Dry Enough for Sports Day.

A early morning appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound resulted in the good news that yes, I do have gallstones. That counts as good news because it explains the abdominal pains I've been having and can be sorted with a routine procedure ie taking out the gall bladder with a laparoscopy. (You wait years for an operation and then 2 come at once.) I had time after that to return home and bid farewell to our friends. Then it was back to school for our Sports Day. Luckily the slight rain at lunchtime cleared up and the various activities went without a hitch. Last year we couldn't get any parents to run but this year both the mums and the dads ran. I spent the afternoon worrying big time, about a rash that appeared above my ankle after Saturday's walk through wet bracken where sheep graze. By yesterday I had convinced myself it was a tick bite (did you know that humans are usually bitten by the nymph stage which is the size of a poppy seed?). It isn't a typical bull's eye rash but there were enough pictures of similar looking rashes on the web and descriptions of Lyme disease to get me really worried. I was convinced that I had an infection which would put a halt to my back op for which I have waited so long. I waved my leg around at work, got various opinions and decided to visit the doctor after work. I was seen by the triage nurse who 90% convinced me that it is just an allergic reaction to an insect bite. There is still a niggling doubt and I don't think I will be totally convinced that they won't cancel the operation until I am lying there with a needle in my hand.

Coming home we stopped at the top of the drive to let Sarah walk past with some children on lead rein ponies. I asked Sarah if there was any news about the foal and she pointed to Coral who was there being ridden. The crafty pony had been faking all along and spent a happy summer getting extremely fat. She had been to a stallion and as she gave all the signs she was in foal they didn't do an ultrasound to check. Now she is in danger of getting lamminitis so she is on a strict diet and exercise regime. So no foal this year.

I thought I would put a few more pictures up from yesterday's walk.

The back view of Castle Rock. A rocky path leads right up to the top.
3 goats sunning themselves .....

not in the least concerned about the several hundred foot drop down the cliff.