I have decided that I am going to teach english riding next year. I used to teach in the UK (although not for some time) and there seems to be a need localy for english (as opposed to western, not the instructor actually being english) instruction.

I don't have an all weather riding arena so I will be teaching in a field, although I will get the school letters put up.

I will only do it in a small way next year as I havn't got the facilities or equipment (no jumps or anything), to take on more advanced riders. If it goes well I will look into getting an all weather school built.

So I am looking for a few horses.

I went to see a lovely 14.1hh 5 yr old mare last Saturday who is unimaginitively named Jill. She is western trained, but everything in my price range seems to be. English trained seem to go for more.

She arrives on Saturday.

So I will be doing a bit of reschooling. I thought that if I don't get the interest in lessons then I will reschool anything I buy to english and sell it on.

Took the dog to be fixed 2 weeks ago. You would never know he had even had an anesthetic, never mind had his bits removed, the way he dragged the veternary nurse out from the back. "restrict his exerscise and keep him on a leash for 2 weeks" they said.

Fat chance - three days of being on a lead around the barn and shut in the house a lot lead to him shredding lots of things he shouldn't, including another toilet brush and holder. I only buy them at the dollar store so that I am not too out of pocket by these episodes.

Anyway on the 4th day he was let loose and he didn't come to any harm.

Llamas are still confined to barracks. We are feeding them by hand from a bucket and trying to win their confidence a bit. We need to make a permenant shute into the barn before we let them out so that we can get them in when the weather is bad.

My gateway into the field with the shelter is very deep and muddy almost unusable. Its not been too bad as it has been frozen for a few days, but we are forecast 2 days of rain which will mush it all up again.

I have other fields but only the one has a shelter.

I am off to saint John on Friday to see a lead rein pony that is up for permenant lease. She is 11.3hh so a little bigger then my Shetlands, but is 8 yrs old and well trained. Hopefully she will make a good lesson pony.

Still got loads of outside jobs to try and get done and we are trying to get on with the new duplex and get at least the upstairs apartment let by January. We lost 2 days on it. First the pump to the well at the barn broke and we had to get a new one fitted and then we chose to get a wood stove fitted in our lounge and squandered a day doing that. Its made the house so cozy though that I think that it was time and money well spent.

Both our boys are gone now. James started his new job in Toronto yesterday and is quite keen. He has an apartment in Litle Portugal to move into on Dec 1.

Luke is in Mexico getting brown and snorkeling and body boarding and loving every minute.

It feels strange without them, but we talk on msn and James calls, so its not too bad yet. On the other hand they have only been gone just over a week so its hard to tell.