What a fantastic Wimbledon it has been! I'm not sure whether I have enjoyed it more this year as I haven't been run off my feet with the shepherd huts/glamping site or that it has just been so lovely to be back to 'normal' after the virus. The standard of play has been fantastic and it was wonderful to see two new finalists in the Ladies final with Ash Barty beating Pliskova and then long standing champion, Novac Djokovic, showing his class by  beating Berrettini in a dramatic Men's Final. The best man won in the end but Berrettini will be a champion in the future. Very nice to look at too which is an added bonus..

The big Football match final is about to begin - I have to say I'm not a great fan of football but the England squad seem to be a nice bunch and they have been playing with conviction. I watched the England v Scotland match and lost the will to live, vowing never to watch another game but I gave in and watched the Eng v Germany match and was reasonably impressed.  What this hysteria does bring home is how astonishingly bad England have been in the past for this to be the first final in 55 years!! Anyway, that aside I hope the best team win and hopefully that will be England. What I really hope for though is that the England fans to not let us all down by booing when the Italian anthem is played (as they did with the Denmark anthem) not to whistle/boo when an Italian player has the ball and to behave respectfully no matter what the score is. Sermon over. 

Squeak's ears following Cloud on a sponsored ride

Saved By Sam

Mary - Squeak's three year old

For the fist summer ever I have continued to ride after the season is over. Partly because I no longer have a job due to HS2 and mainly because due to our uncertain circumstances we are trying to reduce our horse numbers - Its not going terribly well.... As everyone who knows me understands that I absolutely hate selling horses - I know that we are going to have to do it with our commercially bred youngsters but once I start riding them myself then I am reluctant to let them go - I had made the decision to keep Cloud as my 'riding pony' and sell Sam (the foal we very nearly lost) Squeak (not big enough for racing) and Mary (Squeak's 3 year old daughter). Sam was going to be entered in the sales as he is a strapping 4 year old now who should fetch a lot of money but Doug has ridden him a few times and they get on really well, so we have changed our mind on that one as it would be very difficult to find another horse like him at the right money. Hopefully, if we move to Exmoor then Doug will get back to riding regularly again. Squeak, who has been on her own in a field for four years bringing up 'children' had a saddle thrown on her and Ella rode her round the village and then we took her on a fun ride with Cloud - She was a good as gold and I have ridden her a few times since, so now I don't want to part with her and then Mary who has been lightly backed has also been really sweet. I have had 19 applications for Squeak and there seems to be a lot of odd women 'of a certain age' around at the moment who are secretly terrified but determined to prove themselves by dominating a horse and forcing them into doing dressage as they are too scared to do anything else... I have turned them all down so far and if I don't find the right home very soon I think I'll keep her. I hope Doug doesn't read this post.....!