22

I'm stiff this morning, and my neck is getting sorer..  There isn't an easier way to do this though and we just have to press on.  Today I need to press on with packing.  I've almost finished emptying the wall unit, and have now got an impressive pile of boxes by my door.  Of course this upsets my little nephew Talon, who's almost set to write the racing industry a letter, saying that all the good horses and races should be held here in Canberra.  It's so difficult to leave them, and my brother, but we are full of plans to visit, as I bring my children back for their visits, and so that I see them regularly.  I do not want the boys to think that I am abandoning them.  And of course we'll be back and forth to Sydney during the times we need to, staying with the kids grandma, so we're not walking away and never coming back.

I've also got to make a start on my bookwork.  I'm hideously behind again (after being so up to date and having my 2012-13 tax return completed in August!) and I need to catch up urgently.  In addition to this I have more images to work on from last weekend.  I've got to arrange to be in Sydney on the 23rd, to photograph 20 horses.  This is great, and it was supposed to happen this weekend, however the farm were not able to get the horses ready in time.  The horses belong to Anthony Cummings, and I'm doing the job through Louis Le Metayer.  Louis used to work for Arrowfield, but is now working for himself under his "Astute Bloodstock" business.  He's a truly knowledgeable horseman, and I like him a lot and I did photographs for him last weekend when I was in the Hunter Valley.  I am liking the fact that my client base is far more diverse and the capacity to actually now be able to do the work is pleasing.

Then this afternoon is a fun exercise and a favour for a great friend.  Fenella has a dressage clinic with her instructor Carlos de Cleermaecker.  I'm going to photograph Fenella's lesson for her.  I'm not sure how well it will photograph in the indoor arena, they can be tricky little beasts, but will do my best.  I'm really interested to see Carlos, having heard so much about him.  Fenella talks enthusiastically about him, and that's high praise because she's a hard marker.  He apparently teaches in the same vein as our former coach Edgar Litchwark.  I think longingly back to the days of our Edgar clinics, and going forward, I cannot wait to find a new dressage coach, and to begin training a horse again.  I'm almost certain that I want to put Freelance back into work, and I have Archie to work with also, and hopefully one day I can convince one of my great photographer friends to come and photograph my lesson too, and to finally get some images of me riding.  

While I am on the subject of my other great equestrian love, one of these images of Heath Ryan riding his black warmblood stallion Regardez Moi are looking likely to be selected for a special publication, of which I hope to have news about soon.  Some of you are all too aware that I would love for my next dressage horse to be black.  A girl can dream, can't she??  Then I'd just need a good photographer, because photographing black horses well can be a teensy bit tricky and some people do it better than others.

"Less is More" 
Edgar Litchwark











 




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