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

[Yorkshire Coop]

Yes, thanks. That is a very interesting marking. Wonder how rare it is. I've seen pics of albino fox. We have the little grey fox here. Tree climbers!

Not sure on the rarity as he’s never shot one with so much white on before. Will have to Google that one. But I’m quite convinced there is another out there with a white head. I was driving one early evening for Scott and this fox appeared in front of us on the track. It was getting to dusk & the light was fading and my eyes are not the best! But we were both convinced it had a total white head. Unfortunately it didn’t stop so he couldn’t shoot it to find out for sure. But I’m convinced....

Tree climbers! How big are they Wishing?

 

[rebrascora]

Hot pot made to my Mam's recipe is layers of thinly sliced potatoes and carrots with layers of corned beef slices and chopped onions repeated and topped with a final layer of potato and then streaky bacon. Beef stock (oxo cubes in water) is poured over the top and baked in the oven. I add in a layer of turnip (swede) if I have it to incorporate more veggies and bulk it out. Unfortunately by the time I got to Ian's it was after 8 and I had all the veg to prep, so it was 10 by the time we ate and I was feeling frazzled and definitely ready to crash then. Thankfully we have half left so we will be enjoying leftovers without the work tomorrow. There is something very comforting about eating food your mother used to make for you as a child. Not sure you could have persuaded me to do swaps for the donner wrap, especially with chilli sauce..... a chicken kebab with all the salad and garlic sauce would be my choice, but I wouldn't ever swap it for my Mam's hotpot.
Tonight I have duck parcels from Lidl which have a pork and chestnut stuffing with cherry sauce. Not had it before but sounds like it is right up my street. Hoping Ian is OK with it as he has problems with nuts..... he never actually says he has an allergy, just that they make him feel funny. He can eat marzipan but if something has flaked almonds on it he won't touch it. It says chestnut flavour, rather than actual chestnuts, so I'm not sure if that will make a difference or even if he is OK with chestnuts. If not, he can have the leftover hot pot and I can have 2 portions of duck.... yum!

Everything is thawing here pretty rapidly although I had all the water stations for the chucks to break and thaw. Ian's outside tap for the hose blew and was spraying halfway across the street this morning which didn't make conditions any better... water spraying on top of ice is not a good combo, especially on the pavement where people were passing to go get their papers. Thankfully I had some spare push fit plumbing fittings to fix it down at home but he is on a water meter and we have no idea how long it had been spewing water as it was round the back behind the garage, so his next bill will probably be a big one!
Not sure if we will be riding again today or not. I had a slow start this morning (well it is Sunday morning!) so I'm a bit behind with my chores. Zak was desperate to go out and play in the snow yesterday so I put them out for a couple of hours after we came back from our ride (against Ian's better judgement) and he and Archie rolled and rolled and had a great time. Poor Ernie was left in the stable to have his bucket of feed as he is the only one being fed so it seemed more fair for him to stay in and eat whilst they were out instead of having to watch him eat in front of them when they don't get anything. It turned out he only ate half of it because he was too busy watching the others having fun in the field, so Archie had an unexpected extra treat cleaning up after him when I brought them in.
Think that is all my news..... Oh... Lauren had her second Uni competition last week and her team won (after coming last, last time) and she came 8th individually which she was absolutely delighted about and rightly so. So proud of her for the work that she put in after her first experience was so disappointing and confidence shattering. Hopefully it is onwards and upwards from here for her!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Gosh I was being a bit thick there Barbara with the hot pot! Like a beef hot pot but with corned beef! I just had hash on the brain. Sure does sound delicious though & especially as it’s your mams recipe. I always stick to mines for cottage pie How were those duck parcels? They sound right up my street! Did Ian do ok with the nut element of them? Maybe he should get that checked out at the quacks as allergies really scare me. It’s been mainly stings that have spooked me. What with Charlie & the game keeper when he collapsed after a sting & our neighbour who actually died after a sting in the wood over the road from us. It’s not something totake lightly no matter how trivial it seems now.

Had another heavy frost last night so the ground was hard again this morning. All defrosted again this aft and we’ve had rain now. Mud mud & mud!

