Rhys and Louis's Mobile Home!

We had another great weekend!!!

On Sunday Mike had a day's filming in Winchester so I drove us there and went to have a look around the city. It's a beautiful place and I especially liked the Great Hall with what is supposed to be King Arthur's round table, the remains of the castle which gave me a very strange feeling of stepping back in time when I walked into the deepest part, and the Royal Hussars museum which had a model horse and soldier in a stall, with horse noises and the smell of stables wafting about! It was very clever and made me feel at home!

On Sunday we picked up the boy's new field shelter. Donkeys are not waterproof and need access to somewhere dry to stand when it rains and I'd hummed and haa'd over the alternatives and decided that this was the cheapest, most mobile and most convenient solution. I bought it on eBay and it was a real bargain considering the brilliant condition it's in.

Rhys followed a bucket straight in but Louis was a bit more circumspect and took a couple of days. Now he goes up and down the ramp with great confidence.

These two are really cute, beautifully behaved and easy to deal with, and very, very lovable!!! On opening the bedroom curtains in the morning they are often the first thing I see. Not a bad way to start the day - they always put a smile on my face!!!!

Rhys and Louis Trying Out Their New House and Brother Greg!

And this is a photo of Rhys and Louis's younger brother, Greg, just a week old, and his mum at his home in Wales.

Easter Holiday.

Life has been very hectic around here lately!!!

I've been replacing the 30yo post and rail fencing with permanent electric fencing attached to wooden fence posts. I've been removing the old rails, saving the posts I can and pushing in new posts with my trusty Manitou where they can't be saved.

I can't believe how much difference it's making to the look of the place. The fields all look bigger and so neat and tidy, and with the Manitou I can knock down old fencing and put up new very fast and easily. I'm already about half way through the job and I don't seem to have spent that many hours on it really.

We had the bank holiday off and went for a BIG adventure!!! It has been Mike's lifelong dream to own a donkey and, as he has a lifetime of putting up with me and my horses in front of him, it seemed only fair that he should have his wish.

I found a pair of weaned colt foals advertised and instantly fell in love with the photos and description of the coloured one. Mike loved the other one so we hired a horsebox, loaded the 3 dogs in the grooms compartment and headed for Wales for the weekend.

We went through the Forest of Dean and the Brecon Beacons, which were beautiful, and stayed the night in a hotel by the sea. The dogs had their first ever runs on a beach, and then went to buy the donkeys.

Their previous owner moved to Wales from Essex 12 years ago with her husband and he then died, leaving her completely in the middle of no-where in the Welsh hills. How she survived that I will never know. I had enough trouble surrounded by friends.

She met her new partner, and academic and lovely person, on an internet dating agency and he's moved in with her on her 18 acres. The similarities between us all were amazing and we could have chatted for days but we had to drag ourselves away for the 7 hour drive home!

I can't drive a hired horsebox yet as you have to have passed your test for at least 2 years so poor Mike had to do all the driving. He's never transported livestock before but understood the requirements instantly and gave his new family a lovely smooth ride home.

Here are Rhys and Louie with Mike on arrival home. They are lovely, well behaved, friendly donkeys and follow everyone around, braying when you leave them. They lead beautifully, especially Rhys (the coloured) who is very confident and bold, pick up their feet and stand perfectly, and they love fuss and attention. I keep telling Mike that they're HIS donkeys but I am very smitten with them, especially Rhys. I've never had anything to do with donkeys before so it's lovely getting to know all about the and their characteristics.

Mike looks a bit like Old Father Time at the moment as the theatre company won't let him trim his beard or hair. It'll be down to his knees before the play finishes at the beginning of June! Having just spent practically every minute with him for 48hours, mostly in a horsebox, I can't wait to have him here full time again when his tour ends.



Rhys


One Man and his Donkeys!


Louie

New Homes for Ponies.

I recently found really good homes for Crystal and Justin. Crystal has gone to someone with 22 acres of their own land and two small children who want a pony to play with and ride out with their mum.

