THE AFTERMATH

I've been back four days now. The time is still flying by – only another 2 days left before I have to head back to work :( I've managed to get out and do some shopping, get the dogs registered and buy some dog food. The horses are all good if somewhat muddy, though the second day I went down to feed them, Trillium had a swollen weepy eye. I went to check it the next morning, and it was looking much better – I had wondered from how swollen it was whether she may have been bitten above the eye by a tick (the poor girl gets a bad allergic reaction to tick bites), as she was showing signs of having been bitten on other places on her face as well. I've found places for some of my purchases, and all the clothes have been washed again. The best pictures have been uploaded to facebook, and I have almost finished getting the blog online, and the diary up to date.
It may be tempting fate to say this, but it hasn't been as cold as I was expecting – and fortunately the rain has been minimal. The paddocks are drier than I was expecting, though Lee and Ooly (and Precious for that matter) are slightly fatter than I was expecting – probably because the horses decided the grass was greener over the other side of the fence, and it wasn't electrified to keep them in, so they have had the run of the entire back paddock (about 3 acres). And Precious – well, Mum has been giving the dogs their dinner with hot gravy – so they eat everything!
The Tui was having a bath in the bird bath on my first day back, so I got a good photo of him, and when I went out to do some shopping on the second day, I realised that we already have some daffodils in bloom beside the drive way.
I rode Lee today, after spending about half an hour trying to get rid of all her loose hair (I had to give up in the end). She's shedding out already by the looks of things, and it is only the end of July. In fact all the girls are currently shedding. Tammy and Trillium just grow a thicker coat for the winter... Lee and Ooly grow a thicker AND a longer coat. Add to that the dust – icky – can someone send me over one of their grooms please? In fact I decided to ride Lee bareback, as I didn't have a hope at removing all the mud off her girth area.
Unfortunately, although my legs recovered from the climb into and out of the Red Pyramid, the Pharaoh has obviously cursed me – my Achilles is causing me nothing but grief at the moment – well, at least I can ride, especially bareback... though hopping on to Lee bareback did cause a temporary cramp in both hips – the joys of riding a widebody.
I think she was of the opinion that because I hadn't been riding her, I hadn't been riding for the last 6 weeks – she seemed disappointed to realise that not only could I still ride, but I had been honing my skills on lots of different horses – lol. I'll take her out for a ride up the road tomorrow, and I am contemplating doing a slow 10km endurance ride on Sunday with her if I can get the truck to move.
Thanks to everyone over in Egypt who made my stay so enjoyable – I'd mention names, but its getting late at night and I don't want to forget anyone – safer not to put names. To everyone who came riding or showed me around places, or who was just there to talk to, thanks – you're all wonderful! Miss you all, and if someone could please send some sunshine and warmth over this way, it would really be appreciated,
Love Kelly