Sunday, 30 September 2007

Facebook friends

I've got more friends on facebook. However I'm not sure about it!!! The way that I have got my friends is by going through everybody else's lists and asking people to be my friend. Obviously they are people that I've already met and spent time with, and hopefully it was a good time. However, It feels like gatecrashing somebody else's party and commandeering their guest list. It all feels a bit weird to me!!! Most of the people I've become friends with have been from Dan's facebook page, although I do have half a dozen or so of my very own friends...mind you I did find most of them on Dan's list too!!! (she's obviously nicking my friends!) Is the idea that you get as many as you can? or is quality more important than quantity. Is it rude or cheeky to ask someone that you barely know to be your friend? and then, would it be rude for them to refuse to be your friend? Because obviously, if they refused, you would know! And they too, I presume want as many friends as they can get too, so hopefully would be delighted to receive a friend request from some random 44 year old woman in Surrey.

I just don't get the 'rules' of face book, are there any rules to facebook? Is there a prize for the person with the most "friends"? Obviously if there is - I don't stand a cat in hells chance of winning it!!! Everyone told me it's addictive, and I'm not addicted yet - however I do rush to my Mac when I get home and see if I've got any new friends that I didn't know about. I'm up to about 20+ and need more!!!

Saturday, 29 September 2007

A serious seat of learning



This is a picture of Danielle and 3 other girls (I don't know who they are!) during their first week at Hartpury. I thought she'd gone there to study!!! It looks like they're having altogether too much fun!!!

Tuesday, 25 September 2007

Busy, and exhausted!

Dan is now safely ensconsed at University. Yesterday was the day, and very tiring it was too!!! I won't bore you with all the details, but it involved queues, huge boxes, a pink TV, pots and pans, 3 very large, very heavy suitcases, and a cheese sandwich. I mention the cheese sandwich because it's all that I ate all day so today resulted in a migraine from hell, the taxi driver this morning was very concerned that I was going to throw up in his cab, but luckily I managed to wait until I got home. I felt better after a sleep and then delighted Jo and Chesney when I decided to make chip butties.

Tonight I have been out for a meal with friends from the stables. I had a lovely time and got some really great presents including a pair of slippers with a male organ attached to the front (!) I certainly won't be opening the door to the milkman wearing those - oh no! (obviously it's not a REAL male organ - but a fabric version - however it is very clear what it is meant to be!) I may post a photograph of these slippers tomorrow - but am too tired to find my camera right now! I also took pictures of Jo and Chesney eating their chip butties, but I can't post those - far too embarassing.

Dan phoned me tonight to tell me all about her day, sounds like she's having fun and not missing her mother at all. Which is exactly how it should be. Hurrah for my clever daughter.....!!!

Saturday, 22 September 2007

Somebody really important is coming home today!

This morning my baby's coming home. She's coming back to get all her 'stuff' sorted out before starting Uni on Monday. Oh yes, she also needs to get the wing mirror fixed on her car, somebody drove too close to her and broke it - but it wasn't her fault - really!!! No doubt she'll want to go shopping with me and my plastic, and then spend some time at the stables with all her friends. She was really sad on the 'phone last night as she doesn't want to leave Bruce's yard where she's worked for the last three months. I told her that she'll make the best friends ever at Uni and have the time of her life, but like me, she finds change really hard. I've really missed her and can't wait to have her home for the next couple of days.

A big parcel arrived yesterday and I got quite excited thinking it was crammed full of birthday gifts for me, but alas - no it was addressed to Dan :( .....apparently it's a new toaster for her room at Uni - at least I know she won't starve!!

Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Today was a BAD day

Today I drove to see the new horse that Dan wants being vetted. The vetting costs £250, but it needs to be done to make sure there's nothing wrong with the horse. The horse ' Hazel' failed the vetting as she has a splint bone growth. This may settle down, but it may not, and as it stands today I am not prepared to buy the horse if it's 'broken'.

