Renata’s father was wearing leiderhosen today. There is a tiny kitten here that is so cute to hold and the kids spend large portions of their days snuggling with it. We had pizza for Ben’s birthday and then James and I went into the forest with Renata and her neighbor to look at the trees. Bark beetle are a major problem in Austria and we had to mark the trees with signs of infestation to be cut down. I was so tired when we got back but the kids had been promised to go riding and Renata is the most generous person. At 9:45 she started the task of saddling up 4 horses and took the kids into the indoor ring for lessons. They walk around the perimeter while one person gets on a leash and Renata helps them move in time w the horse. The kids loved it but were low on resiliency given the time. I got them showered and to bed but not until midnight.
Side note: we are on a horse farm in northern Austria. There is no real town as we are out in the farm land. Renata gives riding lessons. She also had a job in marketing. She works tirelessly and has more energy and enthusiasm than anyone I’ve ever met. She is always positive and kind to everyone and so selfless. The weather has been ideal. When it is sunny it is not stiflingly hot, there is a breeze, it cools down at night, there has been rain or thunderstorms almost every night and we’ve seen several rainbows. On clear nights you can see the Alps in the distance. It is very beautiful here and we feel lucky.
We have settled into a routine here at the farm. We are learning the tasks and can perform certain daily things without being asked. Mornings call for feeding all the animals; fresh grass for the horses, goats and quail. Mucking the horse stalls is done about twice a day. We've learned that the horses use a "toilet". They don't like to just pee or poo anywhere. They look for a pile of old hay strategically placed over the little pee trough and go to the bathroom there. The hay prevents their pee from spraying on their legs, which apparently they do not like. Day time you do whatever work needs doing and the evenings involve more fresh grass being cut for the evening feed. Renata works from 7am to 11pm.
A heat wave has hit Europe and our day was slower yesterday due to this. We did some work indoors-hanging curtain rods and preparing the house for painters. We drove the quad bike down to a small river and took a little dip yesterday. Every afternoon Renata's parents come to visit and usually they bring some food and stay for dinner. We had another wonderful Austrian bonfire to cook sausages over the fire along with potatoes and fresh veggies.