Not sure it counts but I’m going to get another

in for this morning. Back lady came out today so wanted to watch me ride to get to the bottom of this click that Harry has. Was quite funny as she was trying to follow us round the arena & listen for it! It appears to be coming from his hip & possibly his stifle. His back is fine so she says he’s not compensating for anything that’s going on with the click with his back. She as I thought thinks it’s just arthritis. He looks well and seems happy enough, not trying to deck me so she says carry on as normal.

Please do congratulate Lauren for me! That sure is a confidence giver for her and the whole team I bet she had a super grin from ear to ear!

Hope you are having a good start to the week Barbara xxx

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Malcolm was going for it today! It seems he had itchy shell too or just fancied a wiggle

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I’m getting another

in for today. Quick whizz round little block. Managed to get round before another heavy shower appearance! With the forecast I saw this morning I was expecting gales today but they didn’t seem to get over to us. Got another hack booked in for the morning, after he’s been out for an hour though for a kick & buck!

 

[rebrascora]

Oh my! Well done you and good luck for tomorrow! Is your yard taking any precautions re Equine Influenza? Pleased to hear Harry has the all clear on his back. I know my joints make plenty of clicks and bangs and sometimes I hobble or ache but don't really think much of it and yet if one of the horses is lame I am beside myself.
It has been very wild here today and certainly not safe for me to consider riding out. The horses were even jumpy in the stable today and a few times when the wind gusted hard they got a fright and "tap danced". Really unusual for them to be like that in the stable. I was close to getting stood on whilst I was dishing out haylage because Cora took a dive towards me as a gust rattled doors and windows. The sun came out this afternoon which was nice but the wind was still too blustery to do anything.
Yes, corned beef hash is similar, ingredients wise, and certainly much easier to make but just doesn't have quite the same flavour or memories associated with it as hot pot. The duck parcels were sadly disappointing. Very meaty.... maybe too much so..... really dense and solid and the cherry sauce which you added 10 mins before the end of cooking just sat there and didn't really liquefy or glaze or mix with the juices or caramelise, so it was a bit like having a blob of jam on top of the duck. Ian wouldn't risk it and had seconds and thirds of my hot pot instead whilst I had the duck..... I think he got the better deal!

I'm really not entirely sure if he is allergic to nuts or just doesn't like them. He won't say he is allergic, just that they make him feel "funny" and he is very wary of them.... so probably is allergic. I'm not sure testing would make a difference since he is happy just to avoid them. It is really shocking that you lost a neighbour to an insect sting. That must have been horrendous. As a beekeeper I get multiple stings a year and the worst that happened was about 10 years ago when I took 5 in the face at one time and my eyes swelled up and closed for a couple of days and I looked like I had gone several rounds with Mohamed Ali.... and felt like it! I invested in a full bee proof suit after that. I don't mind getting stung on the hands or arms but not nice in the face. It is considered to be beneficial to be stung regularly if you are not allergic. It is always a concern though when I have new people come for an introductory beekeeping session that someone might react badly, but so far my bees have been pretty well behaved or at worst given warning and the option for us to back off if they were feeling tetchy, rather than just spike us. I think it helps having them outside my back door so that they have regular contact with people.

Love the footage of Malcolm. That wiggle is so funny. Not at all what you expect from a tortoise! How on earth did you happen to capture it?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@rebrascora

Hi Barbara! I’m hoping because we’ve been out today he will be ok tomorrow too! He knows as soon as we get to a certain junction on the little block that it’s the way home so we had a bit of jig joggy way home silliness but nothing too bad. If we’d carried on up the village he would not have done it, he sure does know the routes!

Ugh the flu! Only thing right now is to make sure the horses have been vaccinated in the last 6 months & to just keep an eye out. Given the horses that have tested positive were already vaccinated it is worrisome that it’s obviously some kind of mutant flu. I’ve also just read that 3 more horses on McCains yard have tested positive but it didn’t say if it were those 3 he’d sent out racing in the week. I guess time will tell but what a nightmare for all those in the racing industry. I also read that the Cheltenham festival might be cancelled....

