My precious little camera was kaput

Did I mention that my little Konica was kaput?!

Three weeks ago, the day of the move from Getinge to Fälkinge, I took a few photos and then the camera fell...

When I opend the shutter - nothing - dead!

A couple of days ago I decided to open it up and I found the problem :))

It's working again!

Here a photo I owe you from the move...

remember that we expected (orderd) a big truck to move our stuff...

This is the mini - truck that showed up:

Well, you know the rest of the story, most of you do.

That moving company really let us down, but that's in the past.

We are starting our fourth week here in our new home.

Hasi's foot is much better, she doesn't need the crutch anymore:

I took an evening walk around the farm today, took a couple of photos with my little camera.

I went in the stable, the boys were already sleeping. They are usually outside all day if the weather isn't too nasty.

We miss the open stable we had in Austria and Getinge, and so do the horses, but the boxes do have a big plus too. Indigo is allergic to those tiny little gnats aka "no-see-ums" that are active during dawn and dusk. If bitten he starts to rubb his mane and tail...

I continued my walk around the house and stable and took a couple of "nature"-shots...

Looking south

The bumblebee was gone by the way the camera was clicking

This snail is not the only one out back, there are soooo many, sitting everywhere!

We will have lots of cherries this summer! :)

The peony fully blossomed

Tomorrow is Midsommar.

We'll go to Olseröd in the afternoon, there's going to be a Midsommar Village festival.

And after that ends (around 5 I think) we'll have herring and strawberries at Carola's farm...

Looking forward to the party!!!

ML and Carola sent us a MMS Photo this afternoon, they made a Midsommar pole for the party tomorrow! We'll probably have to dance around it with flowers in our hair..???

;-)

Isn't it beautiful?!!!

I'll post some for photos of the farm (that I took today) and Midsommar impressions in the next couple of days.

It's late now, gotta go and get some sleep.

Nighty!

:))

Almost Midsommar!

This is Sirius, the "new" cat of our friend Carola. He is extremely handsome and is a big smoocher! :)

It's been a wonderful day, again!

A wonderful wednesday.

It started kinda late, 10 am.

We continued to "clean up" around the buildings of the farm.

It will take some more weeks until the place looks like we want it to.

Our little loader, the Avant, is a big helper. It helps to move practically everything up to around 250 Kilos. And it pulls the harrow that makes the arena ridable again. :))

I am finally getting it, slowly...

It cannot be done in one day, not in two, not in 3 weeks...

And it's not really about getting it done, it's the journey, it's the process, not the progress that matters.

It's the fun that you have while doing things.

FUN.

FUN.

FUN!

The horses are really settling in now. They know every paddock now and we have a nice routine. It's been warm lately and the wind is always welcome to keep them cool.

Midas doesn't like the heat and loves the rain, Indigo loves the sun and hates the rain.

Those two horses are so different, in every way.

And they are best friends.

:))

Friday is MIDSOMMAR, the swedish people celebrate the Midsummer Night BIG BIG BIG.

Midsommar is the second important holiday after Christmas.

Sweden celebrates the longest day of the year with lots of marinated herring and drinking.

Midsummer Eve always falls on the third Friday in June so people can enjoy a long weekend, the kids have started their summer vacation one week ago.

Celebrations often continue long into Midsommar Day, when people are mainly recovering from the "festivities" of the previous night.

We will be inducted in this wonderful swedish tradition by our Friends in Olseröd.

:))

I don't know if there will be fonfires around here, that is probably different from region to region.

We'll find out, that's for sure.

Good night everyone!

Award Rules

This is "Hidalgo". He is a young PRE stallion and belongs to my friend Carola. (He's for sale, just in case anyone is looking for a "new" horse) Isn't he handsome?!

*

Guten Morgen!

I was up very late last night and that's why I went up this morning, turned out the boys in my PJ's, took a cup of coffee and a small sandwich, checked for e-mails and went BACK to bed!

Boy, those two more hours were perfect!

