Saturday 15 December 2012

Saturday

Woke, after a night of howling gales, driving rain, and heavy sleet, to find three-quarters of the field under water. An old burn, which had been dry for a hundred years, had filled up again and burst its banks, and the water was rushing like a torrent through the bottom of the winter quarters.

The horses took it all in their stride as we fenced them off onto the high ground, gave them comforting hay and carried buckets of water through the floods so that they might drink. By the time I finished I was wet to the waist and covered in mud, but had a holy feeling of satisfaction. It was our first big drama in the new field and in the end it was fine.

I had a big race double on Zarkandar and Oscar Whisky, which will pay for some of that expensive fencing.

I thought about doing some work but decided, subversively, to take Saturday off.

And all the time, in the back of my mind, were the inexplicable events of yesterday in America. I don’t know what to say about that. There is a feeling of hopeless rage – why won’t someone do something about the gun laws? There is the usual impotence and horror, when something so terrible happens. But mostly there is profound sorrow, for the grievous, shocking, tearing loss. I imagine things for my living; it is what I have been doing all week. But my imagination fails when I try to understand what those families must be feeling now.

 

Today’s pictures:

The flood:

15 Dec 1

15 Dec 2

15 Dec 3

The herd, safely on the dry ground:

15 Dec 10

15 Dec 11

15 Dec 13

Some pictures from the week:

15 Dec 22

15 Dec 23

15 Dec 24

15 Dec 24-001

15 Dec 26

15 Dec 27

15 Dec 28

15 Dec 29

15 Dec 31

15 Dec 20-001

15 Dec 21

The hill:

15 Dec 33

 

15 Dec 33

7 comments:

  1. Problem is, it seems to me, that if Obama can't even get an innocuous healthcare bill through without drawing the most extraordinary personal attacks and abuse, I don't believe the NRA will allow an inch of wiggle room on guns. It's inexplicable, also unconscionable, and almost unbearably sad.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi,

    I am currently looking for advertising partnerships on sites like yours taniakindersley.blogspot.com. I believe you will be interested in the offer we have as we have many happy publishers and it is a great way to earn recurring income for your site.

    Please email me back expressing your interest in this offer and I will send you through further emails.

    I look forward to hearing back from you soon,

    ReplyDelete
  3. What Lillyanne said...the NRA is stupidly powerful, and ridiculously, the president is not....what is wrong with this picture.
    I imagined taking George to nursery (a place of safety and great fun and socialisation) and him never coming home again...the bleakest sorrow...my heart is breaking for those families.
    Glad the herd are safe. Love the cinnamon in the pot. Anne.x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so cross I could spit. When is someone going to wake up and put an end to this nonsense. Last year over 10,000 deaths by guns in the US. Everywhere else in the world, by country, under 100. This is NOT what the founding fathers meant by 'the right to bear arms".

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with everyone above (except the ad-seeking guy...what is THAT all about!?!).
    The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is very simple: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
    How that got spun into letting anyone with the cash & no apparent mental illness or criminal record purchase weapons designed ONLY to kill masses of people confounds me. The "common" & immediate "argument" is that as the "bad guys" have them the "good guys" need them too -- for "protection".
    What bothers me most about this latest tragedy (other than the obvious; I could not imagine losing my child!) is that, I fear, after some weeks of weeping, hair pulling & chest beating, the pro-gun lobby & its vehement supporters won't budge an inch in any of this. (I find it ironic that it's the National RIFLE Association when these murders have been done with attack weapons.)
    PS After Obama was re-elected, gun sales went through the roof! A statistic I just saw: there are about 311 Americans & 300 million registered guns. It is insane.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Damien - this is a non-commercial blog, done for love. Thank you for your offer, but you might like to look elsewhere.

    Everyone else: wonderful, wise comments as always; thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Myfanwy's previous life as a model is ridiculously apparent, though she tries to hide it... will you look at the POSING! I can never get enough of her photogenic little face.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments give me great delight, so please do leave one.

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin