What's a little bit of rain...

Today has been a good day!  

It started with a lovely lay in, and some chill out time with my book (see #mycrazyreadinghabits on Instagram) before getting up to spend the day getting mucky at the yard!  
Clearing out the stable and tidying up before the new arrival next weekend was on the to do list, and boy was it going to take a while.  Lucky for me, I even had breakfast provided for me :) Coopland's pastries to put me in a good mood before getting there and seeing just how much work we had to do.  Looking back now, I'm a little disappointed that we decided against taking before and after pictures, because it looked awesome by the time we were done. 

Vicky has had to spend another day in my amazing company, though totally for her own benefit, and we started where it seemed most appropriate... in the doorway and worked out way in.
After just over an hour and a half of clearing, moving stuff, mucking out and general tidying of the stable side, we had a car full of rubbish and hungry tummies.  So we headed for the tip and more importantly, to Subways for lunch!  

What came next was perfectly timed.  We had to shift the rubber matting in the stable, which is chuffing heavy I'll tell ya.  It took us both to move the pieces, and could have done with another person to be honest, as it had to be the most awkward thing I've ever had to do.  There was a lot of shuffling and 'To me, to you' moments.  Timing is a wonderful thing though... Just as we got the last one outside ready to hose down, the heavens opened and it absolutely bounced it down with rain...
Thunder and lightening tripped the power so I stood in near darkness whilst Vicky went to fetch Rosie in from the field.  By the time they got back it looked like they'd both been hosed down.  Clearly already a little on the damp side, Vicky cracked on sorting the rubber matting out while I continued to try and work in the dark!  
When the rain chilled out a little bit we sorted our power issues and I refrained from quoting "Let there be light" as I wasn't sure it would be appreciated at that particular moment.  

Next came the tack room... Many bags of rubbish later, a destroyed rat home, two dead rats, (of which I had to deal with because someone *cough cough* mentioning no names *cough* Victoria *cough* doesn't like rats!) and moving enough rugs to clothe the entire yard full of horses, we had another car full of rubbish and a lovely tidy tack room.  All swept up, stuff put away neatly and everything!  And all of this was done in the pouring rain, so we were in need of dry hoodies by the time we were finished.

A second trip to the tip (a different one, due to miserable chuffs who worked at the last one) with all the rubbish left only the rubber matting to be put back in.  Now by this time we had already been at it over five hours... so you can imagine... We were wet, cold and had just about had enough.  And just in case I didn't make it clear before - that matting is super heavy!  So, whilst trying to lift them, get them in the right places (one seriously odd jigsaw puzzle!) make them meet without overlap, and get them to tuck in at the edges, it was no wonder hysteria broke out!  

When it was all finally in and everything put away, we stood back and looked upon our handiwork with smiles on our faces... We stunk of shit and Jay's Fluid, were absolutely filthy, and ached everywhere - but it had been a very productive day!  

Now, sat in my comfy pajamas, after a luxuriously long and hot shower full of nice smelling bubbly stuff, and a relax on my bed with my book; I feel much better.  Not really knowing what to do with my clothes that I'd been wearing, I bundled them all up and put them in the wash - hoodies, jeans, underwear, gloves, scarf - the lot... All as one load, which is now drying on the radiator, smelling much better than before.

So, there is just one thing left to say... WOAH BETIDE VICTORIA JAYNE IF THAT BARN GETS THAT BAD AGAIN!!  I'm all for 'what are friends for' and have no problems spending my time up there, but I am not, I repeat... AM NOT doing that again!  (She says with the utmost sincerity, knowing damn well that if she needed me, I'd do it all over again.)  

Now it's time for tea... I'm starving! 
Bye all,
Louby x