It does sound like Ian got the better deal there on the hotpot! Such a shame on the duck parcels being disappointing. At least I can keep clear of them now. I did get a rack of ribs in BBQ sauce & a pulled pork in BBQ sauce from Lidl the other week & they were delicious so I would recommend them. I only popped in to get some washing liquid whilst my car was having its MOT & I came out with 4 bags full of stuff. I have to say mostly nibble & very unhealthy stuff too

Yes the whole neighbour incident was just awful He’d gone over to the wood with his step daughter to bury the cat that had been knocked down. Everyone was alerted by her and I can only describe it as blood curdling screams. He got stung on the hand and was on the floor in full anaphylactic shock in seconds. Didn’t have his eppi pen with him either. But from what was said afterwards they don’t think it would have helped given the severity. He stopped breathing & another neighbour gave him CPR until the ambulance arrived. They worked on him for ages and he was taken to hospital still with the mechanical CPR device on him but unfortunately there was nothing more they could do to try & save him. All very sad & totally shocking with how fast it happened.

Malcolm! Yes he is a total hoot! I captured it because I thought I’d get some videos of him tracking around as my dad is convinced he’s a total waste of money & they don’t do anything. So I was there ready with the phone to send dad a video. Just so happened that fake plant caught his shell as he passed so he gave it a wiggle Can’t say I’d seen him do it before so I was just in the right place at the right time! He’s like a little old man with his wrinkly skin, steady walking, slow motion yawning and totally entertaining eating habits!

Hope you have a great weekend Barbara xxx

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Mmm... no flag flying here today! Goodness it’s gusty out there! Far too wild to be heading out plus my friend also announced that she is pregnant today so certainly wasn’t going to risk going out with her. She had her first scan yesterday and everything is ok with the baby so she felt able to start letting people know. She’s going to be riding until the end of the month so weather permitting she wants to get as much riding in as possible. Not sure what I’m going to do when my partner in crime takes maternity leave but I hope I keep myself motivated on the riding front! If push comes to shove Harry is going to have to like it or lump it and go out on his own!

 

[rebrascora]

Yes it is even wilder here today than yesterday and certainly not safe in my opinion with branches having come down across the path from the village to home. I believe Ian is still hunting though, against his better judgment. Our hunt have a reciprocal agreement with another hunt in Ireland and once a year many of our members go there for the weekend and this is their weekend to come here, so whilst they would ordinarily have cancelled, I think they felt compelled to go ahead with it. They must have endured an horrendous crossing yesterday to come.... the Irish sea is choppy at the best of times, but there is no way you would get me on a ferry in a storm like this.... or a plane for that matter! In fact I am quite happy finding things to do in the house today, despite the lovely sunshine.
How lovely that your friend is pregnant but a shame that you will be losing your riding partner. Maybe she will put the horse on part loan or find someone to ride him whilst she is out of action. Hopefully, if she does, it will be someone you can get on with.

Naughty you buying goodies from Lidl.... and 4 bags full! I will look out for the ribs and pulled pork. They are not something I would normally buy but happy to try something new when I have a recommendation. There are so many lovely looking things that I wonder about when I am shopping but are more expensive than I would normally consider and don't want to splash out only to be disappointed..... duck parcels are case in point! So a personal recommendation from someone with similar tastes is great.... and you were so right about the City Kitchen Hoisin Duck...... I might treat myself to one of those for my birthday next week.
I am desperately trying to cut down my sugar intake. It really has got totally out of control in recent months/years. I am suddenly having serious problems with unquenchable thirst and consequent overly frequent toilet visits (very inconvenient.... especially when out riding or driving) as a result of drinking so much and I am guessing it is Type 2 Diabetes. Water suddenly never tasted so good and that is mostly what I am drinking, which at least is a healthy side effect. I absolutely hate going to the docs, so I am trying to change my diet and see if that will help. At the moment I am eating as much as I want as long as it is savoury so that I am too full to want to reach for the ket.... even with none in the house, the shop is right next to the stables or I will even make fudge from sugar, butter and milk if I am really desperate! I'm hoping a month or so of this will help me to get a grip of my sugar addiction. I know I am probably eating too many calories but at least they are better calories than straight sugar or chocolate. Hopefully, once I get the sugar issue under control I can reduce my overall intake.
Anyway, enough about me, especially as it is all self inflicted.... Hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend and perhaps manage to get out for a ride on Harry tomorrow when the forecast is for the wind to calm a bit and more sunny skies in the afternoon. X

 

[TwoCrows]

Malcolm was going for it today! It seems he had itchy shell too or just fancied a wiggle

Awww....Malcolm's little wiggle was cute!