It seems like forever since I have sat down at my computer (or my iPad) and written on this Blog.  To my regular readers I'm sorry.  To begin with I guess things just seemed to be sailing along so nicely that I almost forgot about writing.  Or at other times I think just keeping up with everything meant that I was wasn't devoting that 30 minutes or so most days to writing.   However in August it became apparent to me that all wasn't well with me.  For someone who's always been well, and the only 2 times I've been in hospital was for the birth of my two children, this came as a bit of a shock.  But then I guess "The Spanish Dancer", or "The Big C", or pure and simply cancer, is always going to be a shock.  I think it's one of life's real cruelties that a girl had to get cancer to get loads and loads of really beautiful and cool flowers. I won't go in to too many details here, but suffice to say that I have been extremely fortunate...

I've known for a number of weeks that this would be the outcome for "Jimmy", which is the nickname given to Black Caviar's unnamed and record breaking $5 million half brother.  I feel sad on a number of fronts.  This colt feels close to my heart.  I am now good friends with his breeder Rick Jamieson, and he is feeling the loss keenly.  But for me, it runs much deeper than just my friendship with Rick.  I first met the colt in April 2012.  There were so many promises..  Heartbreaking??  I suspect not just for me personally, but also for all involved in this colt.  I've taken a large number of defining images of his Famous Sister, Black Caviar, and all Helsinge, and all of her subsequent progeny.  A sample is below.  I'll let the images do the talking. "Jimmy's" demise will be tainted by rumour and deep suspicions, because of the collapse of BC3 and Bill Vlahos.  Not knowing the truth will be like pretending to trust the perso...