Robberies and shrubberies

They say December is the rainy month. Not to be outdone, November put on a show today, much to the delight of our riders, the staff and the horses. The ducks, not so bothered, but the rest of us... grrrr.

Was greeted by 2 dead chickens, all splayed out from the previous night's rain with no blood in sight and not at all gnawed at by mongoose in the dark hours, so was wondering how they died. The boss thinks it was disease. But haaaeellll no am I gonna touch those corpses. Not good with dead things.

We had 2 rides booked, good for a Sunday, so D took the first lot and I was scheduled for the sunset champagne ride. Before that, however, I was asked to get in the horses and cows from free range grazing during the day. Usually my favourite activity, because it involves going down all trails by myself in the afternoon sun taking in the views and chasing around rouge animals.

Not so much fun today.

First, I thought I'd try one of the horses that doesn't usually go for the rounding up. Surely, they can't be THAT bad, just need a strong hand, right? Right?? So I ventured out with Caramel, not a lead horse and as I was soon to find out, certainly no hunter or gatherer. He was reticent from the start, always wanting to be back with the gang in the stables. Then, when he saw a herd of horses running down the mountain back there, he wanted to be with THEM.

At this time, I was in the shrubbery, and soon enuf my horse started bucking, rearing and turning around (or trying to) in the thick of it. It was about this time I decided to bail, in a nice, soft pile of long grass. No harm done, I pulled the horse out onto the road and re-mounted. A few staccato steps and I knew it would be a downhill battle (quite literally) back to the stable, and given his recent performance, I didn't fancy coming off on the hard gravel.

Lucky I'd kept a spare horse in the stable so I returned Caramel and hopped on Duende's much more reliable back, and went out for a look-see for these bovine demons of hell. Found 3 of the 4 but soon was led into the thickest of brambles, and not being able to see the horse's feet. Which led ME into an unexpected pile of fencing wire. Thankfully, my horse just jumped about enuf to let me know something was up, and I got off to fix him up.

In the meantime, the cows disappeared completely from sight and I again failed in getting every animal safely down to the yards to be locked up. Don't think they'll be sending me out much more in the future. But hey, I gotta learn sometime! Had to get back for my other work, so did a couple of rounds to no avail and headed back.

Had my evening ride to prepare for, and when they arrived asked if they still wanted to go into the water at the end. To my disappointment, they said yes so off I trudged to get into my boardshorts, having been treated to almost a whole day in my cowboy boots and jodhpurs. So much easier to crawl around and get messed up in that gear.

Already I was in for a challenge on this ride, as the day's rain had dampened all my firewood for the roasting of the marshmallows part of the ride. Also, to my dismay, the shitty champagne I was supplied with was almost dead flat so the poor couple on their anniversary had nothing good to toast with. When I managed to get some flames burning and the marshmallows on the roast, the rain started.

So we packed up and got back on the horses, the saddles of which were now soaked. The fireflies were out, as were the mozzies, so I was thoroughly enjoying myself by now. Then, an extra treat - more rain! Torrential rain! We were soaked to the bone by the time the ride got to the water, and they still wanted in, so in we went. The horses, bless 'em, got in and walked around, probably cos the water was actually warming us up! I think that rain made me almost shiver, unheard of here!

At the end of it all, I actually got a tip from the couple, 20 euros, so that wasn't so bad. Guides pretty much always get tipped if they have to ride in the rain, and fair enuf, it's pretty crappy!

Met a lovely, pretty black lady at Seaside today who was looking to start lessons up again and asked if she could start with me tomorrow. So hopefully, if they don't assign someone else to her, I will have my first student tomorrow after the cruise ship rides.

Heard more about the supermarket robbery last night... apparently the owner and security guards were hit hard over the heads. I hope they're OK. By the end of the day, my boss had changed our locks. We've already had the "crime" talk so we knew it was on the way. And according to my potential new student, crime rises sharply in December including street assaults so I need to be extra careful. As does the Erm when she arrives as well. New rule: no walking at night with the laptop!

On my way home I was looking forward to buying a mosquito net but was met with closed shop doors, me forgetting again it was Sunday (since most normal people don't work Sundays and therefore feel their day off!), so off it was home to another cold shower. Not so bad when I'm hot, now it's cooling off a bit. But oh well, at least I've got the mud off me - oh, the mud. It haunts me. And now I'm clean but my room STINKS of wet clothes. And my mozzie repellant is on its last legs. A terrific night ahead of me.

At the beach with no swimmers

Hooray for Sundays off! The place is so dead here, it's like time goes backwards when you're working. Guide I was working (our schedules clash often cos when I'm off, he's covering me) so he couldn't take me to the little island on the French side, a bummer but I've organised to do something with L on my second day off tomorrow so hopefully I'll see some cool sights on the island.

Started my day with a trip to Seaside for a scheduled Skype date with A, hoping the usual ill-timed internet connection problems didn't stand in my way. Not this time, happily, although at his end I think something was up - I waited almost an hour and never saw him pop up online. A shame as I was really looking forward to hearing his voice, having found the extra photos I brought with me of him, but hopefully tomorrow we will connect. I await an angry, frustrated message from him next time I check my inbox haha.

Instead I took myself to Mullet Bay (I swear I only go there for the name), after some housework. Waiting for the bus outside a church and it being a Sunday, I was privy to one of the gospels as preached by a local. Only really half-listening and catching every few words, I did hear something about the Lord looking down on vanity... at that very moment a souped-up old VW roared around the corner with a crass mural emblazoned across the bonnet and "The Son of God" banner across the windshield. I muffled a giggle.

