Review Of The Year Part One

It's been an extraordinary year really, come with me and we'll take a look...

On the horsey front, there have been a great many changes. First of all, after a lot of soul searching, I finally made the difficult decision to sell Max, but only because Mr O had promised to give me Barnaby. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and I never want to sell a horse again as long as I live. I have been missing Max a litttle lately, but I've had a Christmas card from his new owners telling me how much they love him, so I am happy with that.

Sadly, dear little Fudge was sold, as the boys have totally lost interest in him. I miss him too, bless 'im.

And saddest of all was Missis' decision to have Polo put to sleep. I absolutely adored him, and he was a good and worthy friend of Barnaby's. Lyndy still misses him, I think.

Then not long after, Hugo arrived, causing a great deal of ups and downs as he has settled into a much more relaxed way of life to what he's been used to with Novice level eventing. Quite a few upheavels really, but things are more settled now.

So I have spent the last few months helping Barnaby to make the transition to me as his owner rather than groom. I have to say, this snowy weather has helped. He is definitely mine now.

Remember though, this is the horse that jumped over his stable door, an event I will choose not to remember too often. Definitely not the highlight of my year!

I've had a wonderful time riding Barnaby though. The upside of him being an arrogant so-and-so is that nothing frightens him, so riding him is an absolute pleasure. He has totally restored my confidence in the equine race. The best bits must be doing the TREC, where he didn't really put a foot wrong, and doing the dressage, which I really loved.

Of course, taking the horses on holiday in August was a real highlight. Galloping along the beach, blue sky above and sloshing waves below was a sensation I won't forget in a hurry. I hope we can go again soon.

Mr O has had a very good year with Zak, too, where they have gone from strength to strength, especially with jumping. The photo finally came of Mr O jumping him at Marchington. Check this out:

We love it, anyway. Such a sweet horse.

I guess the other thing is that card making seems to have completely taken over my life. I've discovered a side to myself that I didn't even know existed. I can't emphasise enough that I am a very non-artistic person. I can't paint, I can't draw and I couldn't throw a pot if you paid me, so no one is more astonished than me at what I've been able to achieve this year. To be fair, I've always loved designs on things like bedding and china, and have always been a paper stroker! (It's fantastic to read all these blogs and find I am not alone!) I love colour and pattern, and learning to put it all together like this is a real treat. I look forward to seeing where this leads me in 2011.

I've set myself a series of challenges each month and I've had great fun completing as many as I can. This is the first year I've ever made chutney and lemon curd and I really enjoyed doing it. I've loved doing cross stitch, especially the special one I made for Daughter 2's wedding.

I must be careful not to let the card making push cross stitch out of the way, as I still really enjoy it, but card making took off in a much bigger way than I'd imagined.

The only thing I haven't really done enough of is church activities. We've decided next year to cut down on some of the horsey events as it's always on a Sunday, but we'll see how this pans out. I'm going to do more Bible study, too, especially as I am on my own at home all day, I haven't really got an excuse not to do it. There will be more about my hopes and plans for 2011 in another post, coming soon.

It's been a wonderful year on the farm, too, with the addition of baby ducks and newly hatched chickens. I don't think I'll ever get over the absolute thrill, the joy of new life. It's what the countryside is all about, isn't it?

And of course, one of the best bits has been writing this blog, and meeting all of you. What an incredible world blogging is. It's helped me to find (and like!) the real me. I have blossomed because of this blog. It's been wonderful to get to know all of you, too. I've found such encouragement through blogging, thankyou so much.

There have been things like good books and good films this year too, but I'm saving that for my next post. So looking back, how was 2010 for you? I can honestly say I've had a lot of fun this year and learned a lot. I'm looking forward very much to finding out what 2011 has in store.

Mrs O.