Clarissa et al.

Here I am with my hair in an Arabian Plait - just like a horse. I love riding and we have 8 horses and ponies called Foxy, Bounty, Bobby, Megan, Storm, Poppy, Annie and dear old Shandy who is over thirty. Shandy is retired now, but he taught us all to ride.

I'm getting a bit big for Bobby now, but I still love him very much. Bounty is the pony I ride most now.

I have three big brothers - two who are awful, and Jacob the middle one, who isn't so awful. We also have dogs, a cat, guineapigs, and ferrets.

Liz says it's time I updated my blog, but I have had bronchitis all last week, and I can't see any news value in "I sat at home watching - or, more frequently, sleeping through - daytime television while waiting for the antibiotics to kick in." Apart from the fact that I could now do Mastermind on ER and a whole range of house-hunting programmes, the most interesting thing to happen has been that our phone decided to go mad and has been 'fixed' 3 times by men from BT - or not.

March 24th
The BT man came again, and seems to have completed the job. Fingers crossed.

Hallelujah! Jacob's passed his test, so there is another new driver on the roads.

Actually, not very new as he has been driving on the farm since he could first reach the pedals and see over the dashboard simultaneously - so, getting on for ten years.

Being dyslexic the theory took him a while - not because he didn't know it, but (with the observation bit especially) slowness with an unfamiliar computer and long, long waits between the three attempts because of needing a room to himself and the reader. Most people can resit within days while he had to wait weeks even months!

My word of the day: TESTICULATE - waving your hands around and talking bollocks.

As I drove to work this morning the Humber - yes, the brown and muddy Humber - was the most amazing azure, very high and very calm. Here's my take on the scene.

Then, coming home this evening I was entranced by the sight of a snow covered Yorkshire viewed across the river from a green Lincolnshire. Jacob, coming home from Bishop Burton College, said that there was a distinct line crossing the bridge where the snow ended!

Saturday Morning
The snow fell here last evening, and now it seems much less cold than yesterday when all was so green and springlike.

Earlier this week Jake took his driving test, and if there was ever a dead cert to pass first time it was he. However, he was failed on a single major fault for cutting up another driver on a roundabout. Just one problem - the flashing headlights and hooting horn were his cousin greeting him and wishing him luck!!! Nil points to the examiner for observation. Nil points to the cousin for common sense.

This handsome fellow has been visiting our garden of late. I'm afraid it is not a very good picture as I had to take it at distance through glass so as not to scare him away, but at the moment I am very pleased to see him although I may change my mind if he starts being thuggish with the baby birds later in the spring. I believe woodpeckers have something of a reputation that way.