August simply seems to be zipping by although I am of the opinion that since only the last two days have counted as proper August weather as opposed to endless rain and grey murky skies that that is a vastly contributing reason! How can it possibly be the end of August when we have not managed to sit outside to eat since early July?

Anyway, I diverse... Sammi has spent the last two days at Wellington with an assortment of fine horses to ride and what sounds like a nice family weekend to boot. Well, when she said that she was loading Master Charlie Birch into the car to drive home and I queried how that was possible she said her lovely husband had volunteered to drive the truck home. How sweet I said! She then added that he was probably pretty over his 2 year old son by this stage of a long hot day and was looking forward to some peace and adult conversation in the truck! Gotta love the honesty! People who pretend to love their children 24 / 7 are just not to be trusted... anyone who has ever answered "Because I damn well said so!" knows where I am coming from. I mean head over to facebook and read Sally Arscott's account of a day in London with her small children " And then he lost it cos a shark looked at him funny".....I should possibly point out that they were in the London equivalent of Waterworld and had not offered him up as bait...

Wellington is renowned for having a spooky showjumping track and a pretty decent up to height cross country course across its three levels. The Court Jester is loving being back at intermediate level and he posted a 33 in a very hot OI section, rolled a single pole and sped round the cross country clear in time for a nice run. Kiwi is proving to be a bit of a speed machine and he also made time with Sammi after a 33 and a couple of spooky rails showjumping.

The Kincooley Ceili ( William ) did a 34 test in his intermediate and had, in what Sammi described in "international disaster" terms, his "first rail in 20 starts". No rain forest was wiped out, no oil tanker is shedding 2 million litres of oil onto the Barrier Reef but, hey, William copped a rail. After the shock of that she went cross country and picked up 8 time faults as she checked that he could still jump. He could, she is still obsessing and it will hopefully have worn off by Le Lion D'Angers.

Then it was the turn of Hunter Valley ( Gizmo) who would have been slightly shocked to have found himself in the advanced rather than the Open Novice he was expecting. I mean in 2016, after his exemplary efforts at Bramham, he basically did a couple of one days, headed off to Rio for his holidays and then was properly disgusted to find himself at Boekelo in the rain and the mud so spat Sammi off at fence 7. He rose to the occasion in the dressage with a 26 and then infuriated Ellen Whittaker aka Sammi Birch by spooking at the last showjump and having it down. Of course he was brilliant cross country.. he and Sam are an amazing combination and she did say it was good to ride a proper advanced track with the Blenheim ERM class coming up next.