Why hello there!

I'm just a wee bit embarrassed that it's been so long since my last blog entry. The truth is that there is nothing new to report.

Lately, I have been brushing Bronwyn a lot but not doing much riding. It has been about two weeks (okay, yes, two weeks exactly) since I rode Bronwyn, and the last time, I ended up leaving the barn looking like this:

We had quite an excellent ride under saddle and when it was time to leave, there was a good song on the radio so I figured I might as well cool her out bareback - which I haven't done in a while. Part of the indoor was quite mucky and so I jokingly told her, as we rounded that end "don't you dare drop me in that mud!" -- she took about four steps OUT of the mud, I believe I heard an enormous CRACK and she took off to the right and I went to the left, landing on my hip and butt. It took a few days for the bruise to see the day of light, but it sure was a good one!

Unfortunately, since then I have been having a lot of problems with my hip (not the same one I fell on and these are some problems that started before the fall), so I haven't ridden since then. I have, however, given a couple of "pony spa" treatments... mud is here but that hair is coming out (and as I say every year -- "IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIIIIIIIIIIIIIME OF THE YEAR!"), and that makes me happy.

I've started a new position at my job which now has me working 12 hour days (or nights) in 3 or 4 day runs, interspersed with 3, 4 or 7 day off stretches. The time off is nice but I have found with the 12 hour work schedule, it really does not allow any time for anything else if I want to get a reasonable amount of sleep (and trust me, I do - I am one of those 8 hour sleepers...), so there are stretches where I can't get to the barn. There are basically stretches where I can't do anything but go to work, come home and walk my dog, have supper and go to bed shortly thereafter. It is worth it for the time off but makes it difficult to do anything with too much real consistency (including writing blog entries, but that's not an excuse...).