Treasure Hunt

Busy busy busy.... I hosted a drive today for our driving club and although we didn't have a huge turnout we all had a lot of fun. I gave everybody maps and directions interspersed with clues that were mostly things to find along the route, though here and there when the drive passed through open countryside I added in a couple of general knowledge questions. I put up CAUTION - HORSES signs along a narrow stretch of road, and got everybody's mobile numbers in case I needed to get in touch with them en route (my number was on all the pages of the route / clues). Everything went okay but you never know!

It was all very relaxed. We all met on the village green. Everyone drove at their own speed, separately if they wanted, or in groups if they wanted. Even the competition-fit pair just chilled out while the driver and passengers enjoyed the views. With a cooling breeze, and the sun shining on the fells, it was perfect recreational driving weather. An old friend, who's been looking for a replacement driving pony since her old Fell died, came over just to spectate. She has taken a pony on trial that sounds ideal - she was given a test drive with him in a set of harness held together with baling string, in a dirty bit that was half an inch too small, and with the traces wound round the shafts to shorten them... but the pony never put a foot wrong, and if he'll put up with all that crap he'll certainly bloom in Margaret's four star care!

After the drive I marked everyone's answer sheets while they saw to the horses. The pair went paddling in the river, and had a nice long drink and then grazed beside the horsebox. Some drivers took their ponies back to our yard where they'd parked, one stopped off at her home to wash off and turn out the pony and then came to the finish in her car; then when all the ponies had been seen to we all had a good gossipy picnic on the village green. And when everyone, horses and human, had gone home, I took Ruby out for a drive along part of the route to collect my CAUTION signs, and we had a really nice relaxed time chatting to neighbours and visitors that we passed along the road. I even met a Morgan (the sports car not the horse) and directed the driver to his destination, with mutual expressions of admiration for each other's form of transport.

Now grand-daughter Naomi, who has supervised Ruby being rubbed down and fed and turned out in the top garth with Mr T, is flouncing round my garden dressed up as a fairy - complete (as all gardeners should be) with pink wellies. What a hoot.