My bus driver was on the mission from hell to get us to Mullet Bay in 2 mins, racing down the road and skidding to a stop as he almost went past someone wanting to board. I had been wondering how he'd see his passengers on the side of the road... asshole resisted giving me directions to the beach as he threw me off at the end of the route, mumbling something about "that way". I ended up having to ask a young couple, the lady recognising me as a horse guide and asking how I was. It was a semi-awkward moment as I clearly was a little confused as to who she was...

Walking to the beach, I came to the realisation that I'd forgotten to change my underwear to swimmer bottoms and I couldn't go into the water - my underwear that day being white French knickers. Now before you go thinking I was being all sexy trying to attract the guys, I wear the lacy underwear in the day because the non-holey stuf I need to keep my ass from being bitten by mozzies in the hot night. Now who's sexy???

So Mullet Bay was just a sunbaking excursion for me. Ho hum. The water looked sooooo nice. I fell asleep a little, read my book and bought a wide-brimmed hat from a beach seller (probably a little too late) to protect my precious white skin. Struck up a conversation with some older, leather-skinned American tourists - which is really the majority of customers at the beach in St Maarten - who said they were interested in coming horseriding sometime soon. Always drumming up business!

Went home early enuf to get in a swim at Seaside once I'd gotten my swimmer bottoms, but when I got there it clouded over and I felt I'd be cold in the water so I didn't go in. A got a lift down the road by a local who asked if he should wait and we could go smoke together somewhere - I pointed out clearly I had a boyfriend and stopped short of saying "and besides that, if I WAS single, I would in NO way be interested in you - you're twice my age!" No friggin way.

Arranged to go to La Bamba for a couple of drinks tonight with the work guys, so took in my washing (dry after just a few hours) and waited. And waited. Tried to fix my iPhone with some program from the net, to no avail... so I waited. Finally they arrived, only one was keen to go as the others had way more important dates... So we went.

I and I went to Buccaneers for some dinner (me a salad, very sensible) and then to watch a band that my friend knew. Turned out to be a cover band, of every average variety available... I was thoroughly unentertained, while I was happy he'd seen his friends play and (not to my knowledge) was about to get up and do a song on drums when I said it was time to go. On the walk back we ran into his sister's bf so he got a lift home, mentioning playing with the band and making me feel bad I'd made him leave so early! As soon as I'd shared his joint, I was tired, what can I say?!

Was nice to finally chill with I though, he is a nice guy, like my little brother although he does throw in the odd comment about how nice I look and how lucky my boyfriend is (well, lucky that he has me, unlucky that I'm on the other side of the world)... No chance there but it is nice to be admired respectfully on occasion. It's all I got right now, after all!

Sucre: the town of homosexual dogs

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Working weekend

Saturday, a day off for most, was spent picking hooves and olives... and had the heavens not opened the next day, I would've spent Sunday doing more of the same. As it was/is, however, I am sitting on the internet getting the things done I've not been able to do for the last week or so. Like giving you fuckers photos!! Urgh, the effort involved in that for a start...

I'm glad I am not picking olives today, as much as I love that plant, because I was starting to see olive branches every time I closed my eyes. And my manky dog bite finger is almost healed so I don't want to accidentally rip it open again from a particularly stubborn olive branch.

It's really a funny process, olive picking... you arrange all these big mesh nets under several trees (a long process for the hilly orchard we've been working on) and then pull (or milk as I see it) each branch free of olives, and at the end push all the olives into a pile at the botto. After picking out most of the leaves, you put them in a carton and voila, they're ready for the factory! We ate some of the first batch for dinner last night, tasty stuff!! Although we never made it to the olive oil party the factory invited us to and that was a bit of a disappointment. Would've been a laugh.

Our 'day off'

Sunday is rest day for pretty much everyone in Romania, which includes my boss and his wife apparently, as us girls were sent on a mission to Sibiu to drop the last guest off at the airport and do the shopping. What they didn't count on was the fact we all desperately needed time off ourselves and it was all we could do to stop ourselves falling asleep standing up all day.

Anyway, I managed somehow to drive the 1.5 hours to and from the airport, and arrange us 3 into some kind of working order in the supermarket (we had the combined mental and physical strength of 1 person), and wanted to collapse into bed when we got home, only to remember they were entertaining friends that night so we had to of course be part of the entertainment. I was too tired even to be good entertainment - now you know that's a bad sign!

It ended up being pretty funny actually, as one of the guests was the old head of police that now pimps himself out as private police hire or something and is apparently loaded... well, he's insane and took a liking to me, so spent the evening being all flirty and silly in Romanian, in front of his wife who like all the other women partners over here, just sat there unmoved by the whole episode. It must just be something Romanian men do here! But anyway, he promised to take L and I swimming and sightseeing in Brasov tomorrow so we'll see if that happens. He also wants me to go and break in his 2 feral horses in the paddock but I'm not sure I'm keen on that... for several reasons.

After L got drunk (for the first time since being here - she doesn't drink but was too tired to have a quick reaction when crazy man topped up her glass repeatedly) and I had a few glasses too, we retreated back to the guesthouse and had a good lie-in til late the next morning.

Today we went for a ride, me on Myastoza again, and took the nice sunny, but windy weather to rest atop a mountain with some sambos while conveniently avoiding helping the gypsies with the hay baling back at the homestead. That's our version of a day off.