So I have been sloppy and idle and off the ball in not posting in a very long time. Infact all the time I've had good stuff to talk about I haven't bothered!
It has been a long year in many parts, I feel exhausted from being here there and back here again, over and over.
BUT NOW I'M BACK HOME, HOSED AND VERY HAPPY.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to take a little while to catch up on the blogs, a little bit for you, if you are so kind as to be reading it- THANK YOU. A little bit for me, so I can keep the memories alive and remember all the things I've learnt before they get thrown into forgotten land. And a lot bit to remind the little crawly bot things or whatever they are with google  that my site does still exist and does still get updated.
You might notice if you've seen the site before that there are a few extra pictures gathered from the last 12mths and a few bits changed about as we've lost our most prominent team leader, Neddy!
Yes Neddy has found himself a new home, I'll devote a special blog to him shortly, but at the moment we're still feeling a bit sick inside when we think of him, in that achy heart sort of way.
I really have no complaints at the moment though, I always knew Neddy was going to go, I feel lucky to have kept the ride on him for so long.
It has really been a super end to the season with a few carrots dangling on the stick to pull us through this Winter and into the Spring. It was a pretty rocky start to the year one way and another with falls and injuries and colic and horses that didn't want to play so I'm grateful lady luck decided to smile on us these last few weeks.
Neddy finds himself a new home with a lovely lady whom I confident will spoil him as much as I have. Roger qualified for the Mitsubishi grassroots final at Badminton in the Spring at his first event this year, before jumping his first double clear round a novice track at Broadway to get his first point and qualify for a CIC*. Turnip continues jumping his heart out discovering you can go fast and do the time xc which is even more fun than going slowly. He also continues, regretfully, to loose every placing he could have had by turning the dressage into a gymkhana cum theatrical dance competition.
On the whole we have finished on a super high only mildly threatened by the truck refusing to start about 15hrs before my due departure time for the return trip. I was however saved by the super crew, the dogsbody downed tools and mounted an epic rescue run while Ian and Marie stepped in at the drop of a hat to have the hounds.
Shortly after my return Charlie decided he might try and choke himself to death by wolfing down some hay I threw out to him without pausing to swallow. I would have beeen particularly worried about it, (the sight of him gasping, choking, coughing and having muscle spasms of the neck was horrifying) if it hadn't been that only last week I watched a broodmare of my mother's do exactly the same thing. She was brought in from the field where she set about gobbling haylage like she was going for a guiness record when she too came a cropper and began the very same choking scenario; drooling saliva and bubbles from her mouth and nose while dripping a foaming sweat of distress from her entire body.
It is a truly scary thing to see but both of these two seemed to rectify the problem for themselves within about 45mins, a long time; that feels like weeks when you're watching. Charlie managed to cough part of the problem up from deep within his throat somewhere and it was quite a sizey portion of slimey grass he had compacted into a solid choking ball.
Anyhow no new casualties yet!
At the weekend I enjoyed  a little celebratory ride in the autumnal wood of Pentecoulant Chateaux, Mick endured it. He was happy once we got to the end though as can be seen in the photo, the cobs and dogs adored it. Turnip was thrilled to discover some fat little goblin horses on the woods! Particularly tubby and hairy minature shetlands that looked like mini monsters to him.
The rest will follow..............