Aloha , I only just returned to New Zealand last Monday from an excellent teaching trip to Australia and then took a few days time out to recover from the nightmare of trying to get out of Australia on the Sunday night. This will sound like a gripe or a swipe at budget airlines, but it is reminiscent of the 'inmates running the asylum syndrome'. I had never traveled Pacific Blue before, I have still never traveled Pacific Blue, and I will not only never travel Pacific Blue but I will recommend all of my thousands of world wide contacts not to travel Pacific Blue either. Accompanied by Sue Wyatt and Trish Radke-Taylor I arrived at Sydney Airport for my virgin flight on Virgin Pacific Blue. After waiting in a very slow moving queue, I eventually fronted this young man who we could describe as a 'sweet geek', spiked, gelled badly cut hair, wearing a cheap white shirt and polyester tie, and presented him with my booking back to New Zealand, my passport, and my ongoing flight ticket from New Zealand to USA as required by law, and which I do regularly once a month when I fly to Australia to teach.
All of a sudden the 'sweet geek' asks for my ticket from USA to UK, as I am traveling on a UK passport. I point out to him I am a USA resident and even if I was not I have a British Passport which means that I do not need a visa for the USA. His supervisor is called and' Miss over-made-up-efficient' turns up. The nightmare starts- I of course have never carried my Green Card with me as it is too risky if lost while touring- so she demands proof! Proof, on a Sunday Night at 6pm in Australia that I have a green card. 'Yes' she says and directs me to call up the USA Immigration - on my 'top up' Australian cell - with $4 left on it - and to get proof or I would not be allowed on the plane. Now I am screaming (inside) it does not matter how many visas that I have stamped in my passport showing that I can stay in New Zealand until August - and my outgoing flight is in May, Miss Virgin Pacific Blue is not wilting, her makeup caked face is not even cracking a smile while I am dry mouthed and bug eyed.
This female bovine is actually making a Ryan Air supervisor look almost friendly and helpful (if that is possible). In the end she told me I could perhaps purchase a ticket from Honolulu back to UK and then she would let me on the plane, but other than that I would have to get Ivana to send me my green card from New Zealand before I would be allowed to fly. Now I am screaming - quietly, so I ask for my money back, which she cannot of course give me and so supported by Trish and Sue, who have also put their few words on the bovine - I leave to try to catch another flight. Then I find the Qantas service desk - an oasis in the darkness, manned sorry womaned by a kiwi girl.
Presenting them with my passport, the ongoing ticket and my credit card. They immediately booked me on a flight at 6am the next morning. They could not have been more professional, courteous and friendly. When I explained what I had just gone through, their supervisor (Damien) picked up the phone, called LA immigration in the USA and ran my name past them over there , 30 seconds later they were informed that I had a green card. He pointed out they (Quantas) were forever having to do things like this for Pacific Blue. So my advice to all of you don't fly Pacific Blue ---- I bet they had lousy food and showed B class films anyway.
Qantas now go top of the list. The only problem was that I had to be back at the airport by 4am to book on the flight, and I could not get in a hotel at the airport. So Sue and Trish jumped in, drove me home, fed me, bedded me, and at 3am drove me all the way back to the airport. My hypertension has at last gone so I can settle down and get some work done this week.
