Week 21 ORR

On Friday afternoon we went over to Snells Beach as Rob had invited us over for a meal later Julie being away for the weekend at a conference. I went to the hairdresser to have my hair trimmed, something it badly needed. Then Nigel and I went and had a walk on the beach at Martins Bay.
Rob cooked a very nice meal and we got back home about 8pm.

On Saturday I realised that I needed to return the videos that Jonny had borrowed from the video shop there so we both went in. We had a walk around the town surprised to see that many of the shops were closed on Saturday afternoons. Then we had a walk along the river bank.

On Sunday we had heavy rain and during Sunday night I woke several times to hear the rain pounding on the roof. On Monday morning we had a brief respite from the rain and it felt almost springlike. A good morning for flinging open the windows and doing some housework! It was still damp and drizzly in the afternoon but we did manage a walk around the harbour at Whangateau.
Tuesday was a wet, at home day.
Wednesday morning we went to the cinema to see "Late Bloomers" another enjoyable film. After the film we had a late lunch at the Matakan Kitchen which is situated in the cinema complex before having a walk around the village.
Thursday was my first day helping out at the stables and I arrived there at 10.30am in time to help tack up the horses in readiness for the first ride of the day at 11.30. There were only 10 riders - all Korean- on the ride but most of the horses had been brought in from the paddocks as there were 20 riders in the afternoon. Although the students are in the country on a language course their English is virtually non existant and their knowledge of horses and riding completely non existant. They did, though, seem to enjoy their first equestrian experience. At the end of the ride there was a photo call as they were all keen, as were all subsequent groups, to have photographic evidence of their time on horseback. After lunch the second lot, once again all Korean, arrived and it took quite some time to get all of them mounted , check their stirrups and girth and show them how to hold the reins. The route for the beginners ride goes through the paddocks and then winds up the forested hill to the high paddocks before going down through more paddocks and back to the farm. We have to keep a sharp eye open to make sure that the horses keep in single file as they have their own pecking order and can get quite upset if another horse tries to pass them. We have walkie talkies to keep in contact with the other leaders as the ride can get quite strung out at times. Thanfully all went well and we got them all back safe and sound. By the time that I had untacked and rugged up several horses and led them out to the paddocks I was feeling pretty shattered but had throroughly enjoyed my day. Inside it seems that I am still the little girl who spent a large portion of her childhood helping out at our local riding school!