Horses

The last time I sat on a horse was when I was a teenager. One hot summer, I was staying at my aunt's summer house in Rokitnica, Poland. The horse belonged to one of the local farmers. It was one of those big, working horses and I could not really tell whether I liked it or not. However, the idea of sitting on it was very tempting as I had not sat on a horse before. I was probably 12-13 years old and had no idea how to get on a horse, what to do and how to behave. And, let's be honest, the farmer had no idea either. The horse was just a tool for him... it was just a hard-working animal used only to make the farmer's life on a farm easier.

Anyway... not knowing how to get on such a big horse, my cousin and I came up with an idea. We took an old, wooden chair and placed it next to the horse. I stepped up on the chair and, to this day I do not know how, I got on the horse... I must admit, I did not like that new feeling at all... The horse was too big, it was uncomfortable and unpleasant to be sat on it and I felt really awkward about the whole situation. I think I got off the horse quicker than I had got on it... I did not like this whole experience at all and have been rather hesitant and skeptical to being around horses ever since. I do not think I have ever stood close to a horse since that day...

I realised how wrong I have been this whole time last weekend...

Slawek and I visited the Horse Riding Centre in the Lea Valley Regional Park on Saturday. And I have completely fallen in love with horses...

Two horses in particular caught my attention. Even though they were rather resentfull at first, I somehow managed to gain their trust. First, I picked some grass. Holding my hand flat and keeping my fingers together, I slowly reached out and handed the grass to one of the horses. I repeat that a few times. Then, I let the horse to smell my open palm hand. Once the horse realized I was not going to harm it, I slowly and gently touched it... the horse readily accepted my touch. Its hair was long and soft... it felt nice and warm to the touch of my hand...

While training my German Shepherd, I realized how important body language is when interacting with animals as it reflects our leadership abilities. While making a physical contact with the horse, I tried to hold my head up high, made careful and deliberate movements and kept an eye contact with it all the time. In the end, the only way to gain a horse's trust is to get it to accept the idea that it is okay to let you touch it.

It was one of the best feelings I have had for a while. Being able to feed them, touch and caress them was a great experience. I will definitely visit the stables more often now. And maybe one day I will even be able to learn how to horse ride... I would love that!

Blackberries

We went blackberry picking on Saturday again. The day before, I had collected 10 small jars with the idea of making blackberry jam and blackberry syrup.

I think we picked more than 4kg of blackberries. They were big, black and really sweet. I rinsed them with water when we got home on Saturday afternoon. I, then, put them in a big pan, powdered lots of sugar on top and left them for several hours (in this case, for the whole night). Next morning, the blackberries were covered with sweet, yummy syrup. I squashed some juice from a whole lemon, carefully stirred the blackberries and boiled them on a low heat for few minutes. I put them in jars while they were still hot and I poured the remaining syrup in 3 glass bottles. Surprisingly, from 4kg of blackberries, I got only 5 small jars of jam...

We are definitely going blackberry picking next weekend!!!

Oh, one more thing. Of course, we took Angie with us as well and, to my biggest surprise, she loves blackberries!!! How strange is that?!

Homemade Cheesecake

I have just made a vanilla cheesecake. I usually make it on a sponge cake and either orange or lemon jelly. This time, however, I have made it with a kick... Firstly, I moisted the sponge cake with a splash of Martini Bianco, poured the cheesecake mixture and let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then, I decorated the cake with blackberries Slawek and I had picked from bushes in the Springfield Park on Sunday. Finally, I poured some jelly on top... I am now waiting for the cheesecake to cool down in the fridge... I really hope it will be yummy :)

Strange frames of mind...

I turned on a computer and checked my emails this morning. Except of several scam messages, I have not received anything important. I then clicked on my blog's icon. The main page of my blog opened, I clicked on New Post icon. I was starring at the monitor for good 20 minutes and I finally realized I was not able to come up with any topic to jot down. Even though there are so many things I would like to write about, so many thoughts I would like to share, somehow I just could not come up with any sensible subject.

I have not been in a very good mood lately and I think this fact greatly affects my thinking processes...

I have promised myself not to bore anybody with my swinging moods and uneven frames of mind. I do not really want to write about the reasons... why something happened... why something has not happened... why something has influenced the way I am... and what I would love to happen in order for my mood to go back into its original, happy place...

Yet, I write this blog to share my thoughts, whether they are happy or not-so-happy thoughts, with whoever wants to read them. On the other hand, however, I write this blog for my own pleasure and satisfaction. Of course it is great when other people read my posts, find them interesting and come back to read more. It means that what I do, what I think and write is interesting enough for somebody to keep coming back. But if I think about it, I really write this blog for myself. Why? I don't know... Maybe it is because it makes me ME... Maybe it is because I want to record some of the things that happen in my life and read them in few years time... Maybe sharing my thoughts and my experiences with virtual strangers is what really drags me into writing and exposing myself to the world... I actually like reading other peoples' blogs... it creates a sense of virtual voyeurism... And I like when people read my posts as well... What is it called? A virtual narcissism?

Anyway... I started off with a general wonderment of whether I should write about my low mood and ended up writing about the reasons behind writing my blog... It simply shows how disconnected I have been lately...

Ok, I have made up my mind. I am not going to write about what is bothering me... about my problems however serious or not serious they might be... or about my roller-coaster mood. I will keep it to myself... It is better that way...

The Last Goodbye...

Michael Jackson's memorial service held yesterday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was a very touching way to say goodbye to the greatest entertainer that has ever lived on our planet. Many people paid tribute to the King of Pop... friends, colleagues, family members... It was all very emotional and moving...

Michael's brother, Jermaine, sang Smile, one of Michael's favourite songs from Charlie Chaplin's movie Modern Times. I think, for him, it was a perfect way to say goodbye...

Of course everybody is saddened by Michael's death as he has passed away too soon... But we should be grateful... we should be grateful that we have got to see his extraordinary talent grow over the years... we should be grateful because we have been able to witness his undeniable genius...

Michael's irresistible musical legacy will never be forgotten... let's never forget what his life, music and performances were all about... and let's smile every time we hear Billy Jean, Black or White, Thriller, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Man in The Mirror... let's smile every time we watch him dancing in his videoclips... let's smile every time we see him doing "the moonwalk" in recorded live shows... let's smile and think that he was the best and always will be...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

With your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just...

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

Through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just smile...

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you'll just smile...

written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons in 1936

music composed by Charlie Chaplin

sang by Michael Jackson in 1995