Riding in the snow

Today was a day of such beauty, it was magical! Beautiful! Everything was white, with the sun going down there were beautiful colours everywhere, and there was a snow-mist softening the landscape!
Al Tarq was happy to be out. Not much to amuse him at the moment.
It very cold of course. For tips on dressing and drawings of what to wear, and a drawing of an angry, fluffy Tarq, see my art-blog!

This is how I look when fully dressed for winterriding:

Sundown behind the trees

The world looked a very mysterious place

Zora in the snow. She walks fine in the snow, actually has less trouble with her elbow.

Within half an hour all our hairs were covered in a thin layer of ice.

Tarq wanted to go ludicrousspeed here, and although I loved a fine trot, I did think ludicrousspeed was a bit too dangerous. The icy slippery frozen remnants of the last snow period are still hidden under the fresh snow.

Zora’s hairs are also covered in ice!

Back at the village

Happy 2010 to everybody!

Here I am, new years eve, and watching ”Dinner for one” as usual,  the unbreakable tradition. There has been some fireworks already today and I am covered with shivering alsatian. Zora is always very nervous on Newyears eve, with all the fireworks. It’s really funny: all through the day she has become more clingy and for the last two hours she is literally glued to my legs. I really can’t do one step without Zora being stuck to my legs! I nearly fell over her twice! Woehahahahahaa!
She’s now sitting on my lap.
Well, half a Zora. There’s too much dog, some parts spill over.

A very scared Zora, a tiny bit of me, and a tiny bit of a very relaxed Simsalabim

Update:

It is 2010!!!! Hurrayyyyy!!!!

I’ve been outside looking at the fireworks! Considering the amout of expensive fireworks people blew up you wouldn’t think there was a recession going on!
I am a leech: I don’t buy fireworks, I just go out and enjoy other people’s fire works! 😈

I made this arty photo.

A wish balloon was released by some of my neighbours, so beautiful and romantic!

I’ve brushed Zora

Thunderstorms

Waw!!!! There are some HUGE thunderstorms going on right now! I can’t hear the radio from the big bangs!

I’m sitting on the couch with 80 pounds of shivering Alsatian on my lap…

Why God created pets

Naturally that is a retorical question, everybody with an ounce of intellect knows why God created pets.

God created pets so we know what true honesty loyalty and devotion looks like.

God created pets so we can experience true friendship

God created pets so that we won’t be alone

God created pets so we are kept warm

God created pets so we will never be bored because we will have to spend our days getting rid of all the hairs

Most of all, God has created pets to make us realise what we deserve in a human companion as well: somebody who doesn’t lie to us, somebody who is faithful to us, somebody who doesn’t forget us, somebody who keeps us warm, somebody who cares, somebody who will support us, somebody who will love us, no matter what.
Now I do realise it is too much to expect the same high level from a human, but something reasonably close is what I am still hoping for.
Everybody: in your search for a dreamrabbit, don’t settle for anything less!

A day of sun and water

And another post about what I’ve been doing. I’m sorry but it seems I’m getting more and more a boring diary-blogger.
here goes:

We have been having most unusual sunny weather here, and last Sunday, most unusually, Groningen was the hottest place to be in the Netherlands, so when a friend called me to spend the day by the lake I was all for it!
We went early in the morning, but were very lucky to find the last spot I considered reasonable next to the water. Thinking it over I have come to the conclusion it is the best spot to be found. It was secluded, with sun for M. and shade for me. There was a tiny opening down to the water, and we were at a little inlet from which we swam out into the lake.

A look towards the lake,

I had provided the picknick: Bread, lemonade and water, humus, pesto, feta, grapes, and more!

While lounging about by the lake-side it is very important to have a bodyguard with you. I mean Zora of course 🙂 Zora was very upset when we swam out into the lake, after many anxious attempts, she jumped in and swam towards us, looking very unhappy and trying to herd us back to the side.
She was very happy when we decided to get back onto dry land. So much for our possessions being protected by my killer-attack-dog!

No, Zora, you are not allowed to share my blanket!

No, really, NO!

Zora doesn’t really get wet; only the outside of her fur-coat gets wet, but a serious grooming is necessary after a bath.

Zora utterly exhausted!

But when she hears somebody coming she’s immediately ready for attack!!!
No sneaking up on us!

Notice how she has managed to partially get onto the blanket!
Zora always gets what she wants.

It was a very lovely day, and I can’t believe I have been so stupid not to have done this for years!!!

a good caption anyone?

Zora is of course a German lady, here in Arab disguise

Best ones so far:

“Does my nose look big in this niqab?”

”Dog revealed to be member of ninja sect!”

Lofter sent me a little something

So, Lofter was going to send me something little, allright, I thought a nice postcard or something. Or a bottle of the local beer. Or a Mc Doubtful hamburger. (as we know it wouldn’t go off on the long journey) Or some brown foundation garment. Or a book on how to train your attack-cat.

No! It just arrived and is this Supercallifragillisticexpealidocious miniature saddle!

A bit too small for The Tarq, but I know who does fit it!!!!

It’s perfect in all details: double hanging-D rigging, saddlestrings, leather-covered stirrups, tiny string-cincha, flank-cincha, latigos, even the hobblestraps above the stirrups! Perfect!!! Even it’s construction is real handmade saddler-stuff!!! I can use it when I give clinics on saddles, but cannot take all the big stuff!.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! LOFTER!!!!

But Lofter, this is not really a little something!

The Tarq under the new saddle.

I don’t know, I think it’s not really a perfect fit. I think the back of the saddle is coming up a bit.

Tagged: Pug Bowl 2008

Tasmaniac tagged me. Something to do with pets in bowls. The Tarq may be a bit more of a challenge.

So here’s Zora in a Bowl (sort of)

Zora

Zora, from the Arabic Zahra = Radiant.

Zora is my killer-attack-dog, my 80 pounds of fur-covered razorblades!

Zora is the reason I can walk safely across the street at night.

Zora is also the reason I wander the streets at night, completely alone, and sick of worry because madam has decided to go ”investigating”. She was found on the railway-station by the police who called me on my mobile. She behaved very cute and the police were quite taken with her.

Zora likes to follow me around everywhere until it drives you nuts! Then you go away for a weekend, leaving Zora in the care of a friend, and are very relieved to be able to walk around for the weekend without stumbling over a dog every 10 minutes, only to discover that you feel very un-dogged and un-happy.

Zora needs to be cuddled every two hours. If you don’t remember she will help you remember.

Zora knows when I get up to go away, and immediately sits in front of the door with the cutest imploring look, which makes me take her even if I didn’t want too.

Zora is very nice to children and little dogs and cats.

Zora likes to jump into ditches with awful, black, stinking mud.

Zora drops enough woolly hairs every month to fill a quilt.

Zora is 99% a sheep in wolves-clothing. But beware of the 1%! I have seen her in attack-mode once, and it is scary!!! But very comforting to know that she has it in her!