Before I got there I was desperate to visit the little girl's room, but being a countryside kind of girl, I decided to have a countryside 'wee'. This usually involves squatting down behind the car in the corner of a field, or more commonly, in your horse's trailer. Today I attempted this and got very badly stung on my peachies by horrible stinging nettles...OUCH..it is really sore.

If those two things alone weren't bad enough, on the way home driving down the M4 I had a tyre blow out. Fortunately I was driving through roadworks at the time I was only doing 50mph, but I could have been killed. The very nice man from the RAC was with me within 10 minutes (woman alone!) and changed the wheel. So I finally made it home safely.

Bad things come in threes - so hopefully we're all done for today!

Sunday, 16 September 2007

Itchy Little Mole - Part 2

I went to the Doctors on Friday and was very impressed that my appointment went ahead bang on time. The Doctor took one look at ILM and declared that I would have to go and have it seen to by a specialist at the Hospital (GULP). He would make me an appointment. I enquired how long I may have to wait for the said appointment. About 6 - 12 weeks was the reply. I could be dead by then.

Don't call me OLD..because you're fat and stupid!!

Yesterday - Saturday - was quite a good day. Phoebe had her 1st haircut of the Autumn and stood stock still all the way through it - making life very easy for me! Dan 'phoned to say that the horse she had been to try with Bruce was lovely and ideal for what she needs...which is all good news - apart from the fact that she's called 'Hazel". Who on earth would call a horse "Hazel'? I thought calling a horse 'Phoebe' was bad enough...but 'Hazel? It reminds me of a librarian. Dan's Dad rang to see if I could arrange a couple of riding lessons for the boys next door, which I did, and they thoroughly enjoyed - then surprise, surprise, he had a ride on Phoebe, and was actually quite good. (I didn't tell him that she's often a bit frisky just after clipping!) Last night I cooked dinner (what? Tracy? cook?) and the boys said it was yummy. Then we had a some fireworks and I wrote my name with a sparkler!!!

The only bad thing that happened was a little altercation with a new girl on our yard. That's what the title is about. I know that it sounds like the header for a Jeremy Kyle show - but hear me out. Tensions have been rising over the last few days due to one reason or another - I won't bore you with the details - suffice to say none of it was anything to do with me. She feels that everybody on our yard is unfriendly, unhelpful, and bitchy. I must pass comment on these allegations and say that they are patently untrue. Everyone gets on very well and apart from the odd spat about who bought the last packet of biscuits we all rub along quite nicely. That is quite rare on a livery yard - because you have a number of women together, and that always spells trouble!!! Don't take my word for that - the proof of the pudding as they say...most of the people on the yard have been there for ages, once they arrive, they tend to stay. That in itself is unusual, as most yards have quite a high turnover of livery clients. It's not a cheap yard, so there has to be good reason to stay, and we all agree it's because the facilities are very good, and everyone gets on so well. However she clearly doesn't think so and on Friday night she was in a bit of a strop about a horse being left out on it's own and for some reason had a go at me....it was a bit of a bark, during which I remained calm, but she shouted!!! So yesterday morning I asked her -very politely if she would refrain from talking to me in that manner ever again. She lost it again (!) and called me a....wait for it....."Nasty OLD woman!!!" Straight away I came back with the reply..."DON'T CALL ME OLD!" (Very witty and a clearly well thought out response!!) I was so cross I nearly ran her over with my wheelbarrow. The 'Nasty' I can cope with, but 'OLD?" I was gutted. I wanted to tell her that she was fat and stupid, but being MATURE I didn't.

You may think I'm being harsh calling her fat and stupid, but each time she gets on her horse it keeps throwing her on the floor and she keeps getting back on...ergo...stupid, and the fat bit ...well, it kind of speaks for itself. Lets just say that she would be probably be too large to model for next year's "Simply Be" catalogue. Then she said "what are you going to do now, write about me on your blog?". Her words were so very wounding!!!! So the answer to that is "yes' and here it is!!! She was due to leave in the next few days and go to another yard (huge sigh of relief) but because of the foot and mouth restrictions she has to stay until all that's cleared up. Come on Goverment, hurry up!!!

