I love it when the
evenings start to draw out: more daylight for busy smallholders. The 21st
didn’t herald the end of the world (apparently never actually predicted by the
Mayans
) but it was the winter solstice and, just 5 days later,
I honestly do feel the evenings are slightly longer. It wasn’t the light that
forced me in to the comfort of a warm wood stove and a cuppa this evening but that it’s
blowing a hoolie outside. Appropriate, perhaps, as I was in our nascent forest garden preparing to plant a
windbreak … but it was too windy!
For Christmas, I’ve
bought Gabrielle a taster day at a horse driving school and as an extra
surprise, I asked friend and local farmer Laurent, if he would take us out for
a ride round the fields in an open carriage drawn by his lovely 3 year old
filly called “Alouette”,
a big, beautiful Breton cheval de trait.
“Another century”, Laurent shouted, as he drove
Gabrielle, her daughter Christina and fiancé Bob past camera-holding me, so
I’ve tinkered with the photo to give it a feel of days gone by. Not as
convenient or efficient as our ageing Peugeot but what a delicious way of
getting about.
As it’s the season for crap cracker jokes and
inspired by being pulled around a field by a horse, here’s one of my favourite
funnies:
 |
| the horse's arse |
The Queen is riding in a horse drawn carriage,
accompanied the King of Tonga. One of the horses farts loudly. Somewhat
embarrassed, the Queen thought she should say something, so she turns towards
the King of Tonga and says, “I’m terribly sorry,” to which the King replies, “You should not have worried, your majesty, I thought it was the horse”.
