I'm back

Bet you didn't even notice.

Been a packed week one way and another. Managed to clear out the spare room successfully for my visitor but it did mean that I had stuff piled into the bedroom as well as the hobbit house and that the cats were down 2 beds having to make do with sitting on the dining chairs or stealing a dog bed when they weren't looking.

Still, got lots of work done here as well, that has to go on and time before heading out to Northern Ireland is getting short.

Last Monday we had a really good day with the Coleg students. They have worked so very hard here and as we had a horse available that was quiet as well as rideable we gave them an oppportunity to have a ride. Well supervised of course. They were a bit wobbly and perhaps a bit apprehensive but to give them their due, both of them did extremely well. I took a couple of photographs.

We were all pleased with how that went. Gives you a real nice feeling inside when people enjoy life that much.

Tuesday was Adrian's day off so we took our visitor with us while Adrian did a trimming session on 2 horses that hadn't been handled very much and had virtually no manners at all despite being 4 and 5 years old. In the end it turned into more of a horse handling session particularly for the 4 year old, the owners have decided that he will come to us for some basic ground work and training after we get rid of strangles. He was a handfull but only because he hasn't learned how to be any different. I remembered why we keep up the private dental insurance though when the gelding started throwing his head around and nearly caught Adrian across the jaw.

The evening was somewhat marred by the fact that we had trouble between the greyhounds and Seven the newly returned cat. We were out for most of the day, the dogs were excited when we got home and treed Seven but not before Merlin managed to pull a few hairs out of his tail. Seven gave him a few good scrapes with his claws, Merlin still bears the scars but is unrepentant about his behaviour. Seven did a runner up the tree and we left him there when we went out for the evening but he seemed to have disappeared again. I called him in about 9.30 poor chap, he was bloodied but unbowed, had a stiff leg and was very, very angry. Being me I worried about him all night but he did recover. He is a bit tentative about coming in now and we are back in the same mode we had to assume when Jack first decided he would like to eat one of our other cats. I am sure it will sort itself out in the end, after all Sofie the cat is still here and there is no longer a problem but I fear this may take longer.

Since then it has been all go to recontruct information boards etc for the Open Day at Coleg Elidyr that we are attending tomorrow afternoon. We will be taking some horses after all, I suddenly remembered Maggy and Sapphire, 2 ponies we recently rehomed just over the hill and who would be unaffected by strangles. I rang the loan home the other day and they were more than pleased to assist. We will collect the 2 ponies on the way and will return them in the afternoon so that should work out. I am pleased we can make the best use of the Coleg Open Day, it would have been a shame not to have some animals there as it is the animals that figure so much in the students work experience. I have found it far more rewarding than I thought I would. Watching them even briefly from week to week has shown me how much they have been able to achieve. They can get on with a lot of the work unassisted, they know the routine and the work suits them. We are happy to continue having them and even better, the Coleg are happy to have us.