward to as February gets well underway (in fact, moving far too quickly towards March!) - I'll be back in touch again soon!
Sue
Still, we survived, and in truth it probably did me a lot of good to sit on the sofa for 5 weeks - I normally run around far too much (well, drive rather than run, but you know what I mean!). I made the most of it and got my monthly newsletter up and running, 'Brain or Pain' - if you haven't received it, you can sign up on my homepage (www.holistichorsehelp.com). Also got my accounts up to date, and made a start on the mammoth job of changing my name from Brown to Palmer with all the relevant organisations - trouble is every single one of them wants to see the original marriage certificate!
Now of course work is crazy busy again, which is great, and then on top of that we've just started touring with Monty Roberts again - very exciting! The first demo was at Southview Equestrian Centre in Cheshire, a very sweet 'starter', a really complex mounting issue, the wonderful Copy and Pie, a new 'problem horse' of Kelly's, and then a beautiful grey Arab mare who didn't want to go onto the trailer. Owners happy, tour team tired but really pleased with how smoothly everything ran! It was lovely to have an afternoon demo rather than an evening one, although I'm not sure it was any warmer! Very strange to be driving home in time for dinner though, instead of straight to a Travelodge at 1am! It was really exciting to have Into The Lens prints for sale at a demo for the first time, including an exclusive signed print of Monty Roberts on Jays Master Copy, and an exclusive signed print of Kelly Marks on American Pie. Looking forward to more of the same!
Tour goes on for another month - four more dates scattered around the country (assuming we can get to Kent where weather reports are currently forecasting 10cm of snow!), and there's plenty of freelance booked in between tour dates, so I'll be busy as always. I've found a course that I'm going to book on for later in the year, on saddle fitting and farrier issues, in relation to Equine Body Work - the first course I did with those guys was excellent and Dr Kerry Ridgeway is teaching this one so it should be equally as good. I'm also booked on a two day seminar with Jean-Marie Denoix which I'm really looking forward to, that's in April. There's always so much more to know! My bi-annual Equine Specific First Aid course is this Friday, and they've just rung me to say there's no heating (and yes, it's snowing there too), so I think I need to take a hot water bottle with me there! So there's plenty to look forward to as February gets well underway (in fact, moving far too quickly towards March!) - I'll be back in touch again soon!
Sue