Justin has gone to a very experienced lady who show jumps and hunter trials with her 2 other horses, one of which is a 10yo Andalusian she has owned from a foal and backed and brought on herself. She wanted a young pony to bring on herself for her son, who is 6 years old at the moment.

She has never had a Fell or a Dales before and is used to more highly bred types so Justin has been a total revelation to her. Like me when I first got Bella she never realised that having a youngster could be so easy and stress free!!!

She took Justin to the Fell Area Spring Show on Sunday and when I told Josh's owner that she was going they entered Josh (I should say Jaffa, previously known as Josh!!!) too.

I went along to watch (and to lend them white show halters (I'd been to watch Mike again the night before and we didn't get home until after midnight so I was terrified of over-sleeping and them having nothing to show them in!!!

No-one would ever have believed that it was their first ever show! They were both immaculately behaved, so much so that Justin was shown in the Young Handler class by his owner's 6yo son and never put a hoof wrong! If anything he could have done with waking up a bit!!! I was so proud of them both, and it was Jaffa's owner's first show too, but they were all brilliant!

There was a lovely moment in the ring when the two ponies quite obviously suddenly recognised each other and just stared at each other, then went straight into mutual grooming when they came out of the ring!!!

I came home feeling quite emotional and hoping that I could find as good a home for Jamie too, and that he might be at the next show as well.

Justin's owner text me the very next day to say that, although she'd missed a hunter trial to go to the show, the whole family had had the "best day ever" and she is now "totally besotted" with Fells and would like to buy Jamie as well!!!!! I can't think of anyone I'd rather sell him to.

So now I just have Merlin to go, as far as rehoming is concerned. If I can find him as good a home as the others have found it will be a job very well done indeed!!!

These photos aren't very good because I didn't have the camera on the right setting so I've ordered a collage of 7 photos from the professional photographer at the show.
I'll scan and copy it onto here when it arrives.

Getting Life Under Control!

Things have been very hectic here, as usual!

I've sold Kate to the sort of home I'd have dreamed of finding for her and made two new friends at the same time!

She's gone to a very experienced rider and trainer who specialises in teaching Classical Riding. She works for a 3 Day Eventer, who is fast becoming a friend too, and she was looking for a horse to play with and bring on slowly. We got on like a house on fire and she's since been in touch to tell me how delighted she is with Kate - so much so that she's interested in maybe having one or even two of the Fells to bring on as well.

She seemed to approve of the work I'd already done with Kate and her attitude to life, which was very reassuring for me, and we both have very much the same ideas on training horses patiently and sympathetically, but effectively, without any fuss or drama if possible!

I'd like to keep the Fells longer and do more with them myself but there's just SO much work that still needs doing here. I need to do a major overhaul on the fencing and, even if I could afford to pay someone to do it all for me, I really do get tremendous enjoyment and satisfaction from doing as much of it as possible myself.

I've also got a couple of people interested in Crystal, who I love to bits and she's no trouble at all, but she's wasted here and would make a small child very happy, along with enjoying the attention herself.

The house is coming on well and the last room is nearly finished now. We have a big party planned for 18th June - Hilary and Charlotte - if you're free? And anyone else who can get here!

Mike and I are finding it very hard only seeing each other at weekends so I'm looking to buy a small, economical car so we can meet up more often.

On Monday my friend Peter drove my parents and I to Peterborough to see Mike in action (my 2nd time of watching the play). It was brilliant and everyone in the audience always says how well acted it is. There are some fantastic reviews here and I'm very, very proud of him!!!

http://www.easternangles.co.uk/show/UOS/reviews.html?id=3RTaerkm

We had a lovely evening and afterwards took my parents for their first ever MacDonalds!!! It was my dad's birthday and he was 79yo. They get on really well with both Mike and Peter, and Peter said how resilient and easy going they are for their age. Peter is just about the kindest, most patient person I've ever met.

So all is going well here and hopefully I'll soon be back to my original quota of ponies!!! It feels a bit like a huge weight of responsibility lifting at last!!!

