Here’s a fun Chinoiserie style Easter egg craft that I hope will inspire you today! Decoupage faux Easter eggs with blue and white napkins for a beautiful effect that will last for years. I was inspired to do this project by my friend, Yvonne, at StoneGable who blogged about it and I’ve seen many other bloggers do a similar decoupage project as well. We will all still be celebrating Easter this year, it just might look different than it normally does. I think these eggs are a fun way to celebrate the season.

Years ago, I got into decoupage but haven’t done anything in many years so it was fun to get crafty again. These will be fun to pull out year after year and the blue and white colors go so well in our home. Let’s get to crafting these Easter beauties!

The post How to Decoupage Easter Eggs appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

I hope you all continue to enjoy these inspirational Home Style Saturday posts with my friends. We want to add a little sunshine and creativity to these hard days we are all living at the moment. Hang in there, this too shall pass! 

The post Home Style Saturday 184 appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has urged riders not to “add to the burden” of the emergency services and stay out of the saddle amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The update today (27 March) goes further than earlier advice by the BEF on Tuesday (24 March) which advised riders to avoid “all organised equine activity”. The federation has also advised to avoid hacking out.

The BEF statement said the government had not issued any restrictions on riding – but the federation urged everyone to “carefully consider the risks and what is ‘essential’ – and not ride”.

“The emergency and health services are working at full capacity to combat the virus and as a community we shouldn’t add to that burden,” said the statement.

“If you choose to ride, we strongly suggest avoiding activity with heightened risk and keeping to your own property.”

The statement added the pandemic is “constantly changing and evolving” with advice and help from the government daily.

Other updates included the government’s promise to help the self-employed with 95% of people who make their living from self-employment due to benefit, as reported by H&H yesterday (26 March).

Article continued below…

Researchers to assess impact of coronavirus on horse owners

We want to say ‘this is what people are concerned about’

Coronavirus: Defra acts to quash rumours of vet medicines shortage

A Defra spokesman said coronavirus ‘has not caused any issues with the supply of veterinary medicines’ and the government has

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The British Equine Veterinary Association and the British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association this week issued guidance on the level of service the veterinary and farrier profession should be offering.

On Wednesday (23 March) BEVA recommended all routine work should stop – but maintaining a 24-hour emergency service while farriers can continue to provide “essential services” under current government movement restrictions.

The BEF added the federation will continue to provide updates as the situation is ever changing, with new information and updates coming through.

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This HGTV Smart Home was a fun tour back in 2014 and still has gorgeous decor for today, hope you enjoy it all again! I’m sharing some of my fave Feature Friday from years’ past. 

HGTV has done it again and they are giving away another beautiful home, but this time it’s the brand new HGTV Smart home, a stunning Tudor style home located in the heart of Nashville, TN. What makes a smart Home? Technology at its best makes this the smartest home ever featured on HGTV. I had the privilege to be invited to tour this fabulous home last week in Nashville, along with some other bloggers and we had so much fun checking out all the really cool features in the Smart Home. Features that give homeowners control over climate, security, TV’s, and more. There were more televisions in the smart home than I’ve ever seen in a house, most of them tucked away and unobtrusive.

The post Feature Friday: The HGTV Smart Home in Nashville, TN appeared first on Southern Hospitality.

Campaign group Clean Endurance said the ruling ‘sets a landmark precedent for endurance’, while the rider denied his riding was abusive to his horse…

A rider who repeatedly jabbed his horse in the mouth with a harsh bit and “no regard for the horse’s mouth or welfare” has been suspended from competition and advised to pass exams in horsemanship.

The FEI Tribunal found UAE endurance rider Rashed Hamoud Humaid Al Junaibi’s actions in a ride in Abu Dhabi last February were “totally out of line with all general principles of horsemanship”.

