The way to heaven is on horseback

Well it's Boxing Day and today has been a really good day, as is tradition in our family my sister came over today with her partner and my little nephew for a meal and some awesome family time. She was on one but that is just what my sister is like she tends to go on one about lots of random different things.  We had no snow yesterday but today it HAS started snowing, people will know that I do not always have a good record with snow, I am very clumsy and always tend to fall over when it starts snowing, the last time we had snow I spent two full days looking for a miniature shetland pony that had gone missing (the pony was found safe and sound), before that it snowed and I tripped on a patch of Black Ice and broke my hand in three places. So it's safe to say when it starts snowing I start thinking 'OMG'. However this year I am looking forward to it because it would be an interesting time to take some wicked snow photographs. So tomorrow I am on a mission to get sno...

Apologies for it being a while guys but I am now back and fully updating again! I've missed writing a blog and getting to know about all your lives to. So I am back and will be posting everyday no matter how short the post is. As quite a lot is going on I'm going to use bullet points to highlight the main things that are going on in both my personal life and my riding life so here goes guys enjoy :). Lots of pictures too!  Well the most recent update in my riding Career is that I fell off Gatsby. Yep you read that right after 3-4 years of riding the wonderful Gatsby I finally came off him. We got a bit over excited coming up to a jump and he over jumped it and took off way to early. Because of this I lost my balance (so it wasn't his fault) and ended up landing on the floor but hey at least it was dry!  I've started doing a lot more work with out stirrups, it took me a big leap of faith and of course riding Gatsby to be able to get the courage to be able to cant...

Just a quick update to let you know that my car is back home now. It's had all the work done it that it needed doing and I am really glad to have it back because I feel a lot safer in it than I did in the Citroen C1.  The bruises from the car accident with Evie have just about gone now which I'm really happy about but the bruised area on my chest is still quite painful to touch. I will be putting in a claim against Evies car insurance from that night.  I've now officially finished all my uni work for my first semester. I've really enjoyed the course and can't wait to get started on our next project.  Until Next Time  A Girl With A Dream 

This morning I had to be up and ready to go out for 7:30, I would have an hour and a half to practice before I would have my driving test. I was fairly nervous but knew that I needed to relax and stay calm, we drove the 20minute drive to where I would be having my driving test and then spent an hour and 20 minutes. Here we practiced doing all the movements that I could be asked to do. When the time was right we then went to the test centre and parked up. We went in and the first thing that O had to do was an eye sight test, the next thing that I had to do was answer to 'show me/tell me' questions. Then the rest of the test began, fairly early on I had to do my movement which was the left reverse around the corner. I then had to do 10-15 minutes of 'independent driving' then after this I followed the instructions of where I would have to go until we eventually got back to the  test centre. Here I was told that I passed!!! :D  So this afternoon I drove myself to my l...

This morning I went up to the Stables to help with mucking out and turning the horses out, while it's a job that always makes me feel tired (early start) I always enjoy doing it and I know that it is building up my stomach muscles! While we were mucking out the horses were out in the field and Sam made me laugh. Sam likes to change fields he doesn't like to be where he's supposed to be. So some how he managed to change fields again, it doesn't matter what you do he still escapes but the funny thing is by the time to get the horses back in again he's back in his normal field. He certainly is a clever horse and I do really like him.   When I had finished there I went for a two hour driving lesson, it was good and I got to practice doing the things that I am more nervous about doing, I also got told some of the things that examiners will do in an attempt to trick you. I'm feeling confident that I will pass my test but only time will tell. After my driving less...

Above you will find the video of Gatsby and I from yesterday, towards the end you will see that coming in to the smaller jump we approached in to canter. We were supposed to be staying in the trot but Gatbsy wanted to move in to the canter so we went with this. Fiona said that she could see in my mind that I was wondering whether to bring him back or go with it so she shouted with me to go with it and I'm glad that I did because it made me realise that I can jump from a canter and that when we are Gatsby isn't going to rush it. I chose the song 'Wild Horses' because it just seemed to fit, because when you're jumping it feels like you are 'free'.  Today I have spent some time started to get to know my iMovie software and that was how I was able to make this video it took a while but I think it is a good over view of my lesson on Saturday. I also went for a drive with my mum as my driving test is soon! Then when I got in I spent some time curled up with...

First of all  I would like to say that if you haven't already you should head over and read Slow and Steady wins the race . I love reading Amy's blog and the adventures that she has with Steady! Her blog is great fun and when she reaches 100 followers is going to hold a contest, so head over there now!  Today I went out and did some driving practice around the area that I a going to be doing my test, as it is less than a month until I will be doing my test! In fact I think that it is only two weeks away. Time seems to be flying past so fast at the minute. Before I went for my drive I helped my mum to trim our dog. We have a lovely Shih Tzu called Angel and when she was a puppy we first took her to someone who was a dog groomer and we ended up leaving with Angel half done so ever since then my mum has been trimming the dog, the only problem is Angel just doesn't like it. So we have to bribe her to sit nicely for mum to do the job. Then I've spent the rest of the aft...

