Wednesday 9 September 2009

On Sunday Michelle press ganged me and hauled me and Wiggle, Dosie, Kendal and herself off in the trailer to the 4H grounds about 2 miles from us to do a bit of riding in a decent arena as we are limited for space here. These first two pics were taken right before we were getting ready to come home. I had been plodding around on Wiggle bareback while they were working, you will also see their pics further on in this post. Of course it was the second time I had ridden Wiggle ever so I didnt really know what to expect. She is a bit lazy and had to be wacked on the butt with the end of the reins to get faster than a walk out of her. Michelle grabbed my camera and just shot a few frames, these are two. It had just started to rain too.

This second picture is a case of Wiggle being a rodeo horse when I wacked her to get her to canter LOL, I was whooping up there rodeo style LOL, michelle loves the way her mane and my hair were going in the same direction (click on pics to see larger views). After she had got that out of her system she cantered across the arena beautifully. (note the crooked saddle pad and the stirrups too short LOL and the hand holding the rein so I could get more than a walk out of her, in other words dont look at my form it is dreadful but it was fun and next time I will do better.

Here are two pics of Kendal on Dosie who is Wiggle's father although he is no longer a stallion. She was very nervous about cantering him but they got the job done and by the time they were finished Dosie was tired but she wanted to carry on so is over her fear.

Here she is trotting nicely along the rail on Dosie

Michelle was the first to ride her boy though, she hasnt ridden in 6 years and very little in the past 30 and they looked really good out there, he was a breeze thanks to Drew for his work and to Michelle for her work and her love for this horse. I am so glad he is back with her because she loves him dearly.

Here she is cantering with him. This was just after we had arrived and his head should have been lower but he was checking everything out but he still rode like a champ and Michelle was so happy.

Well that was Sunday, lots more happening but I will end for now. My last show of the season to shoot is this weekend, the Pinto Futurity in New Castle. I hope the almanac is right is says we are going to have snow for Thanksgiving, but after that we should have a pretty dry mild winter, we can only hope.

Hope everyone is doing well, please remember to check my Etsy site out, link is at the top of the page of this blog, some of the items would make nice gifts. I am planning on putting up some more Christmassy stuff and also a 2010 calendar in the near future. ((((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

Saturday 22 August 2009

Wow yep it is probably gonna rain or something (hope not though because Stan is cutting hay for us today) but I am here again.

Was editing some pictures I took about a month ago when I went to the farm where I buy my horse feed from. This little mini foal was 3 weeks old at the time and I fell in love with him.

Busy busy as usual so will cut it short and get on with some work and hopefully pay the bills.

Dont forget, if you like my photos, I am offering a very inexpensive way to have a small copy (trading card size) of them as collectors items which I am doing using my Etsy site or if you are looking for inexpensive gifts for you or family or friends please visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 here you will find all sorts of goodies from my photo trading cards to crocheted dish wash cloths (which I highly recommend as once you have used these woollen ones you wont use anything else).

Have a great weekend all ((((Hugs))))

Lori
xx

3 August 2009

I have over the years collected photos of each stage of the Monarch Butterfly's growth and have never been able to get it in the pupa stage. Well this year I decided that when I saw the first caterpillar I would watch it until I thought it was a reasonable size then cover the plant or bring it on the plant inside and monitor it's transformation. In the past I have always seen the worms then they just dissappear and I have hunted and hunted for the crysallis to no avail.

This is what it was looking like today, beautiful green color with spots of glistening gold around the top and bottom of it. I am hoping that I will catch it emerging. The transformation from caterpillar to the first stage where it turned green was so quick literally in the space of a few hours it had turned. I will keep you posted. I have not seen many Monarchs around this year and this is the only caterpillar I have found so far and I have made a point of protecting the Milkweed plants which are their staple diet along our fence lines but I dont know if it is the mild weather or what but I have only seen one butterfly and one worm thus far.

