Walking the horse

There are lot's of dogs in our neighbourhood, and in the weekend many people are walking these dogs in the parks and dunes. A horse needs exercise as well, so on a cold, sunny Saturday afternoon Mary took her timeshare horse, Smook, for a walk. He had been standing in his stable the whole day, as owner Hanneke was busy with party preparations.

During these walks Mary takes the opportunity to teach Smook to be obedient: to walk just behind her, to stop on command, and to turn in circles, all for the main goal: to make him a perfect horse for long rides on the beach, in the dunes and anywhere else in the Dutch outdoors.

Mary is preparing Smook for his walk

Leaving the stable, Smook gets attention from some of the girls

Walking in the "Bosjes van Pex", the park near our house

Skiing in France

During our Christmas holiday we went to our house in France, for a week of skiing, like we did last year as well. We left The Hague, covered in 20 cm of snow, and we were dreading the drive though wintery Western Europe. It had been mayhem on the roads, airports and railways the weeks before, so we decided to take an alternative route, avoiding the hilly Belgian Ardennes. This was probably a good move, as we were treated to sleet in Northern France, turning into heavy rain further south. In our village there was no snow left due to mild weather and rain, but it turned around on our arrival and temperatures stayed below zero during our stay.

Arriving late afternoon at the house we found out that the heating was not working, and it was bitterly cold inside. With the help of our neighbour Jean, and in the end Philippe the plumber (who had to replace a part) it was fixed late in the evening. We spend the first night shivering in our beds, waiting for the house to warm up, and next morning it was already comfortable. We were ready for the holidays!

A thin layer of snow had fallen during the night (the only snow during our 10 day stay), which was just enough for some cross country skiing around the village, and Paula and Dorien had a go. The next day we went up to Alpe d'Huez for our first day of skiing. The following days had our usual routine: get up at 7.15, breakfast, coffee, gather our gear, drive up to Alpe d'Huez, put the ski gear on and go to the lesson area, for a 9.15 start. Paula and Dorien had lessons every morning, as we are mediocre skiers and can't teach them anything anymore. As part of the lessons they have a number of races, during which they can qualify for higher levels. Due to the lack of fresh snow the pistes were quite hard and icy, and it was difficult for them to ski fast; only Dorien managed to pass one of the levels. In the afternoons we skied together throughout the whole area, only the mythic "Tunnel" descent is missing from our list (as it is very steep, and not groomed). The weather, especially the second half of the week, was very good: sunshine, little wind and just below zero temperatures.

New Year's Eve was as usual: no activity whatsoever in the village. Lights are out early as almost everybody is working in the ski resorts. We lasted to midnight....

On the last day we cleaned our gear and the house, and Paula and Dorien had a visit by their friend Pauline from Bourg. We drove back through the Ardennes this time, but we got stuck in a long traffic jam, as that road had not fully recovered and was reduced to one lane for a stretch. It was a long day in the car... And now back to our regular lives again: work, school and horse riding!

Paula and Dorien are ready for their cross country run, Swallow is looking on

Cross country skiing along the Romanche

Dorien's ski class is ready to start

Paula and Piet on the black Sarenne descent, claimed to be the longest in Europe

Paula and Piet on the Chalvet run, overlooking Alpe d'Huez

Mary and Dorien on Lievre Blanc, above the clouds

More winter

Last night a new layer of snow fell, and although the weather was very grey we went out for some sledging, to check out the beach, and to take some pictures. It is a shame most of our winter gear (cross country skis!) is still in France.

Strandslag 7, the dune crossing to the beach

Paula and Dorien on the beach

In the dunes, overlooking The Hague

Dorien is sledging down one of the paths in the dunes

Winter!

It's really winter in Holland. The last few weeks we have been treated to snow, sub-zero temperatures, a bit of ice skating and snow again. The Netherlands came close to a standstill a few times, but luckily we don't have to go further than office, school and stable. The car has been idle for a long time.....