You may also be interested in…

Endurance rider who whipped and kicked horse banned for abuse *H&H Plus*

A rider and trainer who used his reins to whip his horse and kicked it so hard that daylight could

‘No improvement’ seen at first Middle Eastern FEI endurance ride of 2020 *H&H Plus*

Ban for rider who whipped horse until it collapsed with exhaustion and a broken leg

The rider said he used his reins to try to ’encourage’ his horse

Huge majority of endurance vets confronted after eliminating lame horses, study shows *H&H Plus*

$100,000 fines for stables involved in endurance horse-beating incidents

Five stables have been fined and their trainers have also been suspended

Self-employed people in the equestrian industry will benefit from a range of measures announced by the chancellor today (26 March) in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rishi Sunak today set out the protection to be offered, which he said will benefit 95% of people who make the majority of their living from self-employment.

These people will be eligible for a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly income, calculated over the past three years, up to £2,500 per month. This will run for three months initially, and be extended if necessary.

It is hoped this will be available by the start of June. HMRC will contact eligible people, who will have to fill in an online form to allow the money to be paid into their bank accounts.

“You have not been forgotten,” Mr Sunak said. “We will not leave you behind.”

Self-employed people can also apply for the business interruption loan, while self-assessment payments due in July can be deferred until next January. Self-employed people will also be able to access universal credit in full. Anyone who missed the January self-assessment deadline has four weeks from today to submit a tax return.

Lucy Katan, executive director of the British Grooms Association (BGA) and Equestrian Employers Association (EEA), has warned that those who are employed in yards, not in accordance with the law, could lose out.

She explained that, as has been found in previous BGA and EEA research, a large number of grooms in the industry are in false self-employment; they are told by employers they are self-employed when legally, this is not the case.

Such people may not be eligible for the measures outlined today.

“The employment status of grooms is critical in determining what government support is available at this challenging time,” she told H&H.

Continues below…

New guidance on caring for horses during coronavirus lockdown

Equestrian bodies have attempted to answer riders’ questions surrounding riding and caring for horses under the tighter restrictions

Coronavirus: all routine equine vet work should stop, industry advises

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“If one has been told by an employer that they are ‘self-employed’, yet have not registered themselves as such with HMRC, sadly that individual will not be eligible for this self-employed package, nor government support for the employed ie furlough.

“We recommend applying for universal credit in this circumstance.”

Ms Katan added: “There will be a lot of people very concerned they’re going to miss out, and I just hope they all make it through this.”

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Posted: 03/26/20 | March 26th, 2020

As many of you know, I have the coronavirus. Well, had. I’ve recovered. Luckily, I had a mild case. It felt like a really bad cold. My fever lasted only a few days, and the cough lasted until about day twelve. (Today is day fourteen.)

Given how bad this virus can be — even for people my age (I’m almost forty) — I count myself very lucky. (If you want to read about my experience, I posted about it here and here.)

I hardly ever get sick so this was a scary experience for me. I was mostly worried by reports saying that between days eight and ten, patients could suddenly crash and end up in the ICU. I knew I was probably fine when the fever broke, but until day ten, I never really felt out of the woods.

Additionally, as someone who loves to wake up early, I found the lethargy that came with being sick demoralizing, which made the experience even worse. It weighed heavily on my mental state, which in turn made me feel physically worse.

Here I was, trapped inside, where I could theoretically at least work, read, and watch movies — and I spent the majority of the day sleeping! I just ended up scrolling social media, which is never a good thing even in the best of times, and that just made my anxiety and emotional state worse.

However, I’m on the mend but will be quarantined for the foreseeable future. No one is watching my door, but I plan to be a good human and stay inside. I hope to get retested but, with tests so limited, I doubt I will be able to. They say you can shed the virus for up to three weeks (no one really knows for sure) so I’ll just avoid people for the next three weeks to be on the safe side. I do not want to spread this.

While the days in quarantine have been slow, now that I’m feeling better, I’ve been able to resume work (writing and fixing up the website). When not working, I’ve started to finally catch up on my binge-worthy shows (Altered Carbon and The Man in High Castle are great!) and reading (so far just finishing some books I started already, but I’m looking into diving into a wide range of sci-fi, history, and travel books in the coming weeks).

