Tex the Tank.

I was so thankful to find that we'd had a dry night and although bitterly cold in the morning the roads were free of ice. The sheet I'd put over the car windscreen had frozen to a crisp but I only had to scrape the side windows before setting off for the stables. Further inland the fields were glittering under a layer of frost but the roads were clear for the whole journey.

The camera has made the pink more intense than it really was but it was still a pretty sunrise to start the day.  

I haven't noticed this phenomenon before. Pete tells me it's due to colder water above a deeper seabed.

Still a hint of snow on the far distant hills.

For this morning's lesson I rode Tex for the first time. He's a stocky, shaggy pony and I absolutely loved riding him. (His nick name is Tex the tank.) I was told that he never does anything dangerous but he can be a bit naughty about not doing what he's asked. My instructions were not to worry about getting him on the bit but to focus on very clear aids and to insist he does what he's been asked to do. No cutting corners or trying to follow his friends. I only had one slight problem in that his mane is so thick and long that I couldn't see his shoulders when I wanted to check if I was on the right diagonal.

With all that in mind we had a great ride (after having to get a different pair of stirrups as the leathers on the ones on Tex's saddle were too short for my long legs) most of which was in sitting trot. Next time I ride him I'll check the leathers in the stable while I tack up. At one point in the lesson the girl riding Pacman was having problems with one corner where we were supposed to be turning down the 3/4 line and leg yielding to the wall. She's fairly new to riding and Pacman played up every time ending up with a small buck. The issue was resolved by having Pacman follow close behind Tex around the corner and down the 3/4 line first in walk and then in trot. We finished off in style riding side by side and leg yielding at the same time which gave my friend a boost to her confidence.

Afterwards I took some stuff to the dump and then did the usual shopping. Town and the roads are getting very busy. I guess we're in the run up to Christmas. 

In town I went to the photo shop where the chap re-did my beach photo. It's still not quite as vivid as the smaller print which I did at Morrison's but much better than the first try.

Next stop was the bank to pay for another holiday in Plaka. At the same place and for three weeks again but this time in the spring when it won't be quite as hot as in September. The man in the bank dealing with the transfer had been to Crete and visited Spinalonga so we had a good chat while his colleague put the details into the computer.

I was determined to get at least one job done at home before my Friday afternoon collapse and decided to clean one of the long window sills in my study. There was hardly any mould on the window frame but one corner of the muslin curtain was discoloured by the damp. I washed that corner of the curtain before spraying it with the anti-mould stuff which I guess is mainly (or completely) bleach and leaving it to drip dry. I'll clean the other window sill tomorrow.