:))

Last night I wanted to get my post on the Kreativ Blogger Award done, so I could move on whith my life... (don't get me wrong! I am very grateful for the recognition but it's also a lot of work that comes with it)

;-)

That was what I was thinking... "Phu! It's done... Thanking everyone, writing 7 things about me, nominating 7 other blogs I like to read and that fit the Awards criteria (which is creativity if I'm not mistaken), post links to their websites and leave a note at their blogs to let them know about the nomination..."

PHUU!

It was almost 1am when I was finally able to get to bed.

NOW!

This morning when I checked for messages I found a note that one of the nominees feels that she cannot accept this award. :(((

I understand where she is coming from, but I truely believe she, MJ from MancosMuleMJ, deserves the award because she is one of the most creative persons I know!!!

And that is what is important to me. That's MY intention behind this whole Award thing.

It's really not about those 7 + 7 + 7 things one has to do in order to be able to accept it...

It's really not about those rules that come with it...

NOT FOR ME.

I decided NOT to nominate someone else instead. ;-)

So to everyone of the 7 nominees...

Enjoy your nomination/Award!

You deserve it no matter if you go along with those rules that come with it, or not..!

;-)

On HILLIBILLYFARMGIRL its only ME that RULES!

*hi hi*

Time to muck out some boxes!

Hasi hurt her foot the other day and I got promoted to the chief mucker in the stable.

Have a lovely day everyone!

***

Kreativ Blogger Award

I am so excited!

I have been presented a very lovely Award, the Kreativ Blogger Award, not just once, NO! Twice!

The lovely ladies who were so kind to nominate me are

Crista from http://nature-as-is.blogspot.com

AND

Elaine from http://akelaine.blogspot.com

I visit their blogs every day if I can, they are both very creative with their camera, love that!

Thank you so much to both of you!

:))

Now, here are the 7 STEPS that should be followed after accepting this award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

Now it's time to reveal 7 "secrets" (things you might not know or find interesting) about myself... ;-)

1. My favourite color is blue

2. I don't like beer and wine and can't stand the feeling of having alcohol in my system

3. I was smoking for 10 years, of course I tried several times to quit... didn't succeed.

BUT I always promised myself when I would get the chance to visit the US I would quit right away.

I borded the plane to Dallas/TX Dec. 09 1997, I smoked my last Cigarette that day on the airport in Vienna... :))

It wasn't always easy, even years later I kept wondering about how it would be to smoke just one cigarette at least once or twice a year...

2006 I was in the US again, I finally took the opportunity to taste that one Cig. again, I needed to know if I would still like it... so I smoked the cigarette - and it was terrible.

Since that day I have had no longing whatsoever. :)) (Thanks Caroline for the Cigarette! )

4. Hasi says I am a very good cook :))

5. I don't like to be in Cities and big crowds, I prefer the countryside and peace and quiet.

6. I grew up on a farm in Austria, after school I took a 4 year job training in housekeeping and farming. Later I worked as a housemaid, then I was a trail guide for horseback riding vacations, went to the US for 9 months to become a reining trainer and fulfill a lifelong dream. After that I worked different jobs in Austria and the Netherlands. The last couple of years I worked as a truck driver and since 2006 I am also a certified equine massage therapist.

7. I need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep to feel 100% and I get very grumpy when I'm hungry.

;-)

HERE ARE MY NOMINATIONS:

Carmon from Life At Stars Rest

Manuela from Every Day Life in the N Yukon Wilderness

Sandy from American Way Farm

Nature Tales And Camera Trails

Jayne from Journey Through Grace

Janine from Sniffles And Smiles

And last, but certainly not least I would like to nominate our dear friend and fairly new member of the blogger comunity:

MJ from Mancosmulemj

I love all your blogs! ♥

Finally some time to play with the horses! :))

We finally have the luxury of having a huge riding arena. It's been a bit neglected by the previous owners and grass is growing on it, but we haven't had the time to take care of that yet.

It's good enough though to do some longing and groundwork on it.

It's perfect!

Earlier this week we were working with both horses. Hasi did some Parelli exercises with Indigo and I was longing and longreining Midas.

Yesterday Midas was watching when I was longreining Indigo for the first time. He had already learned some basics in Germany when our friend Trixi was training him last fall.

