Up Up and Away!

So here goes... My last night at home in London.

I'm all packed and ready to go, just passing time now trying to fall asleep - very hard knowing that i'll be getting a taxi to Heathrow at 04.30am! Feels so bitter sweet; looking forward to the trip and all but boy will i miss this place (I'll spare you the details). Dramatics over, I'm like a "man on a mission", but a woman, gotta reach those goals! Get those ranking points! sell some horses! make some money... hmmm... there's an idea...

Might wanna keep those fingers crossed for the time being...

The horses arrived safe and sound friday afternoon. Nathan flew back this morning and I'll be seeing Alyssa tomorrow. They all had a nice play in the field today... gotta get those muscles stretching tomorrow though, time's a wasting! This time next week I'll be putting my game face on.

News "En Route" Cntd.

The horses arrived in Dijon safe and sound at 7pm this evening. They had to wait to get their health papers sorted in Dover so Nathan & Alyssa obviously weren't hanging about on the drive down!

Early start tomorrow morning, they need to be out the gates by 7am to get to the stables in Valbonne (our place - south of France) before sundown. Here's hoping they won't run into too much traffic on their travels... Just one day to go, hang in there boys and girls, not long now! speaking of which... I'd better get packing...

Such a beautifully sunny day in London today, going to miss the buzz over here... really looking forward to Follonica though; "a tale of two cities"... that's it in a nutshell..

News "En Route"

Alyssa Cooper: On the road from Ireland to France; quite a long trip but with plenty of stops!! I was a little bit worried about Annie (Fairplay 111) on the ferry as we've never travelled on the boat with her before but she was a perfect angel. Went down twice to check on her but she was chilled like a seasoned traveller! Sugar (Clear CC) is not impressed with her new traveling companion as she pokes her nose underneath the partition and tries to play the WHOLE time! Looking forward to a few days rest when we get to France and a play in the field for the "ponies", then down to some serious business!!

Update: Nathan, Alyssa and the horses have arrived safely in Dover. All is well, i'm sure they're looking forward to a well-deserved 10 hour break...

Climate Change

I saw this yesterday and just had to share it! i think its ingenious. It was part of a display of fourteen arresting images called "Postcards from the Future".

"The display brings home the full impact of global warming, food scarcity, rising sea levels and how all Londoners will have to innovate and adapt to survive" http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk

The center of London is covered with water as giant wind turbines are set to work throughout. Just enrolled myself in the "Offshore Wind Power: Economics & Risk" day training course at the Green Power Academy on the 11th April, so i thought this image was very fitting! I'll be flying back from Nice on the Sunday evening after the Grand Prix in San Remo, the course starts at 9am Monday morning and goes on all day, really excited about this!

Quote of the Day

Change is inevitable in a progressive society.

Change is constant.

Benjamin Disraeli

British Prime Minister

Last night at BallyLawn

My last night in Ireland for a while... Heading off to london in the morning (by car) - should be an adventure if nothing else!

Today was an eventful day. Jumped all four horses in the outdoor (mini course). Merlin & Curly (the two older boys) were in fighting form, the latter might need a weekend of small classes to get back into the swing of things - such a big set of bones to maneuver about the place, doesn't quite know what to do with himself... Merlin on the other hand (old faithful) should be up for the challenge (Follonica 4-6 March). Francis pointed out to me how easy it is to become a perfectionist and expect the same in return, when you think back on how they were a year ago, or just three months ago, you realize how far they've come. They never stop learning, even Merlin the oldest, year on year he continually improves his technique - which was nothing short of magic to begin with!

Clear CC ( CC Holsteiner breeding - 7 year old) has quite the temper as always, she jumped her first water-fence today with flying colours! starting to see some improvement in her mouth now - accepting the bit more and generally softening. She has such a powerful jump that were she to just settle down who knows how far she could go - she's getting there though, all in good time.

Last but not least Annie (aka Fairplay 111 - 6 year old) she's a bombshell, enough said. we did our second practice round as i've only had her for three weeks - bringing her down to Italy for Mickey McCann (owner), can't wait to see how we get on down there. I think she'll knock a few people's socks off.

The lorry's leaving wednesday morning. I'll keep you posted. As I've said before: Let it begin.

A little Insight

"Only those who will risk going too far

can possibly find out how far one can go".

T.S. Elliot

Special Day

I just found out that a couple of weeks ago, at the Waterford & Tipperary Showjumping Awards, I received a Senior Rider Award for achievements in 2010. This is the second year in a row, and just as unexpected as the first time (I'm a foreign rider)...

Such a pity I couldn't be there to accept such a lovely gesture. They really are the most wonderfully welcoming people on the Emerald Isle - I see where my grandmother gets it from! Isn't it amazing how one can be so surprised by kindness, speaks volumes about the times in which we live.

There's nothing greater than feeling valued, even in my "little corner of the world". I'm very thankful for that.

"INVICTUS" William Ernest Henley (1875)

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Christie's Auction Update

Remember the paintings i mentioned?

Well...

Andy Warhol's self-portrait (displayed for the first time in nearly 30years) went for 10,793,250GBP, Raysse's beautiful ¨L'Annee Derniere a Capri" for 4,073,250GBP and Fontana's "Concetto Spaziale, Attesa" for 2,281,250GBP.

Wow. Wish I'd been there. As John Ruskin said: "All that is good in art is the expression of one soul talking to another; and is precious according to the greatness of the soul that utters it".