Saturday, 15 September 2007

Does my Bum look big on this?



There's something very unflattering about cream jodphurs, especially on a woman of my tender years. It's fine if you have a figure like Kate Moss, but unfortunately I don't. I've managed to get away with it for a few years - that is if you don't look too closely, and stand a few yards away. Cream jodphurs show every lump, bump and cell of cellulite. Double click on the photo to enlarge it and you'll see what I mean - 'tree trunk' immediately springs to mind. When riding your thighs tend to look bigger anyway (honestly!!!) and looking at this picture I don't think cream jodphurs are for me any more. Obviously I'm not going to do anything daft like go on a diet (NEVER), so I may have to invest in some darker shades. That'll be "do you have these in any other colour...like black?"

Another food-related Post

Was struggling to come up with ideas for dinner (I still say 'tea' actually - being from t'north) last night ...then inspiration struck. Bacon, Sausage, tinned tomatoes, fried eggs, white bread, HP sauce and a big mug of tea...lovely!...and it was lovely. I mopped up every last bit of the egg yolk with the bread, and then gave out one of those very contented sighs. You can take the girl out of t'north..... !!

Too many 'e' numbers?

Just to let you know that the food parcel which I sent on Thursday to the girls in Gloucestershire has arrived...and they were thrilled. Today they will be a bit 'bouncy' because of all the 'e' numbers they have consumed!

Friday, 14 September 2007

More Foot and Mouth news

I don't know if I mentioned the goats before? The lady who owns the stables next door to ours has some goats and they live next door to our outdoor arena. Many a 'near miss' accident has happened when the goats leap about as the horses ride past..it's quite scarey...and many's the time that we've wished the goats weren't there. Goats have cloven hooves and therefore are now on Defra's hit-list, along with the resident cow, and some other animals. These animals are pets belonging to her children, and she has been informed that she will find out tomorrow if they have to be slaughtered. It's very sad, very sad indeed. We are praying for a quick resolution to this latest foot and mouth outbreak. These animals are showing no symptoms, will never ever leave the premises, and graze the same paddocks day after day. They just happen to be within the protection zone authorised by Defra, and for this they will have to die. I know that farmers are losing their herds, and their income, but for children to lose their pets is awful too.

Foot and Mouth update

We are now officailly in the main restricted zone and will be for some time to come, I fear. This means no animal movement whatsoever - we can't even go off the yard to hack out. There is a big red sign at the end of our road saying that Weybridge is in a "Foot and Mouth Area" and we are all wearing bells and chanting 'unclean, unclean'. We have to spray our vehicles at the yard and dip our feet. I can think of a few people with suspect cloven hooves who should be culled- but I'd better not say who!!!

Because we were so disappointed last night we decided (LIsa, Dee and I) to go to Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Walton to commiserate (Geoff came too). If you've never had a GBK burger you really must...they're awesome. I had a blue cheese version, which is a huge beef burger with a fabulous sicky blue cheese sauce...they're delicious. So I feel a bit better about missing my competition on Saturday!!!

I may go to the competition tomorrow and watch a few other people ride, then tell myself that "I would have ridden that bit better than she did!!!" which I'm sure will help!!! I can come home with an 'imaginary rosette' which I can then show to my imaginary friends.

Godfather

Yesterday the Jo and Chesney were working at the house. They wanted a break and rang to ask if they could sit and watch my TV for half an hour. being benevolent I said 'Yes'. I own a ceramic 'bust' of a horse's head. Chesney decided to tidy my bedroom and make my bed. Imagine my horror then, when I went in there later to find the afore- mentioned horse's head in my bed!!! She had also left chocolates on my pillow - but really I feel that the chocolates were an afterthought and the true sentiment had already been expressed. With friends like these.......!