FUN CLINICS IN AUSTRALIA |
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Thanks to Sue Wyatt, Janis Hobbs and the inimitable Bruce Hindson, I had three very professionally presented clinics in Victoria last weekend. VHT modules 5 and 6 went without a hitch and then VHT for Family and Friends blew the students away as they built up speed to address a whole body in as short a time as possible. It was great watching the kids at work, especially those who have had to really train so hard to master their skills as human bodyworkers, as they enthusiastically dived into learning the all new F and F approach. I even had a session myself and even although I developed it myself I was stunned at the effect which it had on my residual lower back pain. Thank you Sue, good course, good venue. Janis and Bruce put on a great Layering and Prescription Clinic with some excellent students and horses with problems (Bruce showed how necessary it is with problematic horses that you have a good horse handler with you), the venue at Macedon was excellent as always. This format where the student really has to think and consider what to address the horse with, though challenging at first for many of them, shows their individual improvement, not only in ET but in understanding Equine Bodywork Horsemanship which improves immensely by the end of the day. It was good to see Trish Buchan one of our tutors attending all three clinics after her serious health problems last year and looking so well. Trish is a mine full of knowledge regarding things in the horse world and is always handy to have on a course when yours truly gets stumped with questions outside my field. |
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Equitana 2010 - yes we will be there - This time ET will be presenting a unified team, we have booked a double stand and are already planning our presentations and demos for this international event. Instructors from Australia and New Zealand will be attending as well as practitioners and students, all looking forward to making this Equitana a proactive launching pad for ET and IETA in Australia and New Zealand. Please let us know if you wish to help. |
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A NEW FAMILY MEMBER |
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I was working on a horse last week when I felt someone or something, watching me - scanning around I found a pair of eyes peering through the bottom of a plank fence. Looking over the top I found this little sweetheart, it took me 2 minutes to make up my mind and 20 minutes to convince the owner to sell him to me. He is absolutely adorable, I had a friend with me at the time, Billy Kristian, one of the greatest Rock bass players in the world (Ray Columbus and the Invaders). Even he, who had never ever though about owning a horse wanted to take him. At 31" this little, line backed buckskin - Alvi - named after WA's Mia Joy and Robert Garnett's miniature poodle is the latest addition to our family up on the mountain. As all of you horse owners know, buying the horse is the easy part, telling your wife or husband is the hard part, so very elaborate schemes were put into place accompanied with the right Jock psychology. On the day Alvi arrived unannounced at our place, with a big purple ribbon around his neck, Ivana was at neighbor's farm, so we placed him in the paddock directly in front of the house. Our grandson was there and was very supportive of me - muttering positives all the time like "Granddad you are dead". Luckily Ivana fell in love also at first sight, christened the little one Alvi and is now looking to build him his own wee shelter. I wish we could say the same for Jo, who has decided that Alvi is the enemy and will have to undergo a few weeks of training before we let them roam together. |
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NEW ZEALAND UPCOMING CLINICS |
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New Zealand - Tauranga: April 2, 3, 4, 5- Level 3 |
Contact - Denyse Cambie - denyse.cambie@trustpower.co.nz This is the last Level 3 in New Zealand this year. |
New Zealand - Tauranga: April 2, 3, 4 |
Contact - Denyse Cambie - denyse.cambie@trustpower.co.nz |
New Zealand - Tauranga: April 23, 24, 25 - Level 1 & 2 |
Contact - Denyse Cambie - denyse.cambie@trustpower.co.nz |
New Zealand - Tauranga: April 5 - Layering and Prescription |
Contact - Denyse Cambie - denyse.cambie@trustpower.co.nz |
New Zealand - Whangarei: May - Level 1 and 2 |
Contact - Jock and Ivana - equinetouchinc@aol.com |
WHOLE HORSE DISSECTION CLINIC - CHRISTCHURCH UNIVERSITY |
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New Zealand - April 30 - May 1 and 2 |
Contact - Janice Clyma - janice.clyma@xtra.co.nz |
TRISHA WREN - CONNECTED RIDING CLINIC |
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10 - 11 April. 9am - 4pm -Whangarei City Riding Centre - Bookings Contact: Jock and Ivana equinetouchinc@aol.com or phone: 09 436 0911 Riders fee $200 - Auditors Welcome $35 per day |
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For all you riders out there who genuinely care about your horse and how your riding can have an influence upon him this is a clinic that should not be missed. While Ivana and I have many friends who are trainers, some of them we approve of, but others, nuff said! However Peggy Cummings' Connected Riding is a system that not only do we approve of but is the only system down under which we officially endorse. Trisha is an international instructor who's work we have observed first hand and are delighted to sponsor this clinic as it opens up a whole new world of understanding which is valuable not only to the horse, the rider but also to Equine Touch students (Trisha is a Level 3 ET student) and practitioners as they see the problems that can be inflicted on the horse by bad riding and training. Don't miss out on this clinic, the numbers are restricted to allow for more individual one to one instruction, so contact us now. The minimum size of class has now been reached so the clinic is definitely on. Both Ivana and I will be there, so please book now. |
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