Snow in The Hague, our house is hidden by the big tree

An egret in our garden

Paula is letting Smokey enjoy the snow

Paula, Charlotte and Smokey

The ponies are trying to graze in the park in front of our house

A lot of horse riding

We had another weekend full of horse riding. On Friday Mary went along with the 3 ladies who run the "our" stable, De Wildhoef. They had to go to Woudenberg in the centre of The Netherlands to take some teaching exams, and needed a few victims to act as pupils. They went with 5 horses and 3 pupils, and Mary spend the whole day grooming, riding and chatting. And it happened to be her birthday as well!

In the evening Mary and Paula had their own exam at the stable, the F6 dressage level. Although they had some hiccups during their rides, they both managed to pass. And they can go to the next level!

On Saturday was their regular day of voluntary work at the handicapped stable Madurodam. Paula and Dorien cleaned out the stables, took the horses for some exercise on the beach and helped with the lessons. Mary took a break as her next exam was due in the evening. However, during the day it turned out that due to some administrative mistake by the stable the exam had to be postponed.... Mary found some comfort with Smokey (or Smook), her timeshare horse, that she rode in the paddock to exercise and train him.

The next day it was Dorien's turn, she had to to the F5 level exam. She passed F4 last time and was the only F5 participant. She did very well, better than Paula and Mary, so everyone at the stable was very surprised that she didn't pass. Unfortunately this is a jury sport, and not a straight race to a finish. A disappointing end to a very busy weekend.

Mary and Dwight are ready for their F6 test

Paula and Sixteen are ready as well

Paula is going to give some instructions to Mary and Smook

Dorien and Sixteen looking forward to the F5 ride

A cold bike race

It is winter in Holland, with sub zero temperatures and some snow. This is, apart from our yearly ski holiday, the first real winter experience for the girls. And yes, life just continues! Cycling to school, horse riding and walking the cats in the garden, it is business as usual.

Piet happened to have signed up for a bike race on the beach, Scheveningen-Noordwijk and back. Together with his cycling buddy Renaat he joined some 1000 enthusiasts at Scheveningen Pier, at temperatures around zero, grey skies and a chilly southerly wind. They were sent off, and after a short "run" through soft sand the ride started at the shoreline. It turned out to be a wet (and ultimately a very cold) affair, but with the tailwind Noordwijk was reached in no time. Another drag through soft sand to cross the time check, and back along the beach. Headwind this time, so it was important to find a good group for some shelter. The finish on Scheveningen boulevard was reached after 1 hour 39 minutes, 10 minutes after Renaat and 30 minutes after the winner. As we were soaked we didn't linger, but rushed home for a hot shower and to defrost our toes and fingers!

An impression of the Rabobank Beach Challenge (27th November 2010)

A short visit to Cairo and two new (temporary) family members

Never a dull moment in the Lambregts family.... Mary returned to Cairo to visit our horses and their Egyptian entourage, and to hook up with some of her lady friends. She took the "red eye" flight and arrived at 2 in the morning, and was picked up by Sayed, the stable owner. He dropped her off at Els, where Mary stayed for the first three days. Her days consisted of horse riding, and ... horse riding. She had arranged to ride with her friends at the stable or in the desert, and also for daily horse jumping lessons with Sayed at the Saqqara Country Club. Our horses where in good shape, but had suffered some during the hot summer, being a bit skinny. A good, cooler winter will definitely help them! Weather was perfect, and Mary had many, many hours in the saddle, putting into practise all the "traditional" horse riding lessons she got in Holland.

Mary was received with open arms by Sayed, his family, headgroom Reda and the rest of the village. She could borrow Sayed's car and a phone, has lunch in the stable every day, and stayed in the small apartment in the village for the last 2 nights. After five full, satisfying and tiring days Mary was taken back to the airport by Sayed, with the promise that she will return with the girls next time.

In the mean time, back in stormy, wet and cold The Hague, Piet picked up two Siamese cats from one of his colleagues, who is traveling for 5 weeks. Paula and Dorien will look after them, mainly cleaning the litterbox and associated mess. The cats are living in an apartment, and are not used to go outside; under close supervision we let them out in the garden, which they find very exiting.

The foal Baghour is having fun in the paddock in the village

The village ladies are backing bread

Our new (temporary) family members Maru and Mochi