Christmas pictures

Christmas, general festivities, and mislaid camera meant that there was no blog for the last two days. Shocking omission, I know. I imagine there was wailing up and down the land.

The day itself was absolutely enchanting. The sun shone, the horses were happy, the lunch was delicious, the family were at their crest and peak of sweetness, Stanley the Dog was in seventh heaven and my gravy was a triumph. (There is no place for false modesty when it comes to Christmas gravy.)

I took so many photographs that I am going to run them over the next few days. Here is the first selection.

The first thing I saw when I came out of my front door on Christmas morning, on my way to do the horses:

The limes:

Looking east from my mother’s house:

Happy Christmas faces. Of course they all got presents. I specially drove on Christmas Eve to the horse shop to buy them meadowsweet herb treats. They seemed very appreciative of the effort:

It was so sunny and balmy, despite a hard frost, that I took the rugs off and let them enjoy the weather:

Christmas lunch was up at Red’s View. I felt rather nostalgic going up to their old field, empty now:

There was some excellent cow action:

This one was supposed to be of the hills, but I lost focus. Instead, you get the earth, but since I am always banging on about feeling connected to the earth and the mud, it feels rather appropriate:

The silver birches were very lovely and Christmassy:

I am generally not much for dog toys. I get quite old school and think: what’s wrong with a nice stick? But The Pony Whisperer very sweetly gave this feathery creature to Stanley the Dog, as it was his first Christmas here, and he absolutely adores it:

The hill:

Instalment the second tomorrow. Now, my work is done, and I’m going to watch the racing at Kempton. My old favourite, Hunt Ball, is running. He does not care for the heavy ground, and it is bottomless at the moment, so I am really just hoping he jumps round nicely and comes home safe, and we’ll see him back to his best next year, if the crazy rain stops for two minutes.