My two year watershed passed on Wednesday and I was driving the Landy through a busy town centre, full of confidence, thinking that I just wish David could see me now! He'd be both horrified and amazed in equal measure!

Life can certainly change a tremendous amount in just two years. I have an awful lot to be grateful to David for, and I always will be!

Eastern Angles Play.

We had a fantastic weekend!!!

On Sunday night we went to the O2 building in London to see Ben E King (Stand by Me) and Gary U S Bonds perform and they were absolutely brilliant!! It was impossible to stay in your seat and not get up and dance. Until I met Mike I didn't think I did dancing!!!

I love the buzz and excitement of London and the O2 is a very impressive and welcoming venue.

On Monday morning I went back to Ipswich with Mike and met the rest of the cast and the director, etc. They were all really kind and friendly, especially Lisa-Marie, who is in her twenties and has just met the love of her life, so we have a lot in common!!!! She gave me a huge hug and we compared notes!!!

I had a leisurely afternoon shopping in the town centre (and I found a Lakeland shop and got some Munchy Seeds, which I haven't had in ages and they are my absolute favourite) then met Mike back at the theatre after work and was treated to an Indian!

I came home this morning on the train and spent most of the journey talking about keeping hens, smallholdings, and life in general, to the lady I found myself sitting next to. She said that she wished she lived closer, as we had so much in common, and she invited Mike and I to go and stay with her in Norwich, which was really kind.

If you would like to see Mike and find out more about the play here is a link to Eastern Angles website

http://www.easternangles.co.uk/show/UOS/description.html

And a link to some photos of the cast

http://www.easternangles.co.uk/show/UOS/photos.html
Mike is in the first, third and fourth photos.

Mike and Laura were also on BBC Suffolk Radio this afternoon talking about the play. Their warm, cheerful and enthusiastic voices were lovely to listen to and they made the play sound unmissable!

OK, I know I'm biased but they really did!!!

Mike is one in a million - I am very, very lucky!!!!

News Update.

I have so much news to write about (all of it good!!!) but life is so hectic at the moment that I'm having trouble finding time to write!!!!!!!

Firstly Josh (or Jaffa as he's now known), the 2yo Fell Pony that I sold in October, is doing fantastically in his new home and his owners are delighted with him. He goes for walks in hand around the roads and takes everything in his stride. They say he is ridiculously laid back and sensible and acts as though he's seen and done everything before, and been doing it all for years.

I'm so happy that he's got such a good home and gets so much time and attention - that's just what I want to find for the others too!!!

My social life with Mike has expanded even further and we've had loads of outings. We went to The Devil's Horsemen's Christmas Panto, which was brilliant, and met up with Rosie afterwards who was the star of the show. It was so good to see her again and as we parted she turned back when Mike wasn't looking and gave me a double thumbs up, mouthing "he's lovely!"

Then we went to the theatre 3 times, twice in London (including The National Theatre) and once in Suffolk. The Suffolk play was my favourite. It featured a would-be superhero who called himself 'Aquaboy'! It was really funny and I loved it.

We also went to see Rosie with Geoff Billington and Ollie Townend in their 'Champions Tour'. Again Rosie and Tinker were the stars of the evening for us and Tinker had all the audience "ahhhh"ing with his cute routine.

Mike is now in his second week of rehersals with Eastern Angles Theatre Company in Suffolk and is only back home from Friday night to Monday morning, which is taking a bit of getting used to after having him here most of the time, but it's almost worth it for the excitement of seeing him again after all week apart!

They start touring with the play "Up Out O'The Sea" by Andrew Holland on March 4th in Lowestoft when he'll only be home Sundays and Mondays but I will get to see him in action at one of the venues (probably Peterborough) which is very exciting!!! It's a cast of 5 and he plays a grumpy fisherman called Dolphie and has the 1st and last lines in the play!!!

It does mean that I can concentrate on my ponies more the rest of the time and I've managed to get quite a lot done with Bella, Kate and Merlin this week, for a change!!