I look forward to the day I can leave my house and go for a walk. I’d always taken for granted the ability to just go outside. Not anymore. Luckily, there are plenty of things to do at home, but I do yearn for the outdoors. I fully plan to take more advantage of the outside when this is all over. (I suspect we all will.)

I guess it is true what they say: you don’t really appreciate things until they are gone.

***

On another note, watching the travel industry grind to a halt while having employees has been really mentally tough. It keeps me up a lot at night. I’ve already started seeing friends of mine lose their jobs and I know a few companies about to head under. It’s been sad to see. Even in a recession, people still travel.

But now? No one is going anywhere. March has felt like the longest decade of my life and it’s only going to get worse. I have a whole post coming out on what I think will happen to the travel industry because of this but it’s going to be bad.

This site (usually) gets a lot of traffic and we do very well, most of that goes back into other business endeavors (our conference TravelCon, our charity FLYTE, new projects, and all the events we do) so we don’t have a huge cushion.

If this website were just me, it wouldn’t be a problem but, with four full-time employees, a lot of my day is spent worrying about how I can make payroll.

Hopefully, we’ll make it through and people will start traveling again in late May/early June. All our fallback plans assumed people would still travel. We never imagined there would be no travel in the world. As Monty Python said, no one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition.

But the team and I are on the same page and we’ll figure out a way through.

This year, we were turning toward events and community initiatives through our Nomadic Network program.

But, since we should all be inside now (let’s flatten the curve so we can end this as quickly as possible), we can’t do events. But there’s a lot we can do virtually:

First, I’m all over Instagram these days, posting lots of updates from home and doing some live Q&As. Follow me there for updates, posts, and streams!

Second, I started a service where you can text me about travel, life, and anything else and I’ll respond. For real! My number is +1 (617) 284-0863. See, here’s a pic of me with the number so you know it’s real:

Finally, as I’m passing time by writing new blog posts, I’d love to know if there are any topics you’d like me to write about. If so, leave them in the comments!

Let’s chat and pass the time. Now is when we need community the most. Let’s be here for each other during these trying times.

I hope you are FaceTiming the people that are important to you more often!

– Matt

P.S. – Some of you have asked if there’s anything you can do to help and we have some easy ways to do so:

• Use our Amazon link when you buy anything from the service
• Purchase one of our guides for your next trip
• Sign up for our business or writing course and learn a new skill
• Use our affiliate links when you book your summer/fall travels
• If you are getting a new card for points/miles, do it via our website! (There’s some good deals right now that probably won’t last too much longer as the banks cut back)

Additionally, we started a Patreon. While you can continue to use this site for free, if you want to get more out of your experience here, we’ve created a program where each month you can get exclusive content, live chats, Q&A sessions, free books, and a lot more!

The post An Update on Life with Coronavirus appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

I received this email yesterday…

Hi Dawn,

I actually have some sad news to share. I have been sitting at my computer this morning trying to find the words to share it.  First, yes, our accountant said the funds were received just 10 minutes after you told me that you were sending, and we purchased product right away. But we just got some results back from new diagnostics on Tia, and sadly, the news is not good. The damage to her front hooves is such that it has been determined Tia would spend the rest of her life in pain and likely will never recover from the damage done to her bones. In consultation with our vet, we have made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Tia. We are absolutely heartbroken; while we knew that her prognosis was guarded, we had hoped for a different outcome for her.  We know that this is the kindest decision. She has been to spend the past few weeks enjoying a good deal of pampering, sunshine, and companionship with staff and volunteers who care deeply about her. Your support enabled us to give her comfort in the past few days, and we will always be grateful!

On a more positive note, Shakira continues to improve daily, and we are smothering her with attention.

Dawn, I wish that I had better news for you to share, especially during this difficult time. I am hearing the news out of California from my brother and his family, and I hope you are staying safe.  I am thinking of you!