The next pic is of Herbie. He is such a beautiful little boy, if you look on his right side the white pattern looks like one of Casper's beastly brothers with the sheet over its head and hands up and legs behind!! We still havent settled on a name for him but Michelle thought maybe Herbert's Spooktacular would fit him LOL. He also appears to be changing color from the sorrel we thought he was going to be to a black, or grullo. If you look closely at his hindquarters, his baby hair is shedding out and it is coming back almost black??? I will post a better one of it when it has shed out a bit more.

I have been trying to get all of my paperwork sorted out. Stan got me a lovely carpet to put into my office and bedroom areas. While Larry was alive it was not possible because his wheelchair just wasnt compatible with carpeting and this piece although it is nearly 10 years old is in immaculate condition. The piece out of the lounge alone is big enough to do both of these rooms, so I have moved everything out of the back room that used to be the dumping ground and am making that into my bedroom and the main room where we spent most of our time which was the bedroom I am going to set up as my office with tables and computers etc. The only problem with this is that I have had to pile everything into my living room until it gets done and it may be a week or so before anyone can get to it!!! So in the meantime I am just going through stuff and filing and keeping what I need to keep and throwing what can go out away, a bit each day.

Hope you are all well and had a great weekend ((((Hugs))))))

If you like my photos, I am offering a very inexpensive way to have a small copy (trading card size) of them as collectors items which I am doing using my Etsy site or if you are looking for inexpensive gifts for you or family or friends please visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 here you will find all sorts of goodies from my photo trading cards to crocheted dish wash cloths (which I highly recommend as once you have used these woollen ones you wont use anything else).

Lori
xx

Thursday 30 July 2009 - I'm Baaaaack

Who knows for how long, have been taking lots of odd shots over the weeks but just havent got to edit and post them.

Below are various pics of my new boarder Gee. I have had her boarding here a lot over the past 4 years and she is back and helping to pay the feed bills. I loved this filly the first time I saw her. She is a thoroughbred (bred for flat racing on a track) and a lot of these were taken very late in the evening after the sun had gone behind the horizon so with her dark color they appear a bit dark. She is a very tall horse, easily 6 inches taller than my tallest paint horse. Below is Kendal leading her out into the field, her surroundings are a bit strange so we are babysitting her until she gets used to the lay of the land.

April, Goldie and BB enjoying the fresh air and bit of grass amongst the weeds.

This is BB and April coming in for feed time.

These below are more of Gee enjoying stretching her legs. Boy she can run!!!!

Well that is about it, so much happening, some good some bad, just not enough hours in the day.

((((Hugs)))) to those of you hanging in and continuing to visit my blog.

If you like my photos, I am offering a very inexpensive way to have a small copy (trading card size) of them as collectors items which I am doing using my Etsy site or if you are looking for inexpensive gifts for you or family or friends please visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 here you will find all sorts of goodies from my photo trading cards to crocheted dish wash cloths (which I highly recommend asonce you have used these woollen ones you wont use anything else).

Lori
xx

Wednesday 15 July 2009

This is Blue when he was a few days old, a lot like his son Herbie!

If you like my photos, I am offering a very inexpensive way to have a small copy (trading card size) of them as collectors items which I am doing using my Etsy site or if you are looking for inexpensive gifts for you or family or friends please visit my Etsy shop at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447

here you will find all sorts of goodies from my photo trading cards to crocheted dish wash cloths (which I highly recommend as once you have used these woollen ones you wont use anything else).

Lori ((((Hugs))))
xx

Silent Saturday - 11 July 2009

We have Wordless Wednesday, well I am doing Silent Saturday.

I am working on my Etsy site and stock photos, if you are looking for inexpensive gifts for you or family or friends please visit my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 here you will find all sorts of goodies. I Highly recommend the dish wash cloths, once you have used these woollen ones you wont use anything else.

Lori

Sunday 29 March 2009

I have been going through a lot of my old photos, the few that I did get scanned and on CD before I came over here and subsequently lost my original photos, slides and possessions. The majority of the digital photos and scans are not of very good quality because 10 years ago things weren't as advanced as they are now with digital and good film and slide scanners etc. but they will make great small prints. I have started watermarking my photos as theft on the web has become a problem, and we find our photos and artwork are being stolen and used in all sorts of applications to manufacture jewellery, light switch covers, keychains, greeting cards and 1000 other things that only require a small resolution image. The ones above were taken in South Africa.

