Our Riding lesson was...

Fantastic! Today we had our first riding lesson and it was brilliant! We were taught by a girl called Emma, I was riding grey Dougle and Trouble was riding dun Dougle. I think we both did really well. I'll upload some photos soon!

ABC Wednesday - E

E is for Eggs

Our two ex-battery chickens are in good shape now, and Cinnamon, the darker one, has started laying again. She has beautiful brown eggs. Here are some chicken/egg facts:

1. Chickens lay about 300 eggs a year, but some breeds may lay more or less.
2. Chickens with red earlobes lay dark eggs.
3. Chickens lay approximately every 24-28 hours.
   

The other chicken, Bella is also in much better shape, but is not currently laying. We don't mind at all, a) because we didn't buy her to lay eggs, b) because she layed almost every day when we first brought her home.
Here are some of our eggs:

The three smaller, lighter ones are from our four young hens and the larger, darker one is Bella's or Cinnamon's.

Before I finish I'd like to say thank you to my chicks, because their eggs taste great in my cakes!!!

Ineresting....

This morning me and Trouble went for an eyetest at Specsavers in town. We all thought that Trouble needed glasses but she doesn't, I do. I only have to wear them for reading and studying though.
Also today, I got my new muckers in the post and am all ready to go,as the new silk came yesterday. I'm VERY excited now.
My dad's just phoned from Hull where he's working on a boat. The other day they got caught in a blizzard offshore. Now for my ABC Wednesday.

On the subject of horses....

We all love... Blue.


This post is all about a grey horse (about 16hh) who lives in the paddock infront of our green cottage (yes, green). She is a lovely old girl and tolerates children playing around her and cats almost jumping on her back and playing with her tail.

Although she is such a sweet-natured creature, she is quite badly neglected. She is wearing a tattered rug that is too small for her which is digging into her leg and making her very itchy, since it hasn't been taken off since it was put on in about November last year. Since we called the RSPCA and an inspector came out, the owner has occasionally giving her food. Her coat is dirty and matted underneath the rug, and everywhere else where she has been rolling, to getit off.
Blue's hooves are extremely overgrown and often bleed. The farrier has trimmed them but they need vetinary attention. I am also disgusted at the state of the concrete open-front shed she is living in. It hasn't been cleaned out for months, and there are even mushrooms growing in it. The track down to the field it all covered in stones and grit, that must be painful for her hooves. Last is the field where there is hardly any grass for her to eat at all.
As she is so old, she often falls down in the shed or field, and once when she fell in the shed, Mum had to lift her back up again.
So, I am doing this post so that hopefully, you will support Blue.
If you think this is a sad story and wish you could somehow help, please post this picture on your blog:

More horsey stuff

Today we went out food shopping but ended up going food shopping and equestrian equipment shopping. We bought me a new pair of black jodphurs (riding trousers for those who don't know) which are a bit baggy because I'm too skinny. Here's a pic of me wearing them:

Ok, so there they look extra baggy because I didn't have them pulled up properly!! They're very comfy, though. Hehe, I also have odd socks....

Ok, so I haven't got much to write about, but I promised I'd write more often. Here we go...

This morning Trouble has got a bit over excited about our riding lesson, riding round the house on her blue push-scooter pretending it's a horse. On top of that she's wearing my old purple checked jodphurs, my friends old riding hat with a purple and black silk (that was mine until recently), my too small riding boots and next door's daughter J's backboard (that's about 100 times too big) from when she rode. Trouble also is using the handle of a cat toy as a whip.

Sorry if you can't read that on the hat and backboard. They say 'Way too big backboard' and 'Purple and black silk hat'.
Trouble desparately wants to ride Gem. It's really all she's been talking about.

Yesterday Mum was looking at riding gear online and she's ordered some black muckers, a black velvet riding hat cover, some black half chaps and she's watching a better riding hat.

Ok, I did say I hadn't much to say, so this is it. But just before I go, if Miss M and Miss E see this, this is for you:

"Hello, Stranger!"

Hello, stranger!!

I expect that's what you'll all be saying when you see this post. I am deeply ashamed of myself for not blogging since October 2008!!!! So I'm going to start afresh. (Extreme apologies to Miss M and E!! :).) Here's my latest blog...

I Love Horses!

Until two years ago I had quite regular riding lessons at Flying Start, where I usually rode a pony named Wurzel. He unfortunately was quite unpredictable, suddenly lunging forward to gorge on a tasting piece of grass on rides, or stopping when you least expected it whilst trotting. Once in a lesson in Winter he got spooked by the rustling of my coat and trotted off suddenly, so I couldn't wear it whilst riding him.

Now in Wales I am starting lesssons again, my first on Thursday this coming week, at Bradnant Equestrian Centre. I am very excited! My sister is also having a lesson.

In the previous lessons, there were around fifteen other children, and this week it will be just me and Trouble! We've been looking at new gear today, because my old jodphurs are too small and have been passed down to Trouble. I will be riding a grey called Dougle on my first lesson and Trouble will be on another Doungle or Gem, another grey.

Bradnant looks like a really good place to learn.

These are some of the horses:

(First in the row to last)

1. Gypsy (The Shire)
2. Dougle (50% chance Trouble's)
3. Dougle (My (hopefully) trusty steed)
4. Sammy
5. Gem (50% chance Trouble's)
6. And Polly (The tiny pony!!!)

So I am very excited and will keep you updated. I promise I'll be more faithful this time.

Cya!