Busy couple of months!
I was so happy that the Royal Show happened this year. Man I love the show, I went 3 times! Highlights include getting my portrait painted, getting vaccinated, holding a snake, patting baby animals with Amy and Ava, seeing a peacock in full bloom, going to a flower arranging show with Andrew's parents, and having great food and beer with Andrew who is always very patient with my show time requirements.
The weekend before last weekend we went horse riding in Jarrahdale, which was a very thoughtful birthday present from Andrew. It was a really great experience, a lot more interactive than I thought it would be! After a short lesson around the stable, we got to guide our horses up a big hill with beautiful views and lots of kangaroos. My horse, Olympia, was a bit sensitive to other horses getting to close, and even tried to bite the horse of one of the instructors. I kept telling her she was a good girl regardless, she really was lovely to ride, and very soft! Andrew's horse, Tom was also a bit sensitive to his personal space, but his response was to give the other horses a little kick. They each had their own personalities so we all had to guide them a little differently, which was really interesting. I had no idea you could just go ride a horse with literally no experience or training, and at such a beautiful location too.
Last weekend we had the Fremantle Beerfest and our Gin School experience (Christmas present from Andrew's family) so we decided to stay in Fremantle at the lovely Warders hotel. The Fremantle Beerfest was a hit as always, and the Warders hotel was a wonderful window into what life must have been like living in the heritage houses near the Fremantle markets. Gin School at Republic was fantastic; you each get to distil your own gin using a guide on botanicals, and your own little still. Andrew chose a "savoury" gin inspired by the negroni cocktail which he called NEGRONI REPUBLIC (despite my very inspired suggestions of ABV - Andrew Burton's Vision, or sABoury), and I made a "zesty" gin called "G&Tea", since it was inspired by all the teas I like to drink. The process of choosing the botanicals was so satisfying and exciting, everyone chose very different combinations that were inspired by different things. The instructors gave us advice along the way about any incompatible flavours, or over/underpowering amounts. It's definitely a do again class!
