Harry horse & Charlie adventures! Horse chat & much more! Everyone welcome!

[rebrascora]

Oh poor you, nursing a hang over! I didn't touch a drop (apart from the rum that was in the white sauce with the Christmas pud) I won't drink anything when I am driving and by the time I helped my sister with the clearing up and then we did evening stables for her horses and her friends and then I got home to do my horses it was 10 pm and I was still seriously stuffed and no room for anything more to eat or drink.
Ian was in an absolutely foul mood as he had gone to his brother's for lunch and their daughter's pug had eaten chocolate money (wrappings and all) whilst they were out getting granny and his brother was cooking lunch, so they had to whisk the dog to the emergency vets 30 miles away.... I am guessing Ian had to drive as the others will have been drinking and he never got any xmas dinner and had to cook himself some chips when he got home at 6pm from doing his horses and feeding the cattle at the farm..... and it was such a lovely afternoon weather wise when he could have been happily driving his horse round the country lanes on his "one half day off he gets in the year!!" All to the sound of a violin wailing in the background! Serves him right, he should have come with me to my sisters! I did feel quite bad for him though!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

No poor me as it was all self inflicted! Having not had a drink for 6 months going mad at Christmas was silly really but we had a good time. Back to being T total again for me!

Oh no Ian getting no Christmas dinner! I can see why he’d be in foul mood! How’s the dog? Did they give it something to make it sick? I bet that was a pretty penny heading to the emergency vets on Christmas Day!

 

[rebrascora]

How’s the dog? Did they give it something to make it sick? I bet that was a pretty penny (pun intended??) heading to the emergency vets on Christmas Day!

I believe it was already being sick and throwing up whole and partially foil wrapped coins before they set off but the whole situation was compounded by the fact they were flying out to Australia the next day and cousins from New Zealand were coming to stay in their house and dog sit and visit family, so they felt like they had to play it safe and get professional help. £160 but Ian said the complimentary tea and coffee was good in the waiting room!
Thankfully the kit to repair Ian's suspension is only £13 and it arrived today so he is (hopefully) fixing it as I type. The air suspension on that model Range Rover was notorious for failure and this is the second fix since he got it 2 years ago but at least it is not expensive or complicated.... lots of You Tube tutorials on what the problems are and how to fix.... don't you love You Tube!!... just the seals and liners in the air pump to replace.... at least we are assuming that is the problem again this time

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Originally no there was no pun intended but that sure is how it reads now I’ve looked back! Good to hear the pug is ok. Not too bad either only being £160, I would have thought way more for out of hours on Christmas Day!

Yes YouTube sure is great for tutorials! It rescued me in the summer when I was having an argument with the strimmer & it’s string! Also to the rescue when me & Scott had a bicker over wallpaper! YouTube proved me to be right

it’s been an easy repair for the suspension & a cheap price too for the parts!

 

[rebrascora]

Unfortunately the repair hasn't worked and we are onto plan B which is to fit tyre valves to each suspension unit and blow them up individually. Then we will have an idea if one of them is punctured and see if we can get a replacement. Because they are all interlinked to the pump at the mo, we have no way of knowing where the leak is.

Scott had a bicker over wallpaper! YouTube proved me to be right

Like it!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Mmm... that sounds a lot more complicated Barbara! A shame it wasn’t plan A But if you can get it done yourself even with a little more work it sure will be cheaper than taking it to a garage.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Wow I’m feeling very old today!

Charlie is 17 today, not sure where the years have gone!
He had his first driving lesson this morning which went remarkably well considering he was a nervous wreck. Really glad it went ok for him and he’s actually looking forward to next weeks!
Now I’ve just dropped him off at his girlfriends house which has made me feel doubly old! He’s been seeing her about a month but kept her quiet until just before Christmas. Not met her myself but she’s at the same college doing an equine course which suits me down to the ground! Should have something to talk about when we get to meet her

It seems he’s starting to fledge.......

