from flooding to freezing....

but at least the roads got a vague chance to dry out in between, otherwise no one would have been able to go anywhere..

below zero last night and tonight and probably all weekend (that's C, not F, of course!)

G's house didn't flood, by the way, the river lapped the sandbags but no further, phew...

rain rain go away.

but don't come again another day (well not for a few months, please, the ground needs to dry out and recover..)

poor gaynor couldn't get out of her house, it is the one dry spot amongst the fast and overflowing wear .. lapping up against the sandbags and flood defences, but last i heard not got into the house

happily, our grazing fields are not flooded, and neither are our stables, but  there is a nice muddy lake at the field gate

the wear was taking a shortcut today, over the fields at the main yard but at least it missed the yard

and it is still raining

We cancelled the lesson i had booked for today; the weather wouldn't cooperate and even if it had, RI was stuck due to flooded roads...

i've had two days off; i've done a fair amount of baking (mince pies with orange pastry anyone? scrummy...)

poor gaynor...

her day to ride...

she went down and did morning turnout and got soaked...

weather improved  - but she was let down on the childcare front so couldn't - and i couldn't go down as was in the middle of the planned day out with partner - so she's had all the work with none of the pleasure and M hasn't been worked..

freezer

was what it  was like going outside this morning  and not much warmer this afternoon..

but rode

not a long way, but rode out, first time since my fall in  september.... made a change from the arena....

but thinking, you know, still struggling to get my confidence back fully... think that fall 2 years ago knocked me back further that i'm prepared to admit to myself...

never mind i'll get there ....

a week of car troubles...

spring went in near front of car this morning; had to get tow truck to take it to garage (and me to work...)

M is seriously muddy again, i decided he could keep that mud pack on until tomorrow

the field gate we are using is seriously muddy as as you walk through you sink into a mud pond to above the feet

the field gate that has been chained up wasn't as bad..

mud pack..

every night we take the mud pack off; every morning he puts it back on!

so monday was rained off.

Tuesday, G says he did some excellent work in the arena - she was lucky to be able to ride as it had rained most of hte morning!  she was working on the stuff frm the lesson on Sunday..

yesterday, i did 5 minutes in hand with some flexions - flexions being good for releasing any twinges in the poll area

today, the wind turned gale and there was horizontal rain....and, unsurprisingly, the estate have locked the big double gate to the field that is nearer, and we have to go along to the small one  - result, very confused horses.  M was confused but willing to follow me, and when i went back for the last one out, he didn't want to move away from his normal gate at all, happily someone came to help!

the large gate is locked due to the mud bath and pond there, but it's not much better further along....and darker, due to being further away from any light sources!

excellent lesson

Gaynor had on M; think she got as much if not more out of it than M did, which is good

turned out that M has put his poll out - not hugely, but enough to make him uncomfortable in himself - so the lesson once we'd worked that out was for G to get to grips with steering by the seat, and very good she did too...

and I shall contact the vet tomorrow to see who he recommends by way of physio - chap i used previously spends so much time away with the national Endurance Team he seems to be hardly at home, and they all, these days, say "need vets approval" ...

flat tyre

stopped play.

driving over cattle grid on lane to yard hit sticking up by of metal. gaynor's partner came up and put spare on for me and all i had time to do was get the mud off the boy. had to go to tyre shop as can't drive round on thin spare

:-(.

g having lesson tomorrow

a quiet week

due to me having a cold - never ending nose blowing, the rudolph effect on my nose, and finishing the week putting my work phone on divert to secretary to save my voice (and of course, the phone hardly rang!)

hoping the weekend will see an end of it..

and of course, i felt fine getting up every morning, but walking into the stuffy office atmosphere does NOT help - heating, and then people put air con on when it gets too hot !

midges

why are they not all dead?  ridiculous ... hard frost this morning, midges this afternoon...

G's day to ride, and M got a nice hack out with some cantering....i am told  :-)

i think he wanted to go out...

but it was faaar too late in the day time i got there and tacked up - quite apart from having no company - and anyway there was a shoot somewhere on the estate....

a very busy busy day...

left house about 10.30 to go to mother's;' didn't get away from there until about 1.30 and then had to go to the tyre place as a tyre was going flat  - then to buy haylage - got to yard for 3 and had to unload car, so it was 3.30 before i got him in and nigh on 4 before i got on....

think the smart panel has sorted the saddle out... RI doesn't like it, prefers if can shim, but IMHO it does the job much more effectively than taking shims in and out, especially when you get the shimming wrong to start, have to dismantle everything and start again....

he did some nice walk, I was riding better (i could tell, as we had no stops and i was getting the direction i wanted, mostly, and when i didn't i knew what i'd done wrong!) and he did some nice stretching down for the contact

then off to go shopping and finally home by 6.30, having had nothing but a scone and 1/2  cup of weak tea since breakfast....

feet...

again - last night - we're on a 4 week cycle at the moment to get on top of the minor cracks and trimmer was very pleased with his feet last night, shame i missed her - she was running early as had to get home again, so thank goodness G was able to get M in...

and tonight did 10 minutes in hand in the arena... don't normally do anything on a friday night but i had some energy, for a wonder, and it was dry   ... started to rain as i was leaving so timed that well!

wind, rain...

the wind got up horizontal by this afternoon, so G's planned afternoon with M was reduced to bringing him in .. I, on the other hand, was falling asleep at my desk by 4.30 pm... this is what happens when you have an early night the night before!

freezing fog...

not first thing (that was just white frost) but by 8 am the fog was setting in and didn't start going again until after dark......

G rode in the arena, M wanted to be out and wanted to be onward bound but it really wasn't safe (if you can't see the pheasants underfoot, you really can't avoid them!) but he worked well, and G said he was listening to her seat telling him to come back to her, which is good

what is even better, is his improving balance - he can now canter in our rather small arena (14.75 x 22. metres.... or thereabouts - it was funny the day RI said "do a 20 metre circle...")

i put my smartpanel under the saddle, the shimming is a shade complicated and I concluded it's either that, or buy a new pad to go with the shimming and why spend more?

rode...

but the shimming isn't quite right....

So we didn't do long, but what we did was reasonable - although these things are never quite as good as when in a lesson, are they?  oh to be able to have one every day (that's a dream on moment!)

yesterday and today...

but first - talktalk broadband is awful (i think its the router myself, but whatever it is all they tell me is turn it off and back on again).  neighbour is getting bt infinity tomorrow, so if reports are good (its supposed to be excellent if you can get it) that's what we'll be doing...

yesterday, G took M out through the day and had a nice long hack including a canter up the Park (first time he's been cantered whilst out on a hack, would you believe, whilst out on a hack since i got him!).  they both thoroughly enjoyed that.

tonight i did 5 minutes or so in hand in the freezing cold in the arena....and that was enough for both of us, I think!