Blanky

This is a sure sign that we are heading towards Winter. The kittens have totally ignore this bed for months now. Today was the day Hugo reclaimed it. Can’t say I blame him. I love a blanky. And a fluffy one is even better.

Hugo is one very happy kitten right now.

Stand out from the crowd

I woke up feeling rather crumpled and a bit sad. It was ‘Dragon’ weather (where you can see your breath), a sure sign the seasons are changing.

After catching up on some paperwork, I sat and reflected on a few things. I’d had some feedback from someone I’ve been working with that also made me think.

I realised that I was started to get too much in my own head (overthinker, right here?!). So headed to yard and took Buddy out for a long ride. As we were walking along, I spotted this beautiful part of the hedgerow. Talk about standing out from the crowd!!

They say feedback is a gift. But you don’t always have to accept it. I’m not perfect. I know where I can improve. But this bush shows that we can all be ourselves and it really is the sum of the parts. Or am I overthinking again…?!

Water wings.

Took Buddy over for a pony playdate with Blake. After all of the rain, there were lots of puddles. Buddy is a proper water baby. He loves stomping through them. Blake, on the other hand, isn’t a fan. But after watching Buddy splash through them, he took the plunge himself!

He was so pleased with himself afterwards he had a proper swagger on. Buddy wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. He was too busy trying apple bobbing in the puddle and hoover the verge.

Amaze

Blimey it’s been a bit rough here with the winds and rain. Buddy and I went out for a bit of a wind-assisted ride. The maize has been battered. It usually stands so tall and proud. So it was very weird seeing great swathes of it crushed. It was like a giant toddler had tried to make crop circles. Very odd indeed.

Clearly didn’t affect the taste as Buddy grabbed a few snacks on the way round. Eery but lovely way to end the day.

Officials

Today, I took the first step on an exciting new venture. I headed to the British Show Jumping National Training Centre in Leicestershire for an Officials Induction Day.

The weather was utterly foul. The windscreen wipers on The Comedy Car were going so fast, I feared one might fly off! Let’s face it, that’s not that far fetched! Still I arrived with a minute to spare for a very informative day.

They went through the pathways you can take to become a BSJA Official. You can do one, or them all depending on your areas of interest. I want to do the Judges one first. I’ll see about the rest.

I already judge, steward and commentate at unaffiliated level. This is formalising things I enjoy doing. As much as I love jumping. I know there will come a time when I don’t want to jump. Or can’t. So this is my way of paying it forward and giving back to a sport I love. That and it keeps me involved still.

I have no clue where it will take me. But every adventure starts with a first step…

Day of rest

My get up and go, clearly got up without me this morning. By the time I crawled out of bed, I was feeling rather unmotivated. Cut myself some slack. After all, it is the ‘day of rest’. Whatever that is!!

I found the warm spot in the conservatory and sat roasting myself there for a few hours. Catching up on some online learning.

Then headed to the yard to take Buddy out for a leg stretch. It was a very sedate affair. Even if the wind was swirling about a bit.

I’ve got a busy few weeks coming up. So made the most of the day. Even though it feels like I wasted the day in some ways. I need to take a leaf out of my animals books. The kittens are pros at self-care. So is Buddy in his own way. One day I’ll crack it… till then, I’m being kind to myself.

Boomerang

I’ve been selling some clothes on Vinted. Nothing unusual about that. I had to use this automated post box (sure it has a more technical term but I’m going with that). The first time I printed out the postage label at home, stuck it to the bag, used the machine and it printed the exact same label for me. So I stuck them both on. It arrived so all good.

This time I thought I’d skip the home print bit and took it to the box. Only for it to have a hissy fit that I hadn’t printed the label. It practically ordered me home to print it. A bit frustrated, off home I headed. Printed out said label, stuck it on and then drove back to the automated post box.

Clearly it remembered my incompetence and opened a locker right in front of me. Resulting in a metal door to the forehead. I’m sure someone will be having a laugh at that on CCTV.

By the time I factor in the fuel, paper, ink, electricity and my time, I’m so glad I sold the t-shirt for £2.50. You have to laugh, you really do…

A little cold

Well it seems that I have brought an extra gift back from camp. I am with snot. Last night, I felt the start of a cold coming on. You know the kind where your head starts pounding and you feel like you’ve been punched repeatedly in the sinuses.

This morning, I felt decidedly crappy. So admitted defeat, stayed in bed and got more sleep. The kittens approved the duvet on the sofa look. They are both snoring. I fear I will be tonight too. I’ve been told I have a cute snore. Tonight I think I might be more warthog than woodland creature.

On the fence

The now traditional camp clean up was the order of the day. 5 loads of washing done. Managed to get some almost dry on the line. Even managed to rescue it all before the rain hit. Winner!!

The kittens are very happy to have me home. Dodo spent most of the morning on my lap. And Hugo wasn’t too far away either. He made me laugh when I went to get the washing in. He was definitely ‘on the fence’ about whether to come in or not. How on earth can it be comfortable sitting on something so thin?!

I brought the Buddymobile home last night to decamp. So that got a good clean too. It’s amazing how messy it gets being away. Sad that it was the last camp of the year. They really are my happy place.