 

[rebrascora]

Oh wow Kim..... he really is growing up.... although that prom photo was a strong indication of it. So pleased he has enjoyed his first driving lesson. It is such an expensive process for young people these days. Our parents taught us to drive. We never had a professional lesson and it was always old bangers that we drove and we were named drivers on our parents' insurance when it was legal to do so...... so much cheaper than the thousands of £s young people have to fork out for insurance these days.
Good to hear he has a horsey girlfriend. I hope you get on well when you eventually meet her. Having something so fundamental in common should really help break the ice. One of my best friend's is a 2x grandmother and has been for several years and she is the same age as me..... I find that hard to comprehend.... and my brother was 70 last summer!! Time certainly is ticking on!

We are now onto plan B with the Range Rover and a set of 4 valves have been ordered (£21.21) and Ian is using my Freelander to go hunting today. Not sure if this will be a permanent fix but it should at least sort it short term.

Got 4 eggs again today but still waiting for that exchequer leghorn to start producing! It surely can't be much longer now!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

It sure is pricey Barbara £500 for 10 lessons. The lessons are 2 hours each and I’m hoping he won’t need too many more after that! We’ve gone half each with my mum and dad on them for his birthday. He also got cash from other friends & relatives for Christmas & birthday so I’m hoping he might show a bit of willing himself should he need more. But then again he’s as tight as a ducks bottom when it comes to money! Hates parting with any and would rather save! Was all so much easier years ago to get your test done & a car on the road! I’ve not even checked with our insurance policies to put Charlie on because I know it will be a fortune! Maybe when he’s past his test I will check it out because I don’t want to take him out before his test & teach him any bad habits! As they say “you learn to pass your test then learn to drive”
I’m hoping we might not need to get him a car as he would like to get an under Keepers job and a car usually comes with that kind of job. When they advertise they always ask for shotgun, firearms & driving licenses. He’s got 2/3 so just the driving to get now!

Good luck with the new valves Hope your Freelander is holding up well with all the extra work! Are you a bit stuck now without a vehicle?

Mmmmm.. no eggs yet here! That leghorns not hiding them is she??

 

[ShrekDawg]

If that’s all driving time, that’s actually pretty reasonable. Here they give you far less driving time and it’s way more. The prices vary but the one I went to is now $750. I think it was cheaper when I went though, maybe $650 or even $550 but I’m not sure. It might not have been. That was a few years ago. I would need to ask my parents. But here is what that includes, and these are Massachusetts standards for everyone.

“Includes:

• 30 Hours of Classroom Instruction
• 12 Hours of Behind the Wheel Driving
• 6 Hours of Observation
• 2-Hour Parent Class

THAT'S 50 HOURS!”

Sooooo.... You only actually get 12 hours behind the wheel.... That said, you do need a lot more hours with your parents too I think before you can get your license, I think it’s like 40, not sure if that includes the drivers ed amounts, but still. The class is kinda useless imo. I guess learning the signs or rules is important but you can do that with driving. Also the test for the permit is on a computer and it’s random so everybody gets different questions but it is so freaking stupid because somebody could get a really easy question like what does a stop sign mean (really!?) while someone else gets some super specific question about blood alcohol level/math or about a truck license when you’re not even trying to drive a truck. I forget ho many questions there are exactly but not too many. But if you fail, you have to take it again and it costs like $30 every time you need to take it. I think I took it twice and then I took my road test twice too (first time I got so nervous I backed into the cones parallel parking lol). But you have to get your permit before the class too so you can do the road time stuff but that’s especially stupid because since you already passed the test, what’s the point of learning the info again!? I think you may have to take it again for the license but maybe not. Idk. But still.

Here are the prices and the ages here in MA.

Registry Fees:
These fees are additional and paid by you directly to the RMV.

• Learners Permit $30.00
• License Application $35.00
• Five Year Picture License $50.00

How Old?

• Drivers Ed Course: 15.9 mos.
• Learners Permit: 16 years old
• License: 16 1/2 years old and must hold permit for 6 months