the Tourist
31 October 2009 22:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glenatronToday was the last day for autumn colours if the weather forecasts are to be trusted- gales and torrential rain starting tonight and through tomorrow should break this warm spell we've had for the last week and we'll be into Autumn proper.
Zorro and I took the opportunity to go for a ride up the punchbowl, ending up at our house. I planned to go a little further but time was running out and I didn't fancy travelling home in total darkness. The worrying statistic from the trip was that we took an hour and ten minutes to get from the yard to our house but we were only moving for thirty five minutes. that means that aside from perhaps ten minutes of faffing on my part, taking photos or talking to people walking by, we spent most of that time with Zorro stopped and me pushing him to move on or getting his feet moving so we could get steering back while he stared off into some blue distance, or watched a family walk past with dogs or somesuch.
The journey home was a lot better, as you might expect. Once we started- when Zorro realised he was in the garden that it's his responsibility to mow he suddenly decided he rather liked it and didn't fancy going anywhere further, thank you very much. That bridge crossed we descended the steep hill into the valley and meandered along the bottom, down an avenue of golden beech trees. At this point I felt pretty smart for not having stayed out any longer because on the western side of the wooded valley the sun had vanished behind the ridge some time ago so it was already quite dark. On the way out I could feel Zorro starting to get anxious at a point where he got a scare last time and somehow I managed to keep him calm by being so calm and relaxed myself that he started to feel a little better about things. Not calm, but not afraid enough to break pace either.
By the time we got back on the trail that leads down to the yard it was maybe 80% dark and I gave Zorro the rein as he can see a lot more than me. Apparently the best route down that path was the one that went under the most low-hanging holly branches.
By the time we got home ( after about five and a half miles on very hilly terrain ) he was a big black sweatball. I think someone is going to need clipping this winter. In fact, noticing how much of my fringe I'm seeing in front of the monitor here, maybe two of us will...
Zorro and I took the opportunity to go for a ride up the punchbowl, ending up at our house. I planned to go a little further but time was running out and I didn't fancy travelling home in total darkness. The worrying statistic from the trip was that we took an hour and ten minutes to get from the yard to our house but we were only moving for thirty five minutes. that means that aside from perhaps ten minutes of faffing on my part, taking photos or talking to people walking by, we spent most of that time with Zorro stopped and me pushing him to move on or getting his feet moving so we could get steering back while he stared off into some blue distance, or watched a family walk past with dogs or somesuch.
The journey home was a lot better, as you might expect. Once we started- when Zorro realised he was in the garden that it's his responsibility to mow he suddenly decided he rather liked it and didn't fancy going anywhere further, thank you very much. That bridge crossed we descended the steep hill into the valley and meandered along the bottom, down an avenue of golden beech trees. At this point I felt pretty smart for not having stayed out any longer because on the western side of the wooded valley the sun had vanished behind the ridge some time ago so it was already quite dark. On the way out I could feel Zorro starting to get anxious at a point where he got a scare last time and somehow I managed to keep him calm by being so calm and relaxed myself that he started to feel a little better about things. Not calm, but not afraid enough to break pace either.
By the time we got back on the trail that leads down to the yard it was maybe 80% dark and I gave Zorro the rein as he can see a lot more than me. Apparently the best route down that path was the one that went under the most low-hanging holly branches.
By the time we got home ( after about five and a half miles on very hilly terrain ) he was a big black sweatball. I think someone is going to need clipping this winter. In fact, noticing how much of my fringe I'm seeing in front of the monitor here, maybe two of us will...
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no subject
Date: 31 Oct 2009 23:47 (UTC)the ride out actually sounds pretty frustrating.
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Date: 1 Nov 2009 00:53 (UTC)no subject
Date: 1 Nov 2009 01:06 (UTC)I *love* riding while the sun's going down, and watching all the colors go across the sky. But inevitably there comes that moment when I go "oh crap now it's really dark.." and hop off in a hurry to go get Pony back in his stable before we entirely lose the light...
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Date: 1 Nov 2009 01:26 (UTC)In the past when he's had this problem we've done a "go back fifty metres and trot past the place we stopped" thing, I may go work on that again I think. Once stopping is clearly more work he'll think twice about it.
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Date: 1 Nov 2009 03:54 (UTC)