Debbie's 21-mile hack with Sundance in company with Charlotte
Debbie's 21-mile hack with Sundance in company with Charlotte

We managed to facilitate Debbie's 21-mile hack on a fairly cold but fine day with some emotional scenes when she was tired and struggling later but she successfully rode with Sundance in company with Charlotte as I dropped them off and collected them later. The small boys returned to help with my lawn gardening, applying pest killer and fertiliser, and Daniel was home to appreciate our roast beef dinner.

The news today in Britain was of the continued speculation about the Tory party with several opinion polls suggesting that Thatcher should go. US Secretary of State, Baker, was in the Gulf where his troops gave him the message that they wanted either to get on with it or come home.

Di woke us up early this morning and then did not get up early enough herself to make us our fried breakfast before Debbie and I left for Great Staughton. I got up, dressed, and had a bowl of cereal before we set off and arrived at the stables soon after 8.00am. I helped Debbie get Sundance in from the field and then found a horse box and coupled it up to the Range Rover ready to try to load Sundance. He was difficult as usual to get in and Debbie far to nervous and tentative, but luckily there was another older girl there who pulled him in as I gave him a smack from behind. Debbie eventually got the rest of his tack ready and we drove to Meagre Farm to get there by the time we said of 9.00am. I stayed to help Debbie get Sundance groomed and tacked up and she set off with Charlotte Pigg and another rider before 9.00am. They were due to try the long ride to Grafham Water and then to ride right around it before coming back again - a total distance of 21 miles.

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I came home and set to work to remove the leaves from that part of the riverside lawn that I had mowed yesterday and then started mowing the rest. The small boys came back to help me again and I set them to work after a fashion. Small boys are never very cost-effective or productive, but you have to try to encourage them a little or they never become so. By lunchtime, I had mowed most of the riverside lawn and applied a layer of Autumn Toplawn using the applicator. Di had cooked a nice lunch of roast beef and had not over-cooked it this time and Daniel was home to enjoy it. After all of the snacks and fill-in cooking, he really appreciated having a proper roast for once and Di was pleased with our reception of her meal. Not much of a rest after lunch, but straight out to carry on with the lawn. The boys returned and I had them washing my car this time. I worked on to mow the front lawn and back lawn and then to apply the fertiliser and pest-killer to both before slurping a quick mug of tea and then going back to Meagre to collect Debbie.

I was a bit upset with her, because she had not used the intervening time to clean the tack or groom Sundance and then was too tired and cold (having lost one of her gloves) to try to lead Sundance into the trailer properly. After a lot of messing about, Mrs Pigg did the leading and we shooed him in, but I had a go at Debbie coming home in the car afterwards and made her cry. She always wants adults to wait on her and must try harder to fend for herself as we all value our time too much to be messed about. In the end, I had to help her to sweep out the trailer and I repaired the lights and got it into good order before putting it away. I saw Mr and Mrs Usher, thanked her for the loan and gave her the hire fee of £5, before waiting for Debbie to clean her tack and then driving her home.

I had missed the big football match on TV this afternoon - Spurs versus Liverpool  - and was also tired and not very pleased. We had a fried "breakfast" for tea and then I went to my office and wrote up this day's journal before having a bath and reading the weekend paper. The news today in Britain was of the continued speculation about the Tory party with several opinion polls suggesting that Thatcher should go. US Secretary of State, Baker, was in the Gulf where his troops gave him the message that they wanted either to get on with it or come home. The weather stayed fine all day, though it was fairly cold, and so now I could do with some rain to wash my lawn dressing in to do some good.