Monday, May 05, 2014

Miracles and other things

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Miracles of Life  - Flemington 1 March 2014

I’ve been rather slack on the blogging front of late, being disinclined to write anything. The death of my friend Maureen affected me more than I thought it would and has proved distracting, her sudden and shocking demise being foremost in my brain over the last few weeks.

Even so, I have been following the racing as a matter of course, and was delighted to see Miracles of Life, the fairy tale 2013 Blue Diamond Stakes winner, return to form victoriously last Saturday in a Group 2 race at Morphettville. She is scheduled to be sold very soon in a dispersal sale on the part of her owner, so last Saturday’s race could well have been her last.  She is nominated for the Group 1 Goodwood at Morphettville next Saturday and may take her place in the field, pending a decision tomorrow.

We bid farewell to quite a few stars of the turf after the Sydney racing carnival. It’s A Dundeel has been retired, as has Fiorente, Shamus Award, Guelph and Appearance, so they’ll be missed come the Spring.

However, others will no doubt compensate for their absence, Lankan Rupee for one, who being a gelding will be around the scene for some years, and if he stays sound will be the next big thing in sprinting circles and most likely Australian Horse of the Year for the 2013/14 season.

On the cat political front, the two resident cat masters are still not particularly friendly to one another, but they rarely fight. I did catch them both facing off on the roof of the backyard studio a week or so ago, where Willy had Talya cornered, but I managed to defuse the situation so no blood was spilled. As I write they’re both asleep on the bed only yards apart and unconcerned with the proximity.

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Recent photo of Talya curled up on a rug

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Clever Willy sheltering from the rain on the front verandah

As Melbourne has been experiencing an early onset of winter, the cold, wet weather has meant that the cats spend more time inside. By the time winter officially arrives we’ll have grown used to it, but the next stretch of chilly months will seem never ending.

Meantime I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the new Tex Murphy game which is mooted to be available on 7th May. A big download (15GB) will certainly take an age to get onto my computer, but after waiting for 16 years for the game, I’m sure it will be worth it.

At least it will be an amusing way to occupy some my time over the winter months.

I’ve got used to my new computer and I must admit that it is a lot faster and quieter than the old one. My only complaint is that the monitor colours are a bit off; something to do with the graphics card I suspect, which I have yet to configure correctly.

2 comments:

Ann ODyne said...

welcome over to the SlackBloggers Club. partly the Autumn garden work which is crucial if Spring is to have charm, and partly the Blahs of bleak weather then hot weather etc.
I am sad for your loss, the kind that does not wear away any faster than stone steps, but arrives with a gutkick at the most unlikely moments when you are faced with her just not being at the end of a phone call.
I have noticed also, that life's losses are interspersed with concessions and compromises. :)

Anne S said...

Yeah, it seems that time of year, though I'm planning a new blogpost when I can drag myself away from playing the new Tex Murphy game, which is a doozy.