At Last.

It has been a day of sunshine and showers with the occasional rainbow.

I woke this morning and for the first time in a long time with very little pain. This was good not only because of the lack of pain but in that sometimes I start feeling depressed thinking I'm on a downward slope to decrepitude and wondering how long I'll be able to continue with all my activities. A good morning gives me hope for the future.

I was outside for my 'thinking time' early enough to enjoy seeing the sky gradually lighten as the world began to wake up.

By the time I was back inside eating my breakfast the morning clouds were flushed pink for a brief spell though it wasn't long before there was a shower which brought its own bonus of a spectacular rainbow.

Out on the cliff the birds were paddling for worms. That's what seagulls should be doing rather than ripping open bin bags or stealing chips from unsuspecting holidaymakers.

I have to be quite organised on a Friday so I end up doing more things when I'm busy rather than I have the whole day at home. This morning's contribution to the spring cleaning effort was cleaning everything on the sitting room windowsill. (I had cleaned the blind and the planters just before Christmas.)

There were seven of us riding this morning but there is going to be a lesson at 12.00 as well to reduce the numbers in each class. I had my favourite grumpy, chunky, hairy Tex and had enough time beforehand to give his mane a good brush. I would need at least an hour to do his mane and tail properly but it was a start. A couple of people were asked to ride without stirrups and when I asked the boss who was teaching us, if I should as well she replied that she wasn't sure if I wanted to. I ended up riding for the whole lesson without stirrups which is no great feat on Tex. 

There was some noisy building work going on outside the school with a great deal of banging and thumping but nobody had any problems. Tex is very reliable in that sense. 

Afterwards I went to the dump, called in at Toolstation and dropped some stuff off at Hahav. Then on to Morrison's where I met one of the RDA organisers. We had a nice long chat in the middle of the aisle leaning on our trollies. I'm not sure if it's just in Wales (where people chat a lot) but they have several tables and chairs in the middle of the shop (not the café) with a sign saying 'Have a seat if you want.'.

Next stop was Charlie's where they have removed the temptation of the half-price Christmas decorations. I browsed the shoe sale, tried on a few pairs of boots and found Heavenly Feet boots are still too tight ( I'm an optimistic soul) and carried on with my hunt for a pair of jodhpur boots even though I've looked there numerous times. Where I did strike lucky was at the Red Cross shop in town. A pair that fitted for £12. I still prefer my long boots but I'm hoping to ride in Crete and need some suitable footwear.

Back home all I had to do was throw my clothes in the washing machine and replace everything back on the windowsill. Then came a welcome rest with tea and tablets.