My best,

Heather

Heather Robertson, Director of Development & Marketing, MSPCA at Nevins Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844

THANK YOU, EVERYONE…

We knew, when we saw those initial photos, that this would be a difficult journey.   And I know it is difficult to see these pics and wonder why she couldn’t be saved…

Well, I went through this with MamaTess.  How much drugs vs. quality of life.  It is a very tough decision.  I’m sure keeping Tia on the threshold of low pain but not too low or she’d hurt herself… some food but not wanting to add any physical weight to her situation… and the reality of her bone deformity, was simply too much to overcome.   I know they did their best… and  I am sure they didn’t make this decision without plenty of deep consideration.  Especially since the entire community wanted these two mares to thrive.

I will continue to update us all on Shakira…

Thank you all for participating, without being guaranteed a happy ending for all.  It meant so much to Tia to have every possible gift in her last weeks – and you helped make all of that possible.

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts, prayers and donation.

The post AN UPDATE ON TIA AND SHAKIRA our March Bucket Fund horses appeared first on Horse and Man.

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Farriers can continue to provide “essential services” under current movement restrictions, industry bodies have confirmed, although practitioners should consider which visits come into this category.

Following the tougher stance announced by prime minster Boris Johnson on Monday (23 March), the Farriers Registration Council (FRC) sought agreement from the government that farriers could continue to work.

“It is agreed that the FRC interpretation of the government guidance is that registered farriers can continue to provide essential services to equines, and they should continue to attend to equines using their judgement as to matters of priority and/or urgency, and with the following provisos,” said an FRC statement.

The provisos state that any farrier showing coronavirus symptoms should follow NHS guidance immediately, and that all farriers should follow social distancing and hand-washing guidelines and clean tools and equipment between visits.

“If challenged by the police or other law enforcement agency, registered farriers should present their registration card and draw attention to this notice,” the statement said.

The British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA), with British Equine Veterinary Association CEO David Mountford, World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers and Jeanette Allen and Jan Rogers, The Horse Trust CEO and director of research and policy respectively, have also provided guidance for registered farriers to “ensure the welfare of equines is maintained whilst strictly adhering to the biosecurity and social distancing recommendations provided by the government”.

After the FRC had confirmed that Defra had agreed farriers could work, the BFBA asked farriers to consider each appointment using the following system:

RED: Farrier should attend. Crucial hoofcare; when not attending a regular hoofcare appointment would have serious detrimental effects, promote discomfort and cause pain. This includes care of foals.

AMBER: Farrier should consider delaying where possible. Advisory hoofcare; where the timing of regular hoofcare appointments is an important factor in maintaining soundness. Consideration must be given as to whether the timescale between appointments can be extended without the equine becoming a ‘red’

GREEN: Farrier should not attend. Non-crucial hoofcare; these include equines whose hoofcare cycles can be easily extended without any long-term detrimental affects

Continues below…

Coronavirus: all routine equine vet work should stop, industry advises

Coronavirus Q&A: horse riders, businesses and employees — all you need to know

H&H has put together a Q&A to help with some of the questions those living and working in the equestrian

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Farriers are asked to call to confirm that no one at each yard has been ill or in contact with anyone who is ill. No more than one owner or carer should be present; this person should tie the horse up and then move a safe distance away.

Up-to-date advice can be found on the BFBA website or call the BFBA on 024 76 696595.

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In spite of what we are all experiencing right now, I hope these Spring home tours make you happy and lift your spirits with the cheery colors of this time of year. This is my favorite season of the year and I’m always excited to see the new fresh green growth pop out on the trees as well as my flowering bushes outside start to come alive again. I can’t help but think that Spring is going to help us get through this hard time we are in at the moment and I pray it’s shorter than predicted. I’m taking a break from Fashion over 50 this week, but I’ll come up with something for next week. 

I’m joining a group of colorful bloggers this week on the It’s a Colorful Life tour and I hope you’ll visit all of them for a happy dose of color!  It’s been going all week and ends today. Hosted by Jennifer and Jewel, this tour is so fun and I enjoy all the color that these ladies bring to the internet. I’m not a neutral person and can’t live without color and I know a lot of you feel the same way!

The post Spring Tour of Living Room and Foyer appeared first on Southern Hospitality.