I am making up a series of ACEO cards, the type that artists hand paint measuring 3.5" x 2.5" and they have people who collect them. If you can't afford a whole bunch of original large prints or paintings and you like a particular artist or photographer's work, this is a nice way to be able to appreciate and possess someone's art or photography for a reasonable price.

I have been listing them on http://www.etsy.com/ my username is Loriprophoto so if you do a search you can find my shop or you could click on this link Lori's Etsy Shop and you can check out some of my photographs and crochet skills (my relaxation) and heck who knows for a small sum you could own a collection of my photographs and boast about having known me when I was a poor starving artist after I become rich and famous!!! Yeah right. This site is dedicated to hand made items and antiques and you can find just about anything hand made on there. It has a lot of jewellery.

I started crocheting a few months ago when I was really stressed out and have made all sorts of product, dish wash cloths crocheted in wool (believe me they really work well), baby blankets, scarves, beanies, tissue box covers, toilet roll holders and many other things. Now I am sitting with a box of goodies and nowhere for them to go LOL.

After our beautiful spring weather we have plunged into freezing temps this morning with rain sleet wind and snow all day. They say it will warm up later, we will see.

That's it for today guys and gals, hope you are all surviving this inclement and variable weather (((((Hugs)))))) to you all.

Lori
xx

Saturday 19 March 2009 - Miracles do happen

Lisa and I went to get grain for the horses yesterday and decided to do a safari at the same time as the place is about 40 miles away. Remind me to never get the two of us together again to go driving where we dont know where we are going because we are both hopeless navigators. We thought we were heading east along the backroads and ended up heading west and backtracking 10 miles in the opposite direction from where we thought we were going!!!!

Anyway we did find our bearings and headed on to get the grain and then did a bit of safari again afterwards even with my overloaded truck (hubby had ordered nearly 1 tonne of grain and my truck is only big enough to hold half a tonne (1000 lbs, we had 1650 lbs).

It was a bit of a dreary day but we got a few shots which made it worthwhile, we also saw a lot of spots we would like to go back to when the light and conditions are better.

The covered bridge above is one of the "treasures" that we came across on our travels!!! I will definiely go back there when the trees are green and the light is better.

I have been working on my stock photos and also my Etsy shop, so if you want to own a Lori original in miniature or in a larger size head over there and have a look, they are very reasonably priced, and who knows maybe I will be famous one day and you will be able to say you have a collection of ACEO/Trading cardS (3.5" X 2.5") by me LOL. I also have a bit of my crocheted goodies there. Here is the link to my store http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 it is a very interesting site to visit as all of the items on the site are either hand made or vintage.

I am also going to be listing some of Valerie's artwork on my store so be sure to check it out and check back every so often for updates. I have so many pictures it is hard to focus on where to start!

Hope everyone is well ((((((Hugs)))))) to you all.

Lori
xx

10 March 2009 - Out of Hiding again but for how long????

Today's picture is another of Stan and Valeries 8 month old puppy, Shami, she loves water and loves snow even more, here she is pouncing on a snowball one day while they were here fixing our well which had packed in again.

I don't know if it is from the kick I received to the head two months back has changed my demeanor or personality (the cartlidge in my lower earlobe where it was torn is still very painful believe it or not even after all this time) because since then I have really been struggling to feel positive about anything.

At least I have got down to saying hi to all of you guys at long last LOL. I have been doing a lot of crochet in the past few weeks, something I learned to do as a teenager. I have made stacks of baby blankets and all sorts of stuff over the years and for some reason just got obsessed with it after my accident. I put some of my stuff up on a site called Etsy.com which features home crafts and hand made items for sale, it is very cheap to put up an entry, 20c for 4 months. You can see some of my stuff at this link, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6874447 , I think you may have to register to see it but it is free and quick and quite an interesting site to browse around. I have had a lot of hits but no takers this far and need to add a lot more that I have finished because I have boxes of finished goodies!!!!

Well guys that is about it for now, I keep hoping I will get back on track, I have missed reading so many blogs and seeing all of your photos. ((((Hugs)))))

Lori
xx