Welcome to blog! I started it in 2020 to chart my recovery from breaking my ankle (hence the name). I guess no-one saw a global pandemic coming. It's turned into a place where I can talk about the things happening in my life, my horse and my cats. Enjoy!
Well I’m back in Haywards Heath with my parents. Dad fancied a sweet treat after our dinner. So picked these. Never heard of Long Johns as a dessert.
They were really yummy. Very similiar to an eclair. I will now expect to see these on Bake Off of course. Not that I know where to start making one.
So yesterday Hugo claimed my new barrow in a box. Today saw Dodo claim the log basket while I was waiting for the rain to stop so I could fill it.
Made me smile as it’s the perfect size for him. Of course if it was actually a cat basket, he wouldn’t want to know. I‘m not sure I’ll ever understand cat logic.
Had to go out to buy more dry cat food. Came back with a new wheelbarrow. As you do!
To be fair, I’ve wanted to get a new barrow for a while now. Not for the garden, but for the yard / Buddymobile. It does make camps so much easier having a wheelbarrow. And will be a massive help mucking out.
Hugo instantly claimed it. Of course. The issue I now have is do I put it together at home and run the risk that I can’t get it in the Comedy Car…?! I suppose I‘m close enough that I could push it to the yard. That could be fun!
This is exactly why they say you should never shop hungry!! My eye test took so long that I needed snacks afterwards.
Somehow managed to spend £38 in Poundland. I wasn’t sure that was possible. Now I know it’s been a while since I’ve been to Poundland, but it needs to rename ‘Not so Poundland’! There wasn’t much in there that was a pound. Another victim of inflation I guess.
Good news! My eyes are OK for another year. I could get the prescription upped but they don’t really need it. Got very confused when the lady told me that it’s more cost effective to get a new pair of glasses than replace the lenses in the ones I have. Not sure how that helps sustainability and all that. Well apart from my old glasses could be donated to another country. Still feels a bit odd.
Buddy and I headed down to meet up with a friend and her new pony Mick. He’s super cute! But tiny compared to Buddy.
They were both hoof-perfect. And firm friends by the end of the hack. We didn’t stop talking the whole way round either.
Given I felt quite down when I woke up this morning. This was the perfect tonic.
Today has been a day of reflection. First looking at the magazine I recently delivered to see what improvements could be made to the process. Then looking at the conference I worked at to see what could be done better next year.
Sometimes it really does pay to look back at what worked, what didn’t and what could be even better.
I’ve done that a lot in my life, my career and definitely with horses. There’s always room for improvement.
Now those of you who know me well, know I love a clipboard. So this afternoon I was in my element with an A3 one!!
I was stewarding at Carleton Riding Club’s last show of 2022. We started behind, but soon caught up time. And even ended early! I feel that I ran a rather tight ship. Thankfully all of the competitors and horses were happy to be yelled at by me. It seems my voice carries across the warm up rather effectively.
Of course, I’d rather be competing. But this was the next best thing today. Well done everyone.
Headed over to meet a friend for an early morning ride around Blickling. It’s fast becoming one of my favourite places to take Buddy. Another thing that could become a favourite is a National Trust hot chocolate. Oh my goodness! We both had one when we got back to warm up.
I’m so grateful to have my own transport, a horse who loads and travels well and friends to ride with.
I was reminded of a great quote today from Nathaniel Hawthorne. It goes ‘I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as Autumn sunshine by staying in the house’.
I couldn’t agree with him more. So after a morning of peopling, Buddy and I headed out this afternoon to enjoy it. It was sheer bliss. Just me and him against the World.
I may not be American, but I’ve been giving thanks today. Thanks for everything I’ve got, every challenge that’s been sent my way and every lesson that I’ve learnt.
I had a coaching call this morning with a client. And we started talking about strengths. It made me reflect on some of mine. One of my strengths is definitely resillience. But resilience is something that you can only get through adversity. It’s ironic that you can’t get strong without finding out how strong you are.
Another of my strengths is making connections. It’s amazing how quickly I can build rapport, friendships or find common ground. I think moving to Sweden when I was 12 really helped with this. I’m thankful for the experience at such a pivotal time in my life. It definitely helped to shape me into the person I am today.
But more than anything, I’m very thankful to have Buddy. Horses have taught me so much too.
Tales, Tails and Talus 