One day to go.....

.....til I begin the Photography course proper!  I have been doing the induction course for the last week - it's really to get you used to how the site works and also getting used to putting time aside to do the work.  I'm excited, but nervous too.  I'd really like to see what the first module has in store...

In other news, oldest son has a job :)  He's temping in an office up til Christmas.  So pleased for him.

I have ridden Hunter a few times (and I'm riding him later today).  He's being a little star and seems so much happier and very relaxed.  Lara is looking great too.  I have been riding her quite a bit which is lovely.

Doctor is changing my meds around again - not currently on anything specifically for the headaches, which is not good.

And the weather seems to have changed - really feels like autumn now.

Me again

Hi Not been in for a while - just been so busy. Work is full-on, loads of work to do and it just keeps coming in. I suppose that's good.... Husband has got a new contract. He's working in London and travels home midweek as well as at weekends. Not ideal but we need the money. No.1 son has failed his second driving test - real shame as he's an ok driver, but he will pass eventually! Oh, and he's got a job :) No.2 son is away with the school at the moment - back tonight. We have been riding together quite a bit too. It's nice. Off work today with a monster earache which may be connected to sinusitis . Feeling very sorry for myself! Pull yourself together woman!

Long Time No See

How long has it been? Ages I think..... Younger son has turned 13, riding again quite happily (tho not on Shankster yet). Older son has taken and failed a driving test - fingers crossed for the next one. Husband has got his motor-glider rigged and has been flying it loads - in between looking for a new contract. I am still working at the Cabinet Office. Ridden a bit but not as much as I had hoped. And I have sold a few of my Equestrian Photos :-) Constantly tired - need more hours in the day!

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...

Cantering is my Nemesis

OK - so I'm having problems with my canter...... I was on Murphy this morning, and did loads of trotting with 5m lops and stuff and keeping him on the track, and it was all going fine. Legs ok, hands ok, body position was fine. Then I had to canter. On the right rein it wasn't too bad, I did a few circuits of the school, but I did feel a bit like he knew what he had to do without me asking. I tried to concentrate on keeping in a good position and keeping my hands still. Then I had to change rein and it all went a bit pear shaped! His left rein is his less flexible side, and I struggled to get him into canter, and when he did I felt really, really unbalanced. My hands went up, my bum when down as his back came up, my legs were, well, I'm not entirely sure what they did, and there was quite a bit of daylight between my bum and the saddle. I got off, Bev got on, they showed me how it should be done. Ho hum.

I'm back there on Tuesday and I WILL crack it.

In other news, younger son is off school poorly today, but I think he's ok - just a bit under the weather. Older son has secured an apprenticeship starting on Monday. We are all very pleased for him. It'll be a shock to his system having to get up and out by 8am each day !

Still no luck

Still haven't got any further with getting a job. Will keep on trying...

Off to get some jodhpurs in a mo - I have only one pair as I was waiting to make sure I got on ok before I bought any more. I'm hoping to go up to the stables this evening when my son gets back from school and we can go in the indoor school together.

I must get going - I'm beginning to slip back into the habit of doing not a lot. Not a good place for me to be...

LATER.....

Ok so it's about 4 hours later and I did go out and buy some jodhpurs :) Nice chocolate brown ones which seem very comfortable.

Son got home from school and said he didn't want to go to the stables, and that I should go on my own, which is probably true. But I haven't tacked up completely on my own and I just wanted him to watch me and make sure I was doing it right. Not got a lot of confidence at the moment, again...... So I have just got on with getting dinner ready for them and I hope that I'm feeling a bit more confident tomorrow.

No joy so far

on the job front. I have applied for several and have been phoning and chasing, and as promising as they may seem, it's all leading no-where at the moment.

The weekend was good - busy. We dropped our younger son at the stables on Saturday morning and then carried on into the city. I needed an eye-test and found that my prescription has altered. So I have two pairs of glasses on order now.

Yesterday the weather turned foul - wind, rain, sleet and snow. And it was cold. We went to Old Buckenham airfield to see someone my husband needed to talk to, and then headed home! Not a day to be out.....

I've not ridden today, the weather has continued to be horrible. I am planning to ride in the indoor school tomorrow if it is free.

I have just got back from the dentist tho with the kids. No treatment needed for any of us, and see you again in 6 months! Lovely.

Plans for this week? Well I want to ride a couple of times before my next lesson which is on Thursday. I have a mountain of ironing to do, and some washing too. And I could really do with getting on with some proper photography for my OCA course. And try and nail a job would be good too.....

Another hack

As planned, I went up to the stables to meet Frankie for a hack. She was there when I arrived and we got the horses tacked up and set out " on the quiet road". Quiet? Loads of traffic, and vans, and a bus, another horse, some chickens, several cockerels, dogs, people, cars reversing, kids in a playschool running out to see the horses......... Lara, bless her, took it all in her stride, and when I asked her for a trot so we could go by the bus that had pulled in for us, she gave me the smoothest trot I could have wished for, especially as the bus was quite full and everyone was watching! We were gone for about 2 hours in all - enough that my legs know about it..... It was lovely - I really enjoyed it. I am also a little bit pleased with myself that I have got to this stage, bearing in mind that for a long time I haven't pushed myself, or been able to push myself, to do something like this.

