Cute Capers – a Trilogy
Whenever there is a gathering around these parts,
my camera lense is (naturally) drawn to the kids.
~~~
Sweet,
unselfconscious,
smiling,
sullen,
silly,
madcap,
darling.
~~~
Take the last two weekends.
Take the last two weekends.
It was horsey action all round – campdrafting and rodeo.
But really, the stars of the action were the ankle-biters.
I’ll break it up into three parts…
Shall we check it out?
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Cute Caper ONE – Toe to Top
Oh, how Cute are these Boots?
Snapped whilst their owner was banging the heels against the mesh of the grandstand.
Violet would ADORE these.
She already has purple elastic-sided boots though (pics to come)
so her Mum cannot justify adding these to the collection.
Speaking of my colourful daughter…
Speaking of my colourful daughter…
Nice red hat, dear!
And those very blonde plaits… hang on.
That headwear looks suspiciously like something out of our Christmas box in the store room… hmmmm. She is nothing if not ORIGINAL in her fashion sense!
~~~
Cute Caper TWO – Camera-less Cute-ness
Amid the craziness of a certain 24 hour period
(that involved almost 1000 km in driving time and checking out this chick)
I decided to leave the camera at home for one event.
Just one.
The night-time rodeo (at which our P&C were catering, so I figured I’d be busy).
I should have known that the MOMENT I put that Nikon down,
Cute (with a big C) would break out left, right and centre…
And it did.
I will attempt to describe events in my usual stacatto shorthand way.
Bear with me.
~~~
Kids were lined up, bug-eyed at the two metre high fence
watching grown-up cowboys showin’ ’em how it’s done.
Steer ridin’. Bull ridin’. Limbs flying everywhere.
Dirt bein’ eaten.
(And ‘g’s being dropped all over the place).
Then as the riders dusted themselves off and geared up for the finals,
the announcer called for the littlest cowboys to line up outside the chutes.
I completely panicked when I heard Dash’s name called out,
dropped the burger I was serving and galloped (okay, hobbled fast)
to find out what the heck was going on!
I found half of Dash’s tiny school also lined up.
I listened, slightly terrified, to the challenge.
Their task?
To BE the best bucking bull they can be.
One by one, these little men got down in the dirt on all fours,
and bucked their little hearts out.
For eight seconds apiece, they were rearing and kicking up,
wheeling and snorting…
I cannot begin to tell you how funny it was…
I had tears running down my face.
I had that kind of painful silent laughter thing happening.
Then they had a buck off.
Because 80 seconds of kids-being-bulls is clearly not enough.
And again, there was furious writhing and heart-stopping hand-standing action.
More gasping giggles.
The judge stonewalled and the audience was given the final say…
And the winner was….
DASH!
(by a very dizzy head).
There IS footage somewhere.
I am hoping to get my hands on it…
~~~
Cute Caper THREE – Big Ben
And I have to finish with one of Dash’s competitors in the campdraft (last weekend).
And I have to finish with one of Dash’s competitors in the campdraft (last weekend).
And the cute factor of THIS one?
Off the freaking scale, peoples.
You ready?
Brace yourself…
~~~
This little guy is three or four years old
in the camp yard with his Mum
(who rode out beside him but NOT leading him)
riding Ben the Clydesdale…
Oh Lord.
If you look closely that kid is so little he could walk right under that horse.
A pimple on a pumpkin, as Dad would say.
It made me all hormonal and a wee bit weepy for some reason.
So they shoo their cow to the front of the yard, called for the gate,
And off… the little cowboy and Big Ben bobbing along gently together.
After a somewhat bemused cow…
and around the first peg.
and around the first peg.
Oh, there was cheering.
It was loud and it was long.
Much, much more raucous than for winner of the major draft.
People were lined up two deep at the rails and yelling.
Who could possibly compete with THAT level of cute?
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How you going?
How you going?
Teeth fallen out from all the sweet cuteness yet?
Got a favourite kid yarn?
Please share in comments – links welcomed too…
