Long overdue post - not enough hours in the day, week, year!!

I find myself apologising again for the lack of blog entries!! Just realised it's Friday the 13th!

I have been so busy recently any spare time I have I'm too tired to do anything!

Most exciting news recently is that James and I bought a house!!! I'm spending every spare hour sanding walls, ripping up skirting boards and painting. It's looking a bit bare at the moment and trying to get the furniture we need.

I have been working very hard on the yard too. Holly, Corby, Bobby and Tango to ride every day at the moment. Duffy has had a little break so I can concentrate on Tango and I've also been given the opportunity to school a few more horses which has been great. I've been schooling Beau for a while now and am also schooling Pandora a sweet Welsh mare who is at the same stables.

Also helping bring on a lovely coloured mare, first sat on her on Tuesday and she was very good considering she has only recently been backed.

I'm taking Bobby and Tango to the Sevenoaks Riding Club ODE on Sunday which I'm looking forward too, I'll also be riding Beau there.

I had a great lesson with Sharon Hunt a few weeks ago, she was so friendly and helpful. Holly hasn't been on form recently we've had a few problems XC since moving up to Advanced. Hopefully with Sharon's advice we'll be back on track soon. Holly is such a lovely mare that I don't want to rush things so I'll bring her back down a level or two to get her confidence back up and go from there.

We were due to compete at my favourite event The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe as we'd qualified for the Intermediate British Championships. Laurance kindly paid for this event and I was really looking forward to going. I withdrew Holly though as although disappointing it really is a championship standard course and as we're not quite on key at the moment I thought it best to get some confidence boosting rounds in first. Very well done to Sharon Hunt on her 2nd in the Novice Championships. My lesson was just before Gatcombe and I'd said to Sharon how much I love the event, I'm really pleased she is doing so well especially after the disappointment of the WEG selection. It is lovely at Bedgebury they've made some real improvements and I'm looking forward to going back.

As well as all the yard work and riding I did a bit of painting and decorating to earn some extra money to help with events and the mortgage (can't believe I've got a mortgage to pay now!) I'm also still working in the pub. Not quite sure how I got through those weeks first thing at the yard, decorating 8-12, then back up the yard to ride and some evenings working in the pub!

Lady's foal is doing really well and growing, she is very cheeky!

Must sit down and plan the next events. Hopefully maybe get a few more points to help towards the SEEL Rankings with Holly, before we know it it'll be November anyway and the ball! Not sure where this year has gone!

I'll plan to do another update next week after the Sevenoaks Riding Club ODE!

TTFN, Lisa