D:

The lorry was supposed to be plated today. But when they went to take it for it's test the clutch failed. Once again we were booked to take it on a clinic this weekend, but this time we were planning to take Donk and we don't know how he travels so we're not able to put him in someone else's lorry.

And we have a lorry that doesn't work, that is probably only good for scrap and we have still paid upwards of a grand for repairs working with the idea we would have transport for the weekend and then probably get back what we spent on selling it with a year's plate directly afterwards. Now we may have to cough up for repairs and still scrap the lorry and have no way to get to the clinic or to afford it if we could get there.

I just don't understand how things can keep on going wrong without respite. You kind of feel like there should be some point where it lets up and stops being so constantly stressful, but we haven't found it yet. I really don't know what to do.

It's as though God has taken a personal dislike to sleepsy_mouse and is doing everything in his redoubtable insane power to make her life as difficult as possible. I guess, from all I've read that this is exactly the kind of thing that God likes to do, so maybe that is the explanation.

Before things were bad, they were good...

Well today has been a disaster, but the weekend was pretty cool.

We went out and stayed a hotel for our anniversary night, had nice food and quite a bit of wine and it was pretty cool. On Saturday we went out to watch some eventing at Gatcombe...
( Gatcombe )

On Sunday sleepsy_mouse went for a gentle ride on Small ( who is still very flat and far from being himself ) and had a lesson on Donk with our friend Liz, which was really interesting. Made it very clear how much Donk would gain from the clinic next weekend as well.

Then I brought Zorro in and we went out for a bit of a hack, which turned into a fairly long ride. In the end we were out for about three and a half hours, which was longer than I planned. Working out where we went afterwards I think we did a circuit that came in at about seven and a half miles. Certainly our longest solo hack, by a long way. Those of you who do endurance ( those of you who endure? ) may have worked out our average speed already from those numbers but suffice it to say it's not terribly high. This is largely because although he's capable of something of a saunter, Zorro's default pace is an amble and he'll happily descend through a plod towards absolute stasis if I am not constantly on his case.

He's also, as sleepsy_mouse accurately describes it, something of a tourist. He likes to look around and enjoy the scenery. Or to freeze and stare intently into the distance in order to warn me of impending something. Usually impending cyclists and/or walkers. We have to freeze for twice as long when it is horses passing by but at least now we don't have a fight over whether or not he should follow them.

We actually passed my parents' house so we called by, terrorised the puppy and demanded windfall apples from their garden. This was a double win as we also got invited to their house for dinner.

On the way back up the lane the sun finally broke through the low, hazy cloud that had obscured it throughout the afternoon and cast a thin red glow onto us on the lane so I took some pictures that came out somewhat abstract and arty...
( Abstract sunset photos )