Thursday, February 24, 2011

Horse and Wine Fair

The VII Almería Horse and Wine Fair, the Feria de Caballo y Vino, takes place this year in Almería at the Olympic Stadium from April 28th to May 2nd. There will be a large number of related stands, plus competitions, shows and spectacle! We were at the presentation of this year's poster and were treated to a video of last year's show, which included flamenco dancing and fashion, exhibitions of classical dressage and doma vaquera and the presence of the Royal Riding Academy. The only type of horse at this feria is the Pura Raza Española - a wonderful and beautiful horse. The feria is organised once again by Francisco de Aguilar from the Asociación Almeriense de los Criadores de la Pura Raza Española.

El VII Feria de Caballo y el Vino de Almería se lleva a cabo este año en Almería en el Estadio Olímpico desde el 28 de abril hasta el 2 de mayo. Habrá un gran número de stands, además de concursos y espectáculos. Estuvimos en la presentación del cartel de este año y vimos un vídeo del espectáculo del año pasado, que incluyó baile y la moda, exhibiciones de doma clásica y vaquera y la presencia de la Real Academia de Equitación. El único tipo de caballo en esta feria es la Pura Raza Española - un caballo maravilloso y hermoso conocido por su tranquilidad y buen caracter. La feria está organizada una vez más por Francisco de aguilar de la Asociación Almeriensede los Criadores de la Pura Raza Española.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Courage

As I look at Ken’s close up video-clip of ‘Barbara’, which is posted below, I find it a bit hard to accept that I have been so physically deformed, then I felt proud of myself for coming out of hiding and getting on with my life under these circumstances. I realize that none of this would have been possible if it hadn’t been for the tremendous support, encouragement and loving friendship being constantly sent my way by friends and family. I would like to take this chance to thank all of you for remembering whom I am inside and keeping me so positive and active. I think I have been able to achieve more in the last few years than I have in a long time. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I have so many people who love and care for me, so I will keep fighting this dreadful virus so that I may continue to be a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to all of you who mean so much to me.

Thank you all, Barbara

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

The Walk, Eat and Drink Trio

I am off to Madrid to see the eye surgeon about my upcoming operation and my friends Ken and Sarah have kindly offered to keep me company on the trip. They have never been to Madrid so I will be able to show them some of the real Spain, unlike the coastal tourist areas. Mojácar Pueblo used to be one of the true wonders of Spain, but every day they take down another beautiful piece of history and they build endless rabbit hutches on the beach. Madrid is full of wonders, but the best part is to just walk and try the fantastic tapas and drinks in some of the oldest bars in Spain. I think one tapa would probably do for the three of us, since between us, big meals are not the order of the day. However we are going to have a great time and I will show them places that most tourists never get to see. I would like to say here a special thanks to Ken and Sarah as they have become such close friends and have helped so much on the ANIMO-ALBERO program. Ken has done all of the photography and Sarah has done all of the lay out and documentation of our progress. They make sure that I get to Loli’s at least once a week because they have seen, first hand, the enormous benefit to my health. They had no idea what they were getting themselves in for the first time they offered to drive me to my riding therapy, but since the first session they have become ‘ANIMO Fan Nº1’. Ken has documented and made videos of my therapy sessions and they have helped with the content of my book Health Through Horses.