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Suspect Mole

I have a small mole on the jaw bone of my face (not that I have a jaw bone anywhere else). It's always been there but since I got back from Spain it's been itchy. So itchy in fact that I have inadvertently scratched it right off! Now the place it was is very itchy all the time and a hard lump has formed underneath. It also keeps bleeding. I have had to go and register at a local doctor's (I very rarely go to see a doctor so although I have lived here for nearly 2 years I've never bothered). My registation has to be complete and processed before I can ring up and make an appointment. Anyway I now have an appointment on Friday morning so we'll see what the Doctor says about my itchy little mole. Obviously, because it's MY itchy little mole, I am in a flat spin panic that it may be something more sinister - but that's because it's all about ME ME ME!!! I'll let you know what he says. If in the meantime you'd like to send me some flowers, that would be cool!!!

Food Parcel

Whilst speaking to Dan on the 'phone tonight, she asked me for a food parcel!!!! The girls are peckish (Dan, Abby and Bex) so tomorrow I will go and buy loads of biscuits, chocolate, crisps and other yummy snacks to fill a box, and send it to them. They specifically asked for stuff that was unhealthy!!!! That's just what we Mums do!!! It's on its way girls!!!

Would you leave your children alone?

I don't usually comment on things that are in the news and maybe I'm wrong to do it now. However - is it just me or does anyone else find it gobsmacking that Madeleine's parents left their children alone in a hotel bedroom whilst they went out for dinner? As a parent it's not something I would have ever considered when Dan was small. I would feel guilty if I just nipped out of the house to fetch something in from the car once she was in bed. Obviously none of us know the full story as we weren't there, but it all feels a bit odd to me. I have been looking at Gerry's blog over the last few days and I find his writing quite strange in that it's all written in a very 'me, me, me' tone. Have a look at it and let me know what you think?

Foot and Mouth

Tonight I'm a bit disappointed. I was really looking forward to taking Phoebe to her first affiliated Dressage competition at Merrist Wood, Guildford, on Saturday. However, we are now in the middle of restrictions on moving livestock due to the latest outbreak of foot and mouth. Merrist Wood is also in a restricted zone, the result is that I cannot take her off the farm for the time being. Luckily horses aren't affected by Foot and Mouth, but they can carry it. I feel dreadfully sorry for any farmers who this latest outbreak may affect, and the worry and stress that this will cause them. I'm only a little bit disappointed, but they must be devastated. Let's hope it gets cleared up quickly. Funnily enough, it's a government resaearch facility that's responsible for this latest outbreak. I do hope they take full responsibility, because if it was an independant farmer who had caused it - you can be sure they'd throw the book at him. We'll see.

Sunday, 9 September 2007

Dressage Tests

Since I affiliated Phoebe into 'British Dressage' I haven't been to a competition - (Problems with transport!). Anyway all that's changed and we're off next Saturday to our first one. It's Novice 21 (that's the name of the test) and has some quite difficult bits in it. I rode it through yesterday in my lesson and it all went horribly wrong!!! I've got the rest of the week to practise, and am hoping for a good result. Phoebe will be on her toes of course at a different venue, that is, of course if she agrees to be loaded into the trailer!!! I'm feeling nervous already.

Charles Merry's Wedding

Yesterday my old friend and colleague Charles Merry got married to the lovely Emma. I went to the evening 'do' with one of the guys from our office. I was driving and therefore - not drinking...unlike the guy (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) from our office. I can't tell you how trying it is to endure a 45 minute drive home with somebody who's drunk. Ho Hum. The wedding 'do' was lovely and Charles looked very handsome in his penguin suit. They make a lovely couple and I'm sure they will be very happy together. Good Luck Charles & Emma xx

Facebook

I Joined Facebook on Friday. This morning it tells me I've only got 5 friends and therefore am a 'wallflower'. Great.

Beautiful New life