The past few days have been a little bit hectic. On Tuesday at the Bakewell Show Equestrian Day I had seen a black Bridle that had pink padding on the brow band and nose band and diamante on the brow band too. I LOVED it. On the day I was going to buy it, but the man on the stall was in the middle of a conversation and I didn't want to interrupt it so I decided that it didn't matter and I wouldn't get it. The next day I was kicking myself for not getting it, so when I went out with Dean and Sue they said they would take me to the shop to pick one up. Well when we got there we were told that they had no full bridles the only one they had got was pony. On and Off on Thursday Dean, Sue and I looked for another one that was similar and we just couldn't find one, so my mum said that it just wasn't the right time or place and I wasn't meant to have it. This made perfect sense to me and I do agree with it, one day I'll find one that was similar that day just wasn...

Today has been a pretty average day, I decided early on in the day that I wasn't going to do a lot because I was really tired, the only thing that I needed to do was go to my physiotherapy appointment at 2:30.  I went with my mum and brother this morning for them to talk to a bike sales person about the next motorbike that my brother would like, that has a 125cc engine instead of a 50cc. When we got home my mum and I decided that we would do my driving practice and time it so that I arrived at the physio on time. When I got there she asked how I was feeling and I said better but that I was still aching and occasionally getting pins and needles. She felt the joint in my back and said that it feels like it's gone back in to  place. I'm to keep using my belt when I'm riding and see how it goes and then in a couple of weeks try riding with out it and if I have any problems between now and then just to let her know! When I got in I started reading a new book, and th...

So you might have noticed that there is a new blinkie on my page, at the top in the left hand column. I can't wait to tell you guys more about it but you're all going to have to wait a little bit longer for that bit of information sorry guys! I'll give you a hint though it is to do with scrapbooking and computer software!  This morning I had my driving lesson, I've had 5 lessons with this new teacher and he has helped me to come on in leaps and bounds, it is just over a month until I'm going to be doing my driving test and from now on we are going to be working on test roots that the driving test people use. I've done all of the movements that you need to do, and feel really prepared for my exam, I've been able to practice in my car but only in small amounts as it's got to go up to my local garage tomorrow. I haven't really done much for the rest of today as I've not been feeling well but I think this is to do with the thunderstorm atmos...

For the past few days it was thought that I would get my car back today, but I didn't want to blog about it incase I jinxed everything. My uncle and mum took me to get it and then when my uncle was driving back my mum and I drove back in my mini. We went the countryside root back and it was really nice. The car felt a million times better but then it should do after having £3200 roughly worth of work done to it. Tomorrow I will go in to more detail about the things that it's had done to it but for tonight I am just so happy to have it back. It took me two hours to drive it back from Stoke (should have only taken 1) then I went out again in it this evening for a couple of hours. The things that I noticed immediately was that the engine was a hell of a lot quieter, it was almost purring and sounded so nice. The steering was a lot lighter, and it all felt a lot smoother. The third thing that we noticed was that the brakes were a lot sharper, I literally tapped the brakes to ease ...

Today and last night we have had heavy rain, thunder and lightening. This is something that we tend to not get very often but has been needed for a few weeks as it's been a heavy, suffocating atmosphere. So after the storm we expected to have a nicer atmosphere but it's not changed it's still the same as it has been for the past few weeks.  This morning I had a driving lesson with my new teacher we worked on reversing around corners and doing turns in the road (there not allowed to be called three point turns because if you need to do it in more than three turns then that is okay). I have also got my driving test booked for Friday the 6th of September! I can't wait, tomorrow I will hopefully find out how my car is doing as it is needing even more new parts! Frustrating. After my driving lesson we took my dad to the hospital for him to have the x-rays that he needed doing and blood tests.  I then had a nap this afternoon as I have not been sleeping very well and...

Yesterday at Pony Club we were doing some practice towards our first badge night next week! The first badge that we will be doing is grooming. So yesterday with the sun shining and it being nice hot weather we got the sponges and shampoo out and started working on bathing the horses. Alice and I did Gatsby and first of all we made sure to brush him all over especially his tale which was particularly knotty. When we had done we started putting the horses to bed, making sure to put the hay nets u and top the water up. It was then time to go home but mum was running late so Fiona let me get Tabby out (one of the new kittens) so I got lots of cuddles with them. They are so cute and I love them, I'm looking forward to afternoons at the stables and cuddles with the kittens. This morning I had got my third driving lesson with my new driving teacher. We decided that we were going to work on doing emergency stops. We talked about how it was important not to stall when doing the emergency...

