A year in a few paragrahs........(Part 1.)

So it's almost exactly a year later since I decided on this great idea to start a blog about my move from the big city to the country, and more specifically home.........

I still think it is a great idea, I just think I'm a lazy sod and by the time evening comes around and I'm on my laptop it's mind numbing stuff I'm looking at because I am brain dead!

The last year has been interesting, filled with lows and highs and everything in between!!

As you can see in my previous post, my horse came with me. He's quite a herd animal so he loves company. I had my old pony for awhile and I got a lovely cob off my neighbours to school. Through a friend in my riding club, I got the use of a yard in a big estate house. I really landed on my feet there! The place was fab, had a humongous arena, a walker, 6 lovely stables and 5 paddocks of various sizes. The yard itself had their own 2 horses, that I minded as part of the deal.



'We don't want to be outside anymore'

 

 

So, the horses were all sorted, trying to get a job was next. Anyone who lives in Ireland knows that jobs outside the 'pale' are very hard to come by, unless you are in or near a city. So the job search was long and hard and took a long time, which is very disheartening and you really begin to doubt everything. Thank god for horses is all I'll say!! Working with them is complete therapy, and also hard work!! So that kept me busy over the awful, awful winter we had.







In November I got 4 cats from a local rescue. An old woman had died and she had 14 cats in cages, so the poor things didn't know what freedom was. Rusty had to get used to these things that infiltrated his domain. They kicked him out of his bed (the barrel) but he got to sleep in the house, so it was a win-win situation.

Snoopy chillin

Snoozy time




Yin & Yang

 I've had them 10 months now and they have come on leaps and bounds. They follow me around a bit when I'm out the back at home. The dog and themselves have a peace treaty - unless his sister comes to stay and then he forgets!! As you can see the cats like to do a lot of nothing.........

Clint & Morgan

In January I saw a callout on Facebook for help from Irish Horse Rehoming Program. A field in which they had 4 ponies in was flooded and they needed someone to foster them (I know, there's a pattern forming here......). So I took on two and they became Clint (Eastwood) and Morgan (Freeman).




Rusty taking a moment to enjoy the sun



My daily routine became getting up, going to the yard (with Rusty), letting horses out, mucking out, riding and bringing everyone back in and feeding. I am so lucky that I had this routine while I was out of paid employment. Otherwise I may have gone completely crazy!! The horses got me out of the house and out of my parents hair...........