Good morning - it's a beautiful one out there today.
The weekend flew by as normal - shopping, taxi service for the kids, gardening, fish-pond-pump cleaning, chicken mucking-out, roast dinner, dogs, cleaning, washing, tidying, ironing... You get the picture.
Also decided that I need to lose some weight - so I am loosely following the Slimming World plan from today. I have lost weight with them before, and it's quite a good one for me to follow. We have agreed that we are cutting down on what we drink too - that should help.
I have been doing some photo work too - and have updated my other blog My Corner of Norfolk as I've been going along. More of that to do today, including photographing some daffodils.
This week I want to go to the garden centre for a coupe of clematis plants, I have to stay in tomorrow waiting for a parcel so I shall do some photo work then, riding on Wednesday and the weather is set to be lovely so we should be on a hack again, Thursday and Friday are free at the moment, although I want to go to the city one day.
Right - need to do something so I don't raid the kitchen for food!
Monday, 26 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Ho hum
You know yesterday's pile of ironing? It's still there, but it's grown.....
It's been a beautiful day today - really warm and lots of bird twittering in the background. Very spring-like. I have been looking at my photo work, and the projects I should be doing at the moment. They are all to do with colour, and I really must get my arse in gear and buy some flowers to photograph so that I can progress a bit more with it all. I know what I want to do, so now I should really get on with it... And with the ironing.....
It's been a beautiful day today - really warm and lots of bird twittering in the background. Very spring-like. I have been looking at my photo work, and the projects I should be doing at the moment. They are all to do with colour, and I really must get my arse in gear and buy some flowers to photograph so that I can progress a bit more with it all. I know what I want to do, so now I should really get on with it... And with the ironing.....
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
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.....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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.....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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...
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...
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Success
Well I woke up very apprehensive about today's riding lesson. Last week I couldn't get to grips with canter at all. Trotting was fine, but canter - nooooooo. So I arrived at the yard full of nerves, I just wanted to ride well.
Bev had decided that I'd ride Lara today - I love that horse. She is bouncy in trot, much more bouncy than Murphy, but it seems to suit me. Even sitting trot on her is really comfy. Bev had us doing all sorts of trotting, including her own invention : 10-1 trot. This is doing each of the four trots (rising, sitting, standing and light-seat) for 10 counts each, then 9, then 8 and so on down to one beat of each. Absolutely knackering. And yes, I did say standing trot. Now standing trot was a challenge, but as I went through the reps my balance slowly came and by then end I was (fairly) comfortably doing it all (with just a few collapses back into the saddle as my core strength is non-existent).
Then straight into a right rein canter - no time to think - and she is so very comfy in canter. The canter didn't last long before we went to trot, and I found out that her downward transitions are pretty immediate. So position and balance are crucial. Left rein canter was fab - 3 maybe 4 laps of the school. So pleased.
Lara is a star.
So my next lesson is next Wednesday, and Bev has said that if the weather is ok we will hack out for a long straight canter, and in a Western saddle. Yay...
Bev had decided that I'd ride Lara today - I love that horse. She is bouncy in trot, much more bouncy than Murphy, but it seems to suit me. Even sitting trot on her is really comfy. Bev had us doing all sorts of trotting, including her own invention : 10-1 trot. This is doing each of the four trots (rising, sitting, standing and light-seat) for 10 counts each, then 9, then 8 and so on down to one beat of each. Absolutely knackering. And yes, I did say standing trot. Now standing trot was a challenge, but as I went through the reps my balance slowly came and by then end I was (fairly) comfortably doing it all (with just a few collapses back into the saddle as my core strength is non-existent).
Then straight into a right rein canter - no time to think - and she is so very comfy in canter. The canter didn't last long before we went to trot, and I found out that her downward transitions are pretty immediate. So position and balance are crucial. Left rein canter was fab - 3 maybe 4 laps of the school. So pleased.
Lara is a star.
So my next lesson is next Wednesday, and Bev has said that if the weather is ok we will hack out for a long straight canter, and in a Western saddle. Yay...
Monday, 12 March 2012
The Weekend
We had a lovely weekend. The weather has suddenly turned warm and we took full advantage of it.
On Saturday we flew down to a friend's house as my husband needed to speak to him about the motor-glider he is hoping to buy. It was lovely flying down and dropping in on him, even if he was just on his way out and not able to chat that day ! We will have to go again soon!
This is the Chipmunk we flew in. Lovely.
Then on Sunday, we took the dogs to the beach at Caister. We hadn't been there before, but there was a fab big car park right next to the Lifeboat Station which made parking and getting the dogs out nice and easy.
The beach was lovely, soft sand and a few pebbles. The dogs had a great time chasing up and down the beach and into the sea chasing seagulls.
Look at the shadows in the photo - and that is in March!!!!! The dogs have been snoring ever since we left the beach, and the smell of wet Labrador is wafting through the house as I type!
A lovely roast dinner topped off a great weekend.
This week, I have another riding lesson, and I also need to go into the City to collect my new glasses. I also want to go through my clothes and have a Big Sort Out. Spring is definitely in the air...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
On Saturday we flew down to a friend's house as my husband needed to speak to him about the motor-glider he is hoping to buy. It was lovely flying down and dropping in on him, even if he was just on his way out and not able to chat that day ! We will have to go again soon!
This is the Chipmunk we flew in. Lovely.
Then on Sunday, we took the dogs to the beach at Caister. We hadn't been there before, but there was a fab big car park right next to the Lifeboat Station which made parking and getting the dogs out nice and easy.
The beach was lovely, soft sand and a few pebbles. The dogs had a great time chasing up and down the beach and into the sea chasing seagulls.
Look at the shadows in the photo - and that is in March!!!!! The dogs have been snoring ever since we left the beach, and the smell of wet Labrador is wafting through the house as I type!
A lovely roast dinner topped off a great weekend.
This week, I have another riding lesson, and I also need to go into the City to collect my new glasses. I also want to go through my clothes and have a Big Sort Out. Spring is definitely in the air...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, 9 March 2012
Waiting in..
...for a new mattress to be delivered. Our current mattress is nearly 10 years old and has been to New Zealand and back with us, in a container! It's saggy and has lost its support. A bit like me then...
I'm feeling a bit low today - it's the first anniversary of an event I'd rather forget if possible, but realistically I know there is no chance of that, so it'll be a day that I get through from now on.
Need to put the kettle on I think. Nice mug of coffee. That'll help...
I'm feeling a bit low today - it's the first anniversary of an event I'd rather forget if possible, but realistically I know there is no chance of that, so it'll be a day that I get through from now on.
Need to put the kettle on I think. Nice mug of coffee. That'll help...
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