Appropriate clothing

My choice of t-shirt was absolutely on point today! Love it when that happens. I had a very lovely day planned. I was going to meet a friend for a lovely relaxed hack round Blickling…

First I overslept, then the weather forecast looks a bit suspect and it being school holidays all put pay to that. So we went for a very lovely lunch lunch instead. Just as enjoyable. We managed to sit out for some of it, but after being buffeted a little bit too much by the wind, we headed indoors.

Good job too as the heavens opened! That was a rather regular occurrence for the rest of the day. One minute sunshine, the next minute rain. I had to laugh as I ended up being stuck in a stable mid-muck out. Reminded me of the quote ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing’. My t-shirt was may have been apt, but didn’t really help to keep me dry. Maybe not that appropriate after all…

Feel the rain

Bert and I got very wet on our walk this morning. Now as a good equestrian, I have lots of wet weather gear. So you’d think I would be prepared. And I was! I put my Reincoat on as I thought it might rain. What I wasn’t prepared for was the torrential downpour.

I was laughing to myself as the rain dropped off my hood. While most of me was dry, my legs weren’t. It didn’t help that I stopped to chat to another dog walker. Because as she said, we weren’t getting any drier. Good to know that dog walkers have the same sense of humour as horse riders.

When we got home, my jeans and my puppy needed to go in the conservatory to dry out.

I love this quote. Today I was both of these…

Crammed

Well it’s a good job that I have a bigger car now! Not sure I would have gotten this much in the Comedy Car.

Bert and I are all packed ready for our next adventure to Badminton Horse Trails. We head off tomorrow and are there till Sunday. I’m very excited about staying for the whole duration.

I feel like I’m taking a lot of stuff. I’m packed for many weather options. Let’s see which one I get! After last week’s camp and soaring temperatures, it’s much cooler this week. So I have t-shirts and hoodies. And a few bits in between.

Luckily, there will be one or two shops there. So if all else fails… I have a short list for me, a little list for Buddy and Bert. I don’t need much. Good job I don’t have a weight limit coming home.

Toasty

Blimey, it has been unseasonably warm today! Luckily, I got to spend the morning in a nice cool office. It was quite the topic of conversation at the Chiro’s.

Bert and I didn’t need any pursuading to get out for a walk when I was done that’s for sure.

It was utterly blissful. Not a soul in sight. I love moments like that…

Watching paint dry

I woke up feeling decidedly crappy. Very frustrating when the weather was so nice.

After walking the Baby Sprocker and doing maid duty, I thought I’d rest up. But I didn’t want to waste the good weather. So I painted the side fence and shed. As you do!

My theory was that it doesn’t take that much effort to paint… It’s not that physical, right?!

It took a lot longer than I though. I’m definitely not firing on all cylinders. Even Bert got bored of watching paint dry and took himself off for a nap. I think I should have joined him.

Still I’m very pleased with the result. And neither of us ended up covered in paint!

Timing

They say trust the timing of your life. Well I’m having trust issues with mine today.

This morning, I went to sit on the sofa arm. Totally mistimed it and ended up on falling backwards onto the floor. Landed on my hand and jarred myself. Bert was most concerned.

Then we went out for our walk. Mistimed it so ended up getting caught in a shower. Was resigning myself to yet another soaking, when I remembered there is one of those emergency hoods on my coat.

Except it was too big for my head as it’s designed to go over a riding hat. So kept blowing off. Have you ever tried to pick up dog poo while holding a lead, stopping your hood blowing down and trying not to slide over in the mud. Thankfully I ended up laughing at my situation. And didn’t faceplant.

Then I headed to the yard, just as the heaven’s opened again. So got my timing wrong there.

Finally I forgot to put the timer on for my dinner so managed to burnt it.

Let’s hope my timing is better tomorrow…

Late bloomer

How pretty is this rose? It’s almost glowing. The only issues is that it really shouldn’t be flowering right now. It’s so mild, I have lots of things coming back. My sweet peas have started to grow again.

Not that I’m complaining. My garden looks really pretty with lots of new growth. My lawn needs mowing. But it’s nearly November.

The weather feels as surreal as my life right now. So I’m grounding myself and focusing on the little things.

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…

Grazing

Buddy was a very happy little boy today. He’s moved to a different field and there’s lots of lovely long grass for him to graze on. He was so happy that he barely registered it when I drove past and said hello.

I love this field. It’s got the most amazing view towards Norwich. The sun sets behind it. So I’ve seen a few stunning sunsets. I miss sunsets. Please can we have them back? I’m done with grey clouds and rain. We’re not even getting the joy of a rainbow to balance out the drizzle.

It’s true what they say, you can’t control the weather. Whoever’s got the sunshine, I hope you’re enjoying.

Summer ready

Right Summer I am officially ready for you. Last week, I bought four new pairs of shorts. Today, my lightweight reincoat arrived.

The shorts I have had definitely see better days. They’re too big too. I had some time to kill as I was waiting for my dentist appointment, so off I popped to search for shorts. They were on sale too! Well I guess there’s no that much call for them – with all the rain and cool temperatures.

After getting soaked on Saturday, I treated myself to a riding raincoat. I love my Equidry, but it’s the winter version. So this one is a lightweight version from a different manufacturer. Isn’t the colour lush?!

Let’s see which gets the most use. Cast your votes now people…