Horses and Fetlocks

This afternoon I missed the only horse race I ever look at, the Melbourne Cup!! I was at the physio having my own fetlock strapped as I seem to have stretched the tendons in my arch and it was swollen and sore. I raced home thinking I would just catch it but Brian had just watched it and said Greenmoon , and Australian horse, trained by and Australian and ridden by an Australian had come from well back and won the race.We had a bottle of wine to celebrate and watch all the formalities and presentation of cups etc.I bemoaned the fact no one mentioned the horse in all this, but later Brian said, we all remember the horse in years to come but who the hell are the jockeys and trainers let alone the owners??? Pharlap, Black caviar, Green moon....how true, I would mention the Pt Lincoln horse but can't spell her name.....

We had some tremendous thunder storms last night with winds so strong it blew the top of the raingauge so have no idea how much rain we had.Everything in the garden looks happy again after yesterdays pounding of hot north winds.

Last Sunday while Brian's son was staying with us, we went to a new winery just up the road from us. We only seem to do these things when one has visitors. It is a dear little building where they have the wine tasting, quite rustic looking and stunning views over White's valley towards the sea. The wine is organically grown and interesting enough for me to buy some. A Pino Noir grown on the plains here is unusual to say the least, it is usually better coming from a colder climate. On Monday, we went and had lunch at D'Arry's verandah.The weather was foul, one of those hot,northerly winds and brown skies days. Inside was great and the food delicious and beautifully presented.The staff there are very attentive without going over the top, so we had a lovely afternoon, good food , good wines and lively conversations.