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Wake-up Call

"While switching from coal to gas helps reduce emissions in the short term, sooner or later gas becomes part of the problem. While gas emits less than half the CO2 of coal, it still emits ten times more CO2 than wind and other renewables".

Steve Sawyer - Global Wind Energy Council

Hmmm... we (Europe) might not be doing as well as we think.

Read the full article by the EWEA: http://j.mp/hOKUoJ

Quote of the Day

The longer we dwell on our misfortunes,

The greater is their power to harm us.

Voltaire.

Christie's Auction House

The post-war and contemporary art collection was the most incredible thing i've ever seen. One painting after another with an estimated value of a million pounds or more. here are some of my favourites:

This self-portrait of Andy Warhol gave me the chills. Painted in 1967 (acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas 72x72in) it belonged to a private american collection. now the estimated value is at 3-5million GBP, but at auction the final strike price can sometimes far out reach estimates. Just the other day a new record was reached with a bid of circa 25million GBP for a Picasso original.

Lucio Fontana's "Conceto Spaziale - Attesa" (i.e. Spatial Consept - Expectation) looked effortless - quiet and dramatic. The way the light projected onto the canvas allowed it to fill the whole room, my eyes were drawn to it and dwarfed anything else in its vicinity. My mother said she could decorate an entire room with just this one painting, and stare at it for hours. I had never seen his work before, and now i know what i've been missing! price estimate: 1 to 1.5 million GBP. Fontana was Italian but lived and worked in Argentina - renowned as one of the first avant-garde artists to understand art as gesture or performance.

I saw many more that i liked, but i won't bore you with all that! just this last glimpse at my absolute favourite of the day. I could've spent the rest of the day on that bench, in the middle of the room, watching her. Art always has this magical ability to make me feel inspired. something about being surrounded by all those creative minds, the thoughts, passions, genius behind each piece... my thoughts go to another level - outside of my little corner of the world.

She was created by Martial Raysse (B. 1936) "L'Annee Derniere a Capri", he was born in Golf Juan (south of France) - that's just ten minutes from where i grew up... i knew it was meant to be....

This was one of Raysse's most important works. "Dating from 1962, it represents the moment when the ground-breaking European art movement which he helped to pioneer in 1960, Noveau Realisme, met head on with the very dawn of the Pop Art movement which it foreshadowed in America" (www.christies.com). Such a vibrant piece, and at the same time the melancholy in her eyes was hypnotic.

Estimated price: 1 to 1.5million... SOLD!!!!

The auction takes place Wednesday 16th Feb in the evening. It'll be very interesting to see what they go for.... Right, enough dreaming, gotta get packing... off to Waterford in the morning to see the horses!

DJ SILO

Check out my friend Boudy's website (aka DJ Silo)

very cool

http://www.djsilo.com/

The Domino Effect

Pro-democracy Algerians plan to take to the streets in protest.

Read the full article:

http://su.pr/16qLQh

Going Green

Just finished reading "Developing Wind Power Projects" by Tore Wizelius, and now my new book has arrived! Its waiting for me at home, so if my flight from Cork to London ever takes off, it won't be too soon.

Renewable energy is the future, and I'm determined to be a market player, one way or another.

Check out http://www.ewea.com/ if you're at all curious.

Quote of the Day

"Anti-Intellectualism has long been the anti-semitism of the business man."

Arthur Shopenhauer

Welcome to the Team!

Heading off on “tour” this time is the ever-faithful Alyssa Cooper (Head Groom) and her friend Frances Ross who will be joining us for work experience. She’s only sixteen, so I really hope she enjoys her time away. Look forward to seeing them both. I’m hoping the girls will post regular updates on my blog from our travels –you know… to mix it up a bit!

There’s also a new addition to the horsepower: Merlin, Curly, Clear and now Annie (aka Fair Play 111). She belongs to Micky McCann, 6 years old, and fabulous! So excited about her actually… she is the mare I went to see in Belfast…. How well did that turn out? Like to think of myself as a doer more than a talker.

Francis Connors will make his way down to see us now and again - to make sure everything is on track.

Flying back to London tomorrow for the weekend. Alyssa gets here Monday and that'll be our last week of prep.

Getting really close now, can't wait!

keep you posted.

The Countdown Begins...

Its great to be back! Four weeks into training the horses, after a well-deserved break, and three weeks away from the Italian tour, I’m feeling oddly calm running through my mental checklist…

• Horses back in shape: check

• Dentist: check

• Veterinary Inspection: check

• Practice shows: One down, two to go.

• Feed ordered and delivery date set: check.

• Ferries booked: check

• Stabling: check

All that’s left is packing the lorry, organizing the tack, “haircuts” and shoes for the foursome.

We’ll set off Wednesday 23^rd February. Rosslare to Fishguard, stopping in Dover, then Dijon. ETA: Friday evening at my parents’ place in Valbonne (15mins from Cannes). My friend Nathan Primrose is doing me the MASSIVE favour of driving the lorry down – I ask him all the time, frankly I think he’ll just start blocking my calls one of these days.

So here’s the POA (thus far):

MARCH

• Follonica
• Follonica
• Follonica

APRIL

• San Remo
• San Remo
• Chieti
• Pioltello

MAY

• San Giovanni
• San Giovanni
• Caserta

The only confirmed show, for the time being, is the Follonica Jumping Tour in March. Might adopt a more “laissez-faire” attitude this time around; what will be will be.

Gotta bring our A-game though. As Martin Luther King jr. so wisely said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.

Let it begin…

Note to Self

"Great Spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

Albert Einstein