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!

Be there

Today seems to have been sponsored by the letter B.

I headed to Black Barns for brunch with a friend. Bumped into another friend there who I was only thinking about the other day. Spooky.

Then I headed off to muck out Buddy and Belle. Before driving the Buddymobile to Blickling to meet up with a friend and her gorgeous horse. We had a blast. As we were almost back to the car park, we bumped into yet another friend walking her dogs. What a bonus!

She waited while I untacked Buddy and got Bert. We joined her for a lovely walk round the estate. He had so much fun running around with her three dogs. Bert then crashed out in the Buddymobile on the way home. In fact, he’s still snoring now.

I love days like today when you get bonuses. Sometimes you just have to be there…

5 years

Today marks 5 years since we entered lockdown. And our lives changed forever. In so many ways, it’s hard to believe it actually happened. It’s like a hazy nightmare or dream. One where you’re not sure if it did or didn’t happen.

I’m still angry, sad, bewildered, grateful and a thousand other emotions. I know others are too. A collective sense of grief for what was, what might have been and what we lost.

Have we’ve truly acknowledged the impacts of Covid? Do we actually know? I joked at the time that it was like we were in a social experiment. Given the current state of the world, I’m starting to wonder if it was.

I read a post today that really made me think. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have wanted to be making the decisions. Looking back, I’m not sure what it actually achieved. We seem to be in a worse state now than before.

I guess time will tell. History is usually written by the victors. Wonder how it will be reflected in all the chaos, scaremongering and lies…

Littermates

Bert has had the best day today. He met up with all of his brothers and sisters!

It was a high energy affair. Well what do you expect when a group of Sprockers get together. What is the collective noun for a group of Sprockers?! Maybe an energy…

First up he met his two sisters and two of his brothers at a Puppy meet up in a secure dog field. Honestly, he barely stopped zooming about. They all had such a blast.

As I was nearby, I popped into see his other brother on the way back. More zoomies ensued. How he still had energy is beside me?! Must have been the two rabbits ears he scoffed.

He’s snoring now….

Breathing space

Today has been one of those days where I took time out for me. That didn’t mean I neglected my animals of course. It just meant that I knew I needed to take a bit of time to recharge my batteries too.

I took Bert out for a walk in the sunshine this morning. He met a deer for the first time. I say met, dear Bambi was a bit startled when the Baby Sprocker came bounding over to say hello. Thankfully one of them had pretty good recall (eventually). I’ll let you guess which one.

When I got back, even though there were a million and one things I could do, I sat in the conservatory and listened to a podcast. Now it’s warming up, the conservatory is a blissful place to be. The kittens joined me and Bert so it was almost a full house.

After Puppy College and coffee with a friend, it was the Oversized Labrador’s turn to run rings round me. Literally!

One paper, it might look like I didn’t really do much. But I did what I needed to do. And that’s what counts…

Dummy

I had to pop over to get some feed for Buddy today. While I was there, I was very brave and bought Bert some goats ears (I know!!). He was very happy indeed with my choice of body parts.

I wanted to get a whistle while I was there and saw this starter pack. As a Spaniel, he loves having something in his mouth so thought the training dummy would be good.

We had a go with the whistle. He was very interested in that. He loved fetching the dummy. Unfortunately, I left him unattended with it and he’s managed to rip a bit off. Maybe he’s not destined to be a gun dog…

Equal measures

Today is one of my favourite days of the year. It’s the Spring Equinox. It’s a milestone for me every year. A sure sign that we’ve made it through the gloom of Winter and longer, warmer days are on the way.

And it was a scorcher! The Upgrade said 18 degrees. Yes, my new car tells me the temperature. The Comedy Car was devoid of this feature. So now I can actually know, rather than just going with hot or cold.

The Upgrade also has working air conditioning. Now that’s a real luxury. The Comedy Car did have AC, but it didn’t work. Rather pumped out even hotter air! Kinda defeated the object really. I got used to the windswept look from having the window open. I usually arrived slightly battered. But no more…

Buddy had his own AC today. A naked day in the field. After months of rugs, it must feel good to have the sun on his back. I sat with it on my face and boy did it feel good!

Spring is my favourite season. Full of hope and wonder. Days like today make me smile.

Cocker

Bert is a sprocker. So has working cocker in his breeding. But today he added a different type of cocker to his repertoire. He cocked his leg for the first time today on our walk this morning.

This afternoon, we popped into the vets today for his wormer and flea treatment. He now weighs in at 11.7kg. He got lots of cuddles and fuss there too. He really goes love going to the vets.

On the way back, I took him to the Brundall Countryside Park so he could have a runabout. It was his first time there. I have no doubt that it won’t be his last…

Educational

Today has been a very educational one for Buddy, Bert and me. We headed over to Forest Edge for a BHS Clinic being run there. I haven’t been there for a while, it felt so good to be back. It was Bert’s first trip. He loved having zoomies in the forest.

Buddy thankfully didn’t have any zoomies in the arena. Lots of lightbulb moments in our two lessons. Bert slept in the Buddymobile while I was riding. He’s really getting the hang of it all. Good job too as it’s 6 weeks till camp.

Buddy was on top form too. He’s come back from his injury so much softer. It was lovely to catch up with everyone. It’s such a happy place for me.

Sheepish

Buddy and I headed over to catch up with a good friend and her trusty Haffy this afternoon. While out on our ride, we came across these sheep. There were lots of frolicking lambs. So cute!

We also came across a cast sheep. Poor thing was stuck on her back. And heavily pregnant to boot. My friend went to help her while I looked after the horses. Not a clue how long she’d been like that, but she was clearly exhausted. The farmer was called so she could be check on. Fingers crossed she was OK. Good deed done for the day…

Grinch Toes

Well it finally happened. I got so fed up of Bert’s ‘Grinch Toes’ that I broke out the scissors! I worked on the principle that if I can trim Buddy’s little feathers with scissors, I can do Bert’s.

I have to say I’m pretty impressed with myself. It’s not too bad a job. I’m more impressed with him for letting me near him with the scissors. There was a little bribery in the shape of some liver paste. I’ve found that Buddy is much more amenable too when he has food.

Bert is rather fluffy. Not sure if this is his puppy coat and if he’ll lose it. Buddy’s Summer coat is coming through too. He goes so dark in the summer. He’s rather mottled at the moment. The kittens are moulting too. Let the shedding commence…