I have an aversion to being organised and efficient – I yearn to be, but I am always jeopardising myself. My plane to Chicago en route for Badminton was scheduled to leave at 6pm tonight, so instead of spending the morning packing, and making all necessary arrangements I went out to the Horse Park instead.
Since Saturdaym most of the jumps have been flagged and are awaiting their dressing. I bumped into Aaron Rust (of Equistruction) and he told me that tomorrow they will start stuffing the brush jumps with cedar which will make them look completely different, and then over the weekend they’ll put in all the flowers which will change their appearance all over again.
According to Aaron, the cedar comes from a man in Mercer county, and it thrives on the rocky clay soil that’s left there after the settlers razed everything and over-planted on the land. It grows like a weed up here in rural Kentucky, and I think Peter Cashel is his name, even supplies events in Florida and Georgia.
As I walked round with Leo, the smell of the stain on the wood was making me nostalgic, and it took me a while to place it, and a few sniffs of the jumps, like a junkie, I hope no-one saw me! I asked Mick Costello later, it’s Brazilian Rosewood Oil, (available via Penofin) and at the risk of revealing my English public boarding school past, it’s what we used to oil our lacrosse sticks with – what what?! Ah, boarding school – hair wash once a week, midnight dormitory dares, hazing, uniforms, best friends and stodgy food!
I also bumped into Hamish Cargill who was getting ready to ride Sandhills Tiger, and I was lucky enough to meet his other other half, not Dave, but the lovely Annabelle, or Bolls as she’s known. She had just arrived the night before, having competed at an event in Australia at Phillip Dutton’s parents’ place. Bolls told me she was trying to win the scholarship to spend a month over here with Phillip, but she was unlucky this time. We may see over here again though quite soon, because she divulged to me that although Hamish thinks she’s here soley to support him, Bolls, who competes up to 3* level, also has an ulterior motive to check Rolex out for herself for next year!
More rain last night, and severe storms forecast for tonight mean that the ditches are overflowing. It also meant that my plane that was meant to leave for Chicago at 6pm was canceled, so United very kindly called me and told me to get to the airport a few hours earlier and they would re-route me on Delta via Detroit. Aaargh, my packing, the dog, my kids! I can’t remember what I packed, but I’m pretty sure Leo and the children were dropped off at the appropriate places, and I’m now in Detroit awaiting a Delta flight to London, and then directly to Badminton. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you want more or less of this week, and I’ll do my best to deliver! Go Eventing!
