September 27, 2010

Childishly fun



I am 47.
I have been riding for 41 years.
And I still think it is superduperMEGA-FUN!
After returning home from the project in France, I am so happy to be back with the horses, and I get really disappointed if I miss out riding one day.
(OK,OK, when it was raining cats and dogs the other day, we took a day off)
Isn't it amazing?
I mean, after over 40 years. That it still makes you as excited as a 10 yo with pink brushes and a new riding helmet, waiting for the the riding school lesson to start, and hoping, hoping to get the favourite horse.
Except I get my favourite every time.
*smirk*
Fame is so fun to work with these days.
I am just like a 10 year-old.


September 19, 2010

Not Mr Nice Guy at all

Today's juicy piece....














I have to share something I read on  Claire's blog (thanks Claire!)
Sjef Janssen, the controversial trainer and husband to Anki van Grunsveen, has been sued in civil court regarding a horse sale, and found guilty:

"...because he [Janssen] had been unable to find a buyer at the price plaintiffs were asking, he would forgo his commission if plaintiffs accepted the $312,000 offer"

"Plaintiffs subsequently learned, without disclosure from defendant, that the buyer had actually paid defendant $480,000"
Read more

Oh-la-la Janssen.
Somehow this doesn't surprise me.

September 18, 2010

Congratulations


...to Anna and Fame who won Spiller's Cup today!
Anna is 16 and is riding Fame twice a week.
Spiller's Cup consists of two shows where one is show jumping and the other is dressage.
(Such a nice idea to have a cup that combines both, don't you think?)

I was cheering them on from the side of the arena with a nasty cold *croak, croak*
and was of course childishly proud of them both.

September 09, 2010

Paris, London...and finally, HOME!!!



My daughter on Charlie

After finishing the project in France, I just needed a breather from computers.
Kind of took a while.
Being outside with the horses is still very much more tempting than sitting inside, so  I guess my blogging will be a bit sporadic until the weather gets worse, lol!

So what's happened?
We finished the project in France end of July.
To try and compensate for the fact that I was sitting still all day into the evening, and then topped it up with a three course dinner (I suppose you can guess the result) my collegue Louise from UK and I started walking to the office, something that took beween 45 mns to an hour, one way.
It was uphill on the way home, so a pit-stop for a beer was needed (we did walk, didn't we???)
On our way we saw many things:


The French school children take the "pedibus" and walk to school.
This is a collection point (isn't it cute!)

In absence of Dupond and Dupont you can always call the Brunos



French real estate agents have a completely different approach to marketing than their Norwegian collegues....

On the last day, the whole project team was invited to dinner on one of the river Seine boats.
It was the perfect wrap-up as we went past all of Paris' monuments while the night closed in, enjoying a nice dinner and the company of each other for the last time.

Pont Alexandre III


Passing Notre-Dame

Yes, it is amazing. And the very image of Paris.

Paris is a wonderful city.
I hardly got home to unpack my things when my daughter suggested we should go on a trip to London.
So we did, for four days! It was so nice, she is 15 now - and we had such a good time.


She is an avid Agatha Christie fan, so we just had to go and see "The Mousetrap", the theatre show that has been running continously since 1952, written by Christie.
It was very good, both fun and with a good portion of suspense.
In the end, we had to give a solemn vow not to tell our friends who the murderer was. So, sorry guys!

My daughter in action

Kensington Palace (where princess Diana lived)


It is not only Peter Pan who lives in Kensington Gardens.
I believe Hansel and Gretel lives here too.



Seven Dials

Neal's Yard


Shop in Covent Garden

London is such a charming city, and I would love to make a reapeat trip next summer.
We had a relaxing stay; took two guided tours (London Tower and Jack the Ripper Walk) and apart from that just did some exploring, and enjoyed some nice food in London's many restaurants.
We spent some hours at Foyle's, the reknown book shop, and bought a book each.
That was all our shopping...

But the very best thing?
And the very best place to be?

Home.