Author: langlep

So 2020 was going to be my year. The year I got my life sorted after being served redundancy notice from my job in November 2019. The year I ticked off more things from my horsey bucket list. The year I got my mental health back under control and reduced stress in my life. I had a plan. And it was a good one. Then the plan changed dramatically on 2 January. I came off my horse at speed and broke my ankle. Badly. Like all good equestrians, I got back on and rode back to the yard, sorted Buddy out and then drove myself to A&E. That’s where this journey really began... I was sent home from A&E and told to crack on, only to receive a phone call later to say they’d missed a fracture (and a rather serious one at that). Whoops! So fracture clinic on 3 January, surgery on 5 January and home to recover. I started this blog as a way to chart my recover back to the saddle. As I cleared clinics and competitions out of my diary and wondered what the next few months would bring, it's been a safe space for me to say how I'm feeling. The new plan was to get a new job, to keep Buddy is kept ticking over and recover from my injury. Another good plan! I didn't expect a global pandemic, lockdown and all that happened in 2020. This blog has changed over time but it's continued to be my safe space to share the things going on in my life, with Buddy and the cats. Enjoy!

Cat flap training

So this week has been mostly about cat flap training with the kittens. I’ve got them used to coming and going by tying it open for a weeks. Now it’s time to introduce the actual flap. It’s so interesting to see their different approaches.

Dodo is very precise and measured. He’s adopted the paws, nose, squeeze through technique. It’s slower but very effective.

Hugo, on the other hand, has gone for the brute force approach. He has the focus of an Olympic long jumper as he stares the flap down. He rocks back and forth picking his moment to launch. You can practically seeing him psyching himself up. He then launched his entire body at the flap!!

It’s definitely a very interesting technique. Sadly his timing isn’t always spot on, so he has bounced off a few times.

I know I shouldn’t laugh…..

World Mental Health Day

It’s World Mental Health Day. Seems right to post a photo of me.

This is the face of a person who….
has depression.
has anxiety.
has faced many struggles.
has overcome so much.
cries so hard they fear it’ll never stop.
laughs so hard they never want it to stop.
has so much energy they can’t sleep.
has so little energy they can’t get up.
cares too much sometimes.
doesn’t care enough.
loves deeply.
hurts even deeper.
has felt so alone.
has felt so blessed.
is brutally honest.
has hidden the hurt.
goes to dark places.
has come back to the light.

Mental Health isn’t obvious. It isn’t straightforward. It is something we all have.

Make sure you’re looking after yours. Do what makes you feel good. Be with people who make you feel good. But most importantly be kind – to yourself and others.

Soggy again

Never let it be said I am a fair weather rider! Got caught out in the rain today. You know it’s bad when your horse is going sideways up the road. The downside to that is that you get rain in your ear and down your neck. It was really windy too. Very exhilarating!

No place like home

Today is the 7th anniversary of moving to my little house. It’s flown by. I’m so proud of the life I’ve created since my marriage ended all those years ago. This little house has undergone a massive transformation. And so have I.

I smile every time I come home. I love spending time here. Sadly I’ve spent a little too much time here this year. I’ve climbed the walls at times. As much as I love my home and my company, I definitely need to spend time with people. For that past 30 years I’ve been surrounded by people. It’s quite an adjustment. So I’m looking at what I can do to get my people fix.

This cloud was over my little house today. It reminded me of an angel’s wing. Reminded me how blessed I really am.

More rain

Today has been a very odd one weather wise. The heavens opened as I started riding, so we took cover under a tree. Not sure Buddy was that impressed with having to do some work afterwards. It was worth the wait as we had a lovely schooling session. Lots of long and low work today. Couldn’t take a photo of us schooling, so here’s one of another beautiful rainbow and a rather soggy me!

Dumb and dumber

This was Buddy and Frankie today on our hack! Not a clue what had gotten into them but they were spooking, tripping over and generally not paying attention. I’ll grant you they had a few things to contend with. Massive shout out to the man with a huge trailer who stopped in the road and the bin men who reversed their lorry up the road so we could walk past. We met some very considerate road users today.