A wonderful weekend

I am glad I managed to get away for the weekend. It's true you can't escape from your worries but it's sometimes good to see them from a different perspective. The cottage our friends had booked was in a very peaceful little village and we enjoyed lots of fresh air, good food and laughter as well as some photo opportunities. Our kids all got on very well together seeing as their ages ranged from nearly three to nearly 14! On Saturday we visited Grizedale Forest and went for a walk. We met two riders on Icelandic ponies. It was really exciting for me as I've wanted to see an Icelandic pony ever since I read about one in a childrens book years ago. They are beautiful creatures with very distinctive faces and one of them had five gaits!The fifth gate is the tolt. The tolt is a four-beat gait, with the footfall sequence the same as the walk, for example right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore. The Icelandic Pony can escalate the swiftness of the gait to great speed. They have great bone density so quite a small pony can carry a full grown man. They are long-lived, hard working and of good temperament!I'm just so annoyed that I was so busy asking questions about the special tack and the different riding positions I forgot to take any photos!!

Today's pics are of S in Grizedale Forest. Both myself and my friend the Wildcat are reflected in the lenses of her sunglasses! The other shot is of a view from Kitrkstone Pass down towards Brotherswater.

I have a mountain of chores to do so I should stop putting them off I guess...