The chickens are doing well - Eddie and Caketin are laying almost daily. The weather has become a lot milder, although it is meant to be going colder over the weekend again.

The house is a bit of a mess currently, so I'm going to have a bit of a blitz on that this afternoon.

Oh, and we have booked to go to Sweden for a few days soon - never been before so we are looking forward to that.

Right, so coffee, wash hair, tidy house, son to stables, food shop, collect son, dinner. Sorted.

No stirrups

I had another riding lesson this morning and I loved it! I was on Murphy again, and we walked and then trotted around the school both in rising and sitting. Then it was time to work without stirrups apparently..... Bev had me doing a few exercises to loosen off my lower back and then I was trotting around in sitting trot, doing serpentines and all sorts! Then a bit of rising trot which was a bit more painful (!). Stirrups back and a couple of attempts to get a canter. Success of sorts with the canter, but this is now what we will be working on mainly. I have another lesson tomorrow and the day after.

Older son is on a driving lesson at the mo, so the house is nice and quiet. Bliss.....

Best get on and do some housework I suppose. Or shall I put the kettle on first?

Morning

Monday again.....

That was a lovely weekend. We dropped younger son at the stables on Friday evening and he ended up staying there until Sunday afternoon. He had a great time, he works hard there too. Older son played football on Saturday afternoon for the first time in ages. He was knackered when he got home and was in bed by 10.30. On a Saturday! On Sunday he went to Carrow Road where City were playing Man Utd. City apparently were the better team by far, but Giggs got a 92nd minute winner 2-1.

And us? Well we took the dogs to Sandringham for a walk - it's about 20 minutes drive away and a great place, with a nice tearoom too. It wasn't very busy, well the tearoom was, but that's no surprise really. We had a lovely walk - both the dogs behaved really well especially around the other dogs there. We have only recently been able to let them both off the lead at the same time (they used to run and run and run.......) and they did well. Coffee and cakes at the tearoom (and yes, I did have my camera with me too).

Sunday was very relaxed. We sorted out some of my photos and put them in a display album to leave at the stables. I have started doing Equine photography and the album has samples of my work. I am seeing if there is much interest from the liveries at the yard. Quick trip to the airfield with my husband, to hear about the new controlled airspace restrictions at the airport. Then a lovely roast dinner and a play about with my new Florabella actions. I have treated myself to Vintage, Colour and Haze and Black and White. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

I have also dug out my coursework for the OCA course I was doing. I am going to pick it up again, and have been giving it some thought. I am not sending it up for assessment any more as I have long since missed my deadlines, but I am going to do it for me. I will continue to use one of my other blogs on here, My Corner Of Norfolk, as my learning log.

This week - more riding lessons, playing with my photos and doing some coursework, looking at Excel and working out how to keep fat dog out of the chicken run.....

Hack

Bev called me and asked if I'd like to go on a hack on my horse. Would I ??? Of course!

So I got to the stables and sat on Lara for the first time ever (she's my son's horse really - we just pay for her !!). She's 15.2 hh and and an absolute darling. We went out in a group of 5 and walked along the track and along a road and then had a short trot. I had been told she is bouncy in trot so I was ready for it. It was lovely, I just had to rise a bit higher than I had been used to. A bit more walking and we got to a scary hose with an even scarier leak which was lying across the lane. Eventually with a bit of dancing, we managed to show it who was boss and stepped over it and carried on. Then we turned onto a track and Lara took this as her cue to take off. I wasn't expecting it and I shot forwards and my legs went back. It's quite difficult to recover from that whilst still in an active canter, but Bev managed to position herself so she could grab Lara. I knew what I had done wrong in not controlling her, and so I was even more alert from then on. We stayed in walk for most of the rest of the way, until we made the turn for home and the horses got excited. Short trots followed by an unexpected canter, which was surprisingly comfy and I stayed in position for - yay me !

More lessons next week. Hopefully my legs will have recovered by then...

I have been on the Aspire photography courses website and there is a new course covering Equine photography. It's a weekend course and it's in the New Forest in June. I'm hoping that I might persuade my husband a) that it's a good idea and b) that he will come too as he can fly at one of the clubs down there.

Oh, and did I mention that Eddie laid her first egg for us yesterday? Delicious!

And the other minor miracle? Teen son has tidied his room. I think I need to lie down...

I'm ready

I'm up and in my jodhpurs, drinking coffee (of course). Just have to wake up my older son who has a driving lesson this morning and then I can go.

I'm quite excited, although I think I shall be making a right t*t of myself!

We'll see......