The Best of Summer... luv Reen

I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that this Summer has been mighty unpleasant...not friendly at all.
As much as I don't want to wish my life away, I really wish the end of February will come quickly and at least lull us all into a false sense of Autumn (even though we all know that we will get our fair share of stinky, hot days in March)
 
To celebrate the "almost end of Summer", here is a little list of MY Top 5 things that I'll be glad to see the end of when Summer wanders off:
1. Dry, brown crackly grass!  At the beginning of January we popped up to QLD for a few days...when we left we were still green and even a little lush here in the YV, but on arrival back home only 3 days later, we were confronted with paddocks that look as though they've been covered with cardboard...and they just haven't gotten any better! I'm very lucky that I have horses that are very "fuel efficient", and only Jack is being hard fed to try and get a little bulk on him, but I'd hate to be one of the owners out there that are going through the drama of feeding due to the lack of pasture! Love my CC's just for that reason!
2. Flies!!!! If I swallow or suck up my nostril one more little bush fly I'm going to go insane! I was "lucky" enough one day last week to pull off the double whammy - a fly in my mouth and seconds later, one up my nose. I was loading the pony into the float, so Miss 8 could ride after school, and as I was walking Munchie to the float a fly flew straight into my mouth (probably because my jaw is always yabbering!). As I was coughing and spluttering in a most un-ladylike manner, I managed to snort a fly up my nose...I have never felt so ill! So tiny little bush flies - BE GONE!!!!!!
3. Dust...arrrggghhh dust!!!! Our property is beautifully positioned on the side of a hill, a hill that gets a fair bit of wind as it rushes up the Valley...combine that wind with an arena that has been cut out, and we get dust!!! And of course all 3 horses think that rolling in that dust is the bestest thing in the world! One pat on the neck and your hand is black!! I know that I could make those dust rolls less attractive if I rugged the horses, but to be honest, I really can't be bothered. Every now and again I get serious and pop a rug on, but they are naked for most of the time.
4. Sweaty, stinky bits, especially sweaty, stinky bits after a ride...yuck!!!! I think there is a saying along the lines of "ladies don't sweat, they perspire", well I bloody sweat!!! Sadly I also sweat a lot. It seems that every single Thursday during this Summer it has been horribly hot. Thursday is also my lesson day...rain, hail, shine or stinker! I am totally over sweaty hair, sweaty skin, sweaty clothes (even knickers!) Thursday is also Miss 8's martial arts class afternoon, so I bet you aren't glad you don't sit next to me at martial arts! Although now that I think about it, nobody sits next to me at martial arts on Thursday afternoon, and Kyoshi and Sensei aren't up for a chat either!
5. Fires...goes without saying! 
 
Now for my Top 5 things that I will actually miss about Summer (yes there are a few)
1. Looonnngggggg days! We'll all miss daylight savings when it goes, so I guess the best thing to do is "make hay while the sun shines"...get out and ride, enjoy the opportunity that DLS gives us!!
2. Hot afternoons spent at the swimming hole in East Warburton. Our special place by the river has become a really wonderful place to spend those hot afternoons/evenings. We make our way up there with an esky filled with cool drinks & snacks, towels, Aeroguard, an excited black dog called "Tilly", and a few of her best tennis balls to chase. I have lost count of how many hours we have spent there, and we just love the coolness of that beautifully clean water that comes straight from the mountains. Miss 8 can splash about, Tilly the black dog can have a splash about too, one or two cold drinks on the river bank can be consumed (responsibly of course ;))...and at the end of or visit, we all enjoy a stop at the ice cream store in Warburton for a treat on the way home. Just a beautiful way to spend an afternoon
3. Twilight trail rides. Jack has decided that he only wants to trail ride at twilight, he is beautifully behaved and I can see that he really, really enjoys the chance to get out of the arena and stretch his legs on the trail later in the day. For a while I was taking him out on the trails early in the morning, but he was a little uptight, distracted and not really enjoying the time, but a busy day forced a bit of a change one day, and the evening was the only time I had to take him out, and what a difference it made! So now, every third evening out we go...and hope we get home before darkness falls!
4. Short coats on my horses, although I have noticed this week that there is a little more hair coming out of them when they get a scratch, particularly Moo...that can only mean one thing...Winter coats are on their way!!!
5. Sunny Boys!!!!!! This Summer I have rediscovered the joy of the good old Sunny Boy, and I'm glad I have. Last Friday I had some guys over to do some fencing, and me being me decided to help them, so the 3 of us were all outside in the heat putting up this fence, and I tell you, that Sunny Boy went down like a treat.  Pine Lime is pretty awesome ;)
 
When I was writing my Top 5's, I found that there was more on my list of things I will miss about Summer, than there was on my list of "Seeya Summer"!
Isn't it funny how when we really sit down and think about things we can always find more of the positives in life than we can the negatives..at least I can anyway. Perhaps that's just me, or perhaps its more that my perceptions on life and the world in general have changed over the last 12 months. This time 12 months ago I was mourning the loss of some very good friends, trying desperately to save Moo's life, trying to please everyone I could and ignoring myself. 
Today I'm still mourning the loss of those friends & Moo is about to be entered into the Gembrook Riding Club Time Trial. But I have also come to realise that I'm the only one I should be pleasing, and it is something I need to work hard to do. I think we all do.
I guess on the outside I haven't changed all that much, but I know that on the inside I have. I know I'm strong. I know I can see the positive in life....but the next question is "can I take my positives and help someone else with them?"
Time will tell.