Today has been another good but long day, I still didn't sleep well but I've been busy all day today so I am hoping that I will sleep better (although I do have an early start tomorrow). This morning I woke up and just watched tv and did some reading as I hadn't got any plans for the morning.  This afternoon was busy but fun. I had my first driving lesson with my new driving teacher and it went really well! He asked me what I knew how to do and I told him the things that I knew. We then started driving and he said that he wanted to do assess my driving. We had been driving for a little while and he said that what we were doing was too easy for me so we moved on to doing hill starts and things like that. It went really well, and he said that I can do my test soon, and I should only need 10 lessons. Then I can drive by myself and tomorrow I will be hearing more about how my car is doing, hopefully I will get it back towards the end of the week!  After this I went up ...

Well I said that I was going to do something creative today, when I said that I meant drawings, painting, card making or baking. Not gardening! This morning we went to Pc World for my brother to get a cable, when my mum got back she decided that she was going to cut our hedge so that it was easier for me to reverse in for when I get my car back! When we had done this we were all sitting around watching TV until my uncle got her, then my dad came in and when he came in, we took Angel for a walk. When we got back my mum and I went to empty a wheel barrow, she then saw that one of the bushes around our garden path needed trimming back and she said that I could do it. To start with I thought I'd make a mess of it but mum told me where I needed to start (at the bottom) and how much needed cutting off. This was a good idea because then as I got higher up I was able to keep the trimmed bits at an even level and not random bits sticking out. I then went to get my dad to show my dad, a...

Today my new phone came, I got the blackberry z10 and I love it. It's great and easy to use as well as being light weight. Another cool feqature that it has is to so with my BlackBerry playPlayBook. And is called remote control and it means that what I typon my phone then appears on my pPlayBook I don't really get how it works but I find it really fascibnating.  Today I've not done much. I did another drawing last night and also has pony club last night which was really fun. We brought Gatsby out of his stable and looked at all the different parts of the horses some I didn't have a clue where they were and other parts where really easy. We then put Gatsby away and when we Had done that Elaine gave us all a sheet on it was a diagram of a horse and you had to write next to the letter what that part of the horse was. There was only two that we missed (we worked in twos) and these were the croup and the chestnuts. I found it fascinating knowing all the different parts ...

Today started off badly bet ended on a good note. Yesterday I took my car to Stoke tonight it is still there its got a new water pump, thermometer, and possibly a gasket head as well. Think I've spelt that right but I know nothing about cars. The good news is this is all being repaired under warranty and at the minute it looks to be a very expensive job. originally I should have been getting my car back today and while I am gutted that it's not back I'd rather be driving a safe car. It doesn't look like it will be back before the bank holiday.  This evening I went with my uncle to see the Great Gatsby it was amazing. I love how they did it. I have been wanting to read it for a while but never got around to it and now that I know I enjoyed it I am definitely going to read the book. I love the glamour about the 1920's the jewellery, the clothes, the houses basically I love everything about that time period. Well except for the cars,  if they had my minis in that ...

Today was a long day my mum and I were up and out of the house  by 7am we arrived in Stoke qt just before 8 and the mechanic said that he was surprised how early we were but He was the one to tell my dad that we needed to be there as early as possible so we were. The first thing that he did was pop the bonnet up and try and open the water part well it bubbled over like mad none of us expected that. He told us that we were going to be there for a minimum of two to three hours so we might as well go up to the shopping part. He told us it was a quick 5 minute walk up a not to steep hill! Wrong! The hill was really steep so we did it in two parts we stopped at the bus station to sit for a but and then get a drink. Then we walked another 10 minutes to go to McDonalds were we had pancakes and sausage breakfast then we had to wait. It was cold and raining so we waited in McDonalds. Eventually we got a phone call to tell us that my car would have time stay over night because it needs a ne...

I love ponyclub I get to spend time with Gatsby and learn new things which is always great fun. Today we were working on handling we spent a while grooming. Gatsby liked this because it meant that he could get pampered and go to sleep! We spent quite a while doing it. We then had a break we liked this because it involved juice and cakes!! I like cakes.  When we had done this we moved on to doing handling. This was awesome it was like doing an in hand show. It was so fun and I cant wait to do more Gatsby reacted really well because of Gatsbys martingale we used the lunge bridle that had got vettie's bit in it. Fiona showed us how to check that the bridle would fit Gatsby and what to do to change it. Fiona asked if I had ever done in hand work and I said no.  I think that I picked it up really well. We started off just doing simple things like working on walking at a nice rhythm we then moved on to the trot for some reason I just found this really easy. So fiona suggested t...

I am finally curled up in bed watching tv with my ever so cuddly dog. Angel is funny she doesn't like people coming in the house and will bark for hours if someone different comes to the house. But when it's just us in the house she is so dopey and stuff shell curl up with us and give everyone cuddles she's a great little dog.  This morning I went to fetch a desk that i had reserved off argos' website. We picked it up and then came the fun part putting it together. Now DIY I am not very good at so I had to get my mum to help me put it together. So it is now up in my room.  Today I got to see my nephew and my sister again and he is starting to be one cheeky little fella. When he's doing something wrong he knows that he is and gets this looks on his face it is the same thing that happens when you tell him no. He knows the difference between being right or wrong, and he's really clever. Earlier he kept walking I'm to what was my nans part of the house ...