I first checked how much he was remembering, put the rope around his hind legs and over his back to see if he would be ok with it.

Then I asked him to turn around by putting the rope around his hind legs again and by pulling on the rope while I was standing on the other side...

Then I attached the longreins to the bit (and later the halter) and worked him on both sides, we also did change directions a couple of times, very nice! I was very proud of our yougster.

He is sometimes a little tense but never freeky or scared.

It's great to be able to work with them again after so many months.

:))

Unfortunately is my time for blogging very limited at the moment, and I am really sorry that I haven't had the time and energy to continue posting on my new artlesshorsemanship - blog...

but i am confident for the future that I will get a lot of material (photos) and stories for that too.

Tomorrow I will go to Kalmar with a friend, I hope the weater will be better then today, it has been raining all day.

It's about 3 hours driving to Kalmar where we will meet horse people of course!

I have to go and pack my camera gear now...

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Ich wünsche Euch allen ein tolles Wochenende!!!

:))

PS: Dankje wel Hasi for taking these great pictures!! ♥

Drive to Olseröd and Hot Love

A drive to our friend Carola who lives in Olseröd, about 30 minutes from here, is always filled with nice photo opportunities.

The landscape is wonderful and during summertime the large pastures are inhabited by horses and large herds of cows.

We also pass "Vattenriket Kristianstad" where lots of bird species are breeding every year.

Nice farms, pastures, fields with fast growing crop and blue sky where ever you look.

Notice the ocean (baltic sea / Ostsee) in the background of this picture..!! :))

I really don't know what these 6 Mallards were up to the other day,

but they might have been on their way to a bachelors party, who knows...

;-)

For the last two weeks that we live here now (YES! IT'S TWO WEEKS ALREADY!),

we've been driving down to Olseröd about every second day.

And almost EVERY TIME going back and forth we saw a remarkable bird with a long beak sitting on a stack of straw bales pretty close to the 118, the road between Åhus and Olseröd.

This bird is probably very common around here..., but sitting on a stack of straw bales all by himself seems a bit strange to me.

I am sure one of you birding specialists can help with identifying the bird..??!!

Yesterday I finally got the chance to take a couple of shots of him, not the best quality (it was raining) but good enough for staring this story with you.

I zoomed in as far as I could with my lens on the last one, and croped it even a little more with iPhoto to get a better image of him...

Another nice photo opp were these cute little calfs alongside the road.

They didn't really mind the car stopping, but some of them were a little afraid of the noise that came out of the car - the clicking sound from the camera seemed a bit suspicious...

:)

Notice the ear tags that they are wearing, it's for identification in the European Union, the SE stands for Sweden of course, and then they have numbers so that it can be traced down when and where they were born (No branding).

Purpose of our trip to Olseröd was a nice dinner with Carola and her little girl in one of Degeberga's Pizzerias.

After that Carola invited us to have some "Hot Love" with her at her farm...

♥

♥

♥

I's a desert of course!

Vanilla ice cream with warm raspberry sauce and whipped cream...

Yummie!

Tack!!

♥

We are who we are

It's so true that we are who we are because of our experiences.

We know how to be strong because we know how weakness feels.

We know how it feels to be free because we were imprisoned.

We know how to love because we have been loved and neglected.

We are able to be compassionate because we have been ignored and judged, and because someone else shows us compassion.

We are able to climb mountains because we'be been in the valley (with those who chose to go there).

We know how important it is to feel the sun's warmth

because we have been shivering in the shadows of life.

I am feeling sunshine's warmth every day now.

I am feeling love every day now.

I am so... Lucky Lucky Lucky!!!

:))

Wordless Wednesday

♥♥♥

Dreamland seems cruel sometimes...

...but it's also an very honest world.

I had crazy dreams again, about horses getting hurt badly (not our horses), about the farm I grew up on, about horses and cows drowning in a cesspit, about my dad being totally unfair to me.

What is that when you do EVERYTHING right and it is STILL NOT ENOUGH!

NEVER, EVER!

I had these sort of dreams so many times.

