He's ok

After his accident last week, my son is fine thank God.

He's been back to the yard and has ridden again, on Lara of course, but he has been in the field with Shanks. He's riding Lara later. Seems quite comfortable again.

I've been poorly this week - horrible cold, which has manifested itself as a sore throat, swollen glands, stiff neck, sneezing, headache, did I mention the sore throat?

And my husband has been away since Wednesday, collecting the motor-glider. Ferry from Harwich to Esjberg, then driving with the trailer through Denmark and on to Arvika in Sweden, and back again. He's on the ferry now, due to dock at Harwich at 12.00. Then he's driving to the airfield to store it in the hangar, dropping his dad at his house ( went along for company) and then back home.

I need to sort out the photos I took at the cross-country last week before it all went wrong. I have to make CDs of the photos for the girls who rode, and also upload the best ones to my Facebook page, Sue Abbott Equestrian Photography. Also need to put some on my website too www.purelyphotography.co.uk It all takes time tho and I need to go to Tesco, do some washing, clean the bathrooms, Hoover, take younger son to the yard.... And the F1 is on so nothing will be done for the moment!

Photos from Sweden

As promised...



This is the Wasa which sank in the 1600's and was raised again in 1961. The darker wood is all original. Well worth a look if you are in Stockholm - fascinating story.






Frozen lake at Arvika. All the lakes and many rivers were frozen over, at the airfield they said that two weeks earlier they had been landing on the ice, but now it isn't strong enough to do that. I didn't ask how they had found out.....

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Busy weekend

Not checked in here for a few days, but I do have an excuse! Last Friday, my husband and I flew to Sweden for the weekend. I have mentioned before that he is a pilot, and he has been looking for aaaages for a motor glider. When I first met the husband, he flew gliders as his hobby, having learnt to fly them in the ATC. A few years ago he got his PPL and since then has mainly flown power. But he has always wanted a motor glider which gives the best of both worlds. And he managed to find a nice looking one which was based in Sweden. So, after much planning, we went away for the weekend, with an arrangement in place to see the plane on the Sunday. So we went to Stockholm on the Friday and stayed over on Saturday too to do some sight-seeing. We saw the Wasa, which is a 300+ year old oak warship which sank on its maiden journey after just 20 minutes. Three hundred years later it was found in the harbour and it was eventually raised on 24 April 1961. Since then it has been conserved and restored and is 95% original and a spectacular sight. So much so that we spent over 4 hours in the museum!
On the Sunday we got the train to Arvika where we were met by two men from the airfield who took us over to see the plane. The airfield is in stunning surroundings, the lakes were all frozen over, the skies were blue and the sun was shining. Perfect. Husband crawled all over the plane and then flew it, and loved it. Deal done, hands shaken, and back to the 1970's in the form of our hotel for the night. Not quite as plush as the one in Stockholm, this was faux-Roman with colonnades and painted marble effects. Hmmmmmmmm!
Back to Vasteras airport via train on the Monday and home again.

I do have some photos and I will pop them on here shortly.

No.1 son has collected his car, bought from his aunt, and is happily driving it on L plates with husband in the passenger seat. He is made up of course!

No.2 son spent most of the weekend at the stables, not a bad life eh?

And I was up there today for a hack. On Pampa this time and in a western saddle which was lovely and comfy (like an armchair) although my jumper kept getting caught on the horn. It was a beautiful morning with blue skies, and we saw deer in the fields. Can't get much better ways to spend a Wednesday morning than that, surely. Lots of trotting, and some long canters with no brakes! I abso-flipping-lutely loved it.

And now I'm back home drinking tea and looking at the pile of ironing that needs to be done... It really needs to be done...