23 April 2005

I am in the middle of a strange weekend here. The weather is fine and drying winds are firming up the ground - the ponies may even get out onto the grass in a few days ;-)

Husband Graham has therefore decided this is the weekend to renew the septic tank (do not read further if you are eating). We are planning to turn our old stone barn next door into a house and the current plumbing arrangements - though perfectly adequate over the past 23 years w/o even any need to empty - are not up to statutory criteria, so we need to plant "a plastic onion" flask- shaped new tank. Hence, a mini digger and dumper truck have been pootling about over the farm all day today digging out and removing tons of wet black earth, brick, stone, gravel and concrete, and will probably do the same tomorrow. At least this means that some of the wet field gateways will get filled with the spoil. (Tomorrow I must collect up the tadpoles and dump them in the ditch instead of in the puddle that is rapidly drying in the hayfield gateway!)

Mr T does not like large machines much but as he was parked in the paddock round the back, that didn't matter. Ruby on the other hand considers herself Investigator-in-Chief to anything new. This afternoon she not only drove out through a narrow space between the dumper and the barn end without even looking at them, but wanted to go in the field and watch the digger walloping its way with a jack-hammer through the concrete base of the old tank. Graham said it would be OK so tomorrow I might just let her do that. I love this line of ponies - Rosie was just the same. Would help you dig a hole, and would march through parked machinery demanding its removal Out Of Her Way.

Ruby is casting her winter coat still and the new coat is much darker bay - quite a dark brown in fact. It will be interesting to see whether it brightens as summer comes in and we get some more sunshine. The other nice thing is that after losing all the podge she brought with her last August, and having looked for some time (from the rear) a bit too wide at the top of the hip and narrow at the stifle, she is suddenly rounding out. The hip doesn't look nearly so prominent and the stifle area is becoming broader than the top, just like Mr T's muscly little behind. :-) Yeah, I know - my garage man tells me it is not normal to find any enjoyment in sitting on a plank on wheels and staring at a horse's backside. But another friend reminds me that schooling horses is an art form, akin to animated sculpture. When you get it right it looks lovely. And it seems to stay that way. Mr T has done no serious work for about 18 months and he still looks like a little work horse (of course, he has Ruby barging about to keep him on his toes!). One of my neighbours wants to drive him occasionally, so she is bringing her exercise cart here to have its tyres inflated and the bodywork checked over, then we can go out as a little cavalcade. :-) Ruby and T together.

We are hoping to take Ruby to a little gathering of drivers on 15th May which involves a 5 mile trot, 4 hazards and a cones course, so Ruby is having to go out a bit more often to develop the stamina. Last night was the first night it has been both light and dry enough to consider driving after I came home from work, and Ruby thought my change of timetable was NOT amusing. She expected her evening feed and hay, so a tiny feed and work were not something she approved of. She was miffed, and consequently mischievous all the way round the drive. While one startle was excusable as we drove over the railway with an express train going full belt underneath, the ones that she claimed were due to the Shetland ponies or the Warmbloods trotting alongside their fence, were just pretences and a wonderful "reason" to prance along at an elastic trot, uttering huge trumpeting snorts, neck curved like a dragon and ears as stiff as horns. But she has a lovely mouth and no inclination to shy or spin round, so the "go forward" ethic didn't have to suffer at all!

I am testing a new crown piece on Ruby's bridle. Barb Lee VERY kindly cut it for me and sent as a blank. I finished it earlier in the week and exchanged it for the older one that has been allowing the blinkers to rub on Ruby's sharp face bones above the eye. We have driven out a couple of times so far and everything seems fine - though time will tell of course! If you're reading the List - Thanks Barb!

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