Wet.

Light rain all day and unusually warm.

The morning began with drizzle that was light enough for me to still do some tidying up in the garden, mainly sorting out bags of rubble and plant waste to take to the dump after the RDA lesson.

The rain picked up once I set off for the stables which might account for why I missed the turn-off which is only about a mile along the main A road and instead I carried on on auto pilot. It's quite a scenic route and I was enjoying the views through a forest and then up into the mountains. I didn't realise my mistake until I got to the turning for Devil's Bridge. Then it was a matter of finding a spot to turn round and driving all the way back down the winding road. 

I still got there before the children arrived and the rest of the group laughed with me about my long detour. It was quite an eventful or shall I say lively lesson today. For three of the children it was their first time on a pony and all three started with screaming melt-downs for different reasons. One issue was wearing a riding hat especially once the chin strap was clipped shut. For children that are unsettled by new experiences and are also touch sensitive it's a lot to take in. We suggested they spend some time getting used to the riding hat they have at school before coming to the stables. Hopefully by the next time they come all of the children will be able to sit on a pony as they are led around the indoor school.

And .... big event for me, I shall be riding next week. After 25 years of not riding (too costly, then a bad back) I want to see if my back and knee are up to being back on a horse again. I thought a gentle 1 hour hack would do but there wasn't anything available for next week. Instead the girl suggested I might be better with a half-hour private lesson so that is what I will be doing next Friday. I still have boots, jodhpurs and hat though the hat doesn't conform to the latest safety standards. To celebrate the occasion I bought a new schooling whip (like a riding crop but thinner and twice as long and just used to touch the horse on the flank) in Charlies but as hats are around £100 I wont get one unless until I ride more. I can always borrow a hat from the stables if they veto my old one.

We spend quite a while on a lesson debrief so my journey home coincided with the end of the school day which is a busy time on the roads. No problems getting to the dump and disposing of a car load of rubble and plants but from then on I was caught in traffic. The kind of traffic jam where more time is spent at a standstill than moving. After about half an hour I made it to the supermarkets which were not only very busy but Lidl in particular had a lot of empty spaces on the shelves. I usually indulge in a chocolate brownie or two but the only one left in the self-serve trays looked as if it might have been handled so I left it. I was so late that I got to Huws, for some more cement at 6.00 and they were already shut. So while on paper it looks simple to nip in to town after RDA I've now decided to abandon that plan. Avoiding town and going straight home takes a quick 20 minutes. We'll just have to fit shopping in with other things.