But it's interesting that when you transform in "real life" your "dreamland life" also changes.

Tonight I realized that I couldnt take any more of it and decided to tell my father for the first time, that I would leave for good, and that I would not come back...

I woke up breathing heavy and tears started to surface.

Even now, writing this, my eyes get watery again.

Why is it so hard to grow up, why is it so hard to let go of those memories, those expectations and the need for love and approval?

Why is it so hard to say "NO, it's ENOUGH!"

Why is it so hard to let go of something that is not understandable?

Letting go without the need to comprehend other peoples hurtful actions?

It has been so hard for so long, impossible for me.

But now (at least in dreamland) I managed to let go of the "why" and say "I'ts Enough" out loud!

I am proud of that, and even though I never said it out loud in real life, it feels good inside.

I did leave in real life, and I don't feel the need to go back ever again.

Thinking back on the energy I grew up in I know I don't ever want to feel that again in real life.

I don't ever want to live like that again.

I don't ever want to be surounded by people that prefer that kind of (negative) energy AGAIN!

So what was the trigger for all of this..?

A simple phone call.

A phone call from my brother.

A reminder of my past life.

A simple phone call can bring back all the memories, all the feelings and that exact energy in a split second.

That phone line can even transfer that same energy from there to here.

A voice, so cold and hard, so helpless and lost, can bring back that feeling, that memory of a life that I was once part of.

Midas is calling me...

it's time to let go of my last dreamland adventures and come back to reality.

It's time to go out and spend some time with our angel Midas and his wise friend Indigo.

Time for spending time with loved ones.

Time to heal...

:))

The world looks always brighter from behind a smile!

Phuu! - ready for dreamland!

We went up before 6, let the dogs out, gave them breakfast, turned the horses out, filled up the water bucket with fresh water, gave them hay, fresh mowed grass and a see you later! - be good! - kiss.

The sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and the salt shaker, orange juice and water bottles were already packed in the basket and placed behind the drivers seat of the car, where everything is easy to reach during the trip.

Dogs in the car and off we go!

We picked up the rental trailer just a couple minutes after 8am. The nice man wrote my name on a piece of paper and helped us hook up the trailer to the car... no paperwork and no questions, very uncomplicated, minutes later we were entering the highway westbound.

Getinge, Halland here we come!

On the way we decided to buy a couple of more lashing straps... just to be on the safe side.

The weather in Getinge was very nice and sunny (here it is rainy and kinda chilly today...) and so we started loading the panels and the gates in T-shirts.

Everything went well and we had them loaded and secured within 30-45 min, I didn't really look on my watch though.

Panels in the garage

Panels loaded and secured on the trailer

I took the chance to say "Good Bye" to the place (and the Moose family) this time, because when I was leaving the farm the last time, I had the horses loaded and didn't really take the time to look back a "last time"...

We did have a great time o that place and I will always be thankful for everything we were allowed to experience there. :))

The drive home was very uneventful which is good, I am not complaining! ;-)

Back HOME we decided to take a short break before unloading and landed on the sofa right away.

Phuu!

You gotta take care of yourself, right?! (And there should always be time for checking for mail and news in blogger country, hihi! ;-))

The unloading was also uneventful and the trailer was ready to be returned 2:45pm.

So I went back to Kristianstad and unhooked the trailer 3pm sharp.

I paid 290 SEK - that's about 27 Euros for 7 hours - that's nothing!

The moving company wanted 400 Euros for the job!!!!! That's outrageaus, isn't it?!

Well, I am glad we could safe that money for some furniture we need to purchase SOON.

We are looking for used, maybe antique stuff like a couple of book shelves, a cupboard, a dining table set and a dresser or two...

That will be exciting! :)

Tomorrow is horse day.

I really had the strong feeling today that the horses are starting to feel neglected, so I promised them that they will get quality time tomorrow.

Brushing, cuddling and some longing/groundwork.

I am looking forward to play with them again, especially since we have that wonderful, big riding field at hand! Yipee!

Another day is almost over.

I am ready to enter dreamland...

Good night everyone!

:))