Author: riverfiles

We have 2 new family members.

2 doe’s. A lionhead and grey lop. Look on River Sprites face when we pulled up at pet shop in Torquay was unforgettable. A lifetime of rabbit longing over?

“Do you have any posonous snakes in stock please?”

Lilttle face fell.

“Er…. no madam we are not licensed for that”

“Oh ok then well do you have any ……(pause for effect)…….River Sprite looks up hopefully having cast her eye over the various cages containing pigs, rabbits, hamsters…”RABBITS“

They are occuupying the cage recently vacated by our errant and ungrateful peacocks. Neighbour reports she heard peahen yesterday across rive from ours. All attempts to lure her back with carefully postioned food have failed.

Onward and upward with rabbits then.

Family member who has been particularly irksome, spectacularly unhelpful and perpetual grumpy all Easter break requested a horse ride in the Estuary today.

We obliged of course- lovely day for it. 2 spirited nags at the ready, but the whole thing rendered less than pleasant, with nasty OFT hurrying along what should have been a nice, laid-back family ride.

There was one stellar moment though. Petulant family member mentioned above, got dumped in the river and soaked through when horse spooked at ebbing tide running at approx 4 knots against his legs . I was ridiculously pleased. How beastly of me. Even River Sprite said cheerfully to her “Got it all on the helmet go pro- splish splash splosh you went! Please may I share it with ‘Youve been framed ” I could earn £200 y’know?”

I professed great sympathy of course and much concern as she waddled back in squelching boots, legs apart like she’d just got off the loo. She complained about how her Fit Bit might be affected. I suggested a blast with a watm hairdryer on it when we got home. I then handed her a towel from within the bowels the horse trailer. Unfortunately it was streaked with horse shit on one side. Oh dearie me.

Later she complained that a present I had given her for Easter had “Gone Missing”. Why she didn’t put it in her handbag upon receipt is a mystery. Having conducted full search for it myself during which time she sat on her computer, staring ahead and tapping away. I then bought in all the recycling bin bags from driveway and proceeded to look through them ostentatiously while sitting on kitchen floor. Again she just sat and tapped away on the computer unconcerned. Extraordinary. She is a veritable legend in unhelpfulness and the most appallingly brought up child/woman imaginable. .

Much later I went to have a bath. Found it was full of dirt, grit and sand. She had taken a bath after her mishap in the Estuary. Would not have occurred to her I suppose to wash it out. Grrr.

Beach. All day. Picnic and Easter eggs in chiller. Beach jam packed. Cloudless sky but slight, refreshing breeze. So lovely for all the holiday makers to be rewarded with truly excellent day. Paddleboards, kayaks, boogie boards. Bluebells now in the ascendant in hedgerows but still a thick carpet of primroses, sometimes in intense clumps and gatherings. So charming. Pale pink flowers (unknown), daisies. Don’t think there can be anything much nicer than dozing in the warm sand feeling it supporting the arches of the feet.

For once the children didn’t squabble but actually played together. Gulp. Also v helpful dragging beach trolley/picnic basket/surfboard about. My! we have turned a corner. Driving back, magical views of Dartmoor rising gently in the distance, fields of sheep and frisking lambs, splodges of fields in brilliant yellow, oilseed rape. Yet only this time last week, the most beastly cold, windy day up at Newnham for XC course. So cold I had to watch it from the car with binoculars and had 2 sweaters on, hand warmers in gloves and just trembled. Summer seemed a million miles off.

Must record however first time ever or at least in my memory have not put on a skirt,  gone to church and had  or cooked,  a roast lamb family lunch.

Feels good.

No idea what OFT got up to. Did not enquire. Don’t know don’t care!.  Meanwhile… joy of joy as drove back,  neighbour called to say my errant peahen is discovered! Roosting in tree opposite our garden.  High up but she is back!

Flete Estate pt 2 pt. Most gorgeous weather imaginable. Shorts on for first time since Oct. Wonderful. Made it by 1110 and saw OFT already in position, directing taffic, his gilet jaune perched on his burgeoning paunch. Bald head sweating in the sun. God he is a disgusting spectacle.

He was already looking faintly tetchy as he waved cars and lorries in and only been on duty since 1045. Why? This is because OFT will never, ever do anything that might help others without feeling in some way, resentful.

If asked to help in any way for anything to do with the common good (and he will only accept if request issued by a person socially superior  or who might have, in some way, an advantage to bestow) he will always say, “I got roped in to…”

This from a man professing to be a Christian who went to one hour of devotions yesterday, “Just to reflect”.   As my Mother used to say, “Christians (so called) are some of the unkindest if not cruelllest people on earth.” The older I get the more I wonder if she was not right.

After that, parked up car, applied suncream, and peddled race day programmes.  Amazing how hard it is to sell, get coins from deep in bag when peole waving £20 notes etc all on time  with no confusion, but we did it and shifted lots of them.

Then to hand in tabard and coinage and commence socialisation, Jo and Ni, Jamie and Bella, Brett and Rob, Plum , John B, heavenly twins, Debo, Nikki, Oli, all the Modbury young et al…..lots of kissing and sun glasses clashing like antlers

Then to procure an ice cream for Margarita trapped in her horse box and finally sneaked off, with chidren to beach. Slept. Toes in warm sand.  Utter heaven, Woken by  shrill tones of a woman saying to my left, “The rugby team don’t drink like that Rowan!” to which I heard teenage boy on my right reply. “They do when on tour Miss”

“Oh yes?  Do they?  we will discuss it on Tuesday” and I realised hearing that, how swiftly the Easter hols,  will be over

“Honestly they are supposed to be revising! No wonder we have such poor results” the female voice said  quietly to someone else. By this time I was awake . We were on Mothecombe beach.  Dogs still allowed (till May 1st)   A 3 mast scooner out in the bay. People kayaking SUP-ing, generally frolicking in what is  blue but nonetheless, ice cold water this time of year. Had diff. getting into relaxing position with my wonky hip. Cannot lie flat etc. cushion devices propping up right leg, all so confining and foul. Roll on op for hip in just a very few months.

Home to find OFT had cooked a wondrous Chicken feast. I did not partake, on principle. Won’t eat anything cooked or planned by that creep.  OFT’s daughter and chum partook eagerly however,  then we all watched Netflix film on the redoubtable  Lee Alexander MacQueen and then with table strewn with uncleared plates, bottles and a mass of cleaning up, they announced. “We are off to bed,  goodnight”

I was aghast. River Sprite and I set to it Rubber gloves, loading dishwasher etc.  “If she had said, “can we help?” I would have definitely said, “No” I said to R Sprite, “but she did not even offer”. R Sprite and I kept noisy hoover robot thing on very loudly near their room by way of revenge and R Sprite jumped up and down on bathroom floor to disturb them in room below. A most gorgeous day to conclude and so much enjoyed… actually selling things.

OFT has just got up and is busying himself in shower. Announces he is off to Church to take part in the ,”3 hour devotions”. Only he will attend just the one hour.

Not that there is a service mind. ‘I will just sit in there for one hour.. in reflection”

Woke after relatively good nights sleep. How rare. “A” at Easter egg hunt fun ride today and impressed how horse bought in and tacked up by her all in her P club clothes. How rare, again. Horse wheeling round on end of rope like a raging lion as ever. A million miles from standing still but contained on rope tied to Pingit. Only when airbnb guest/ woman, came across and asked for a washing line rack thing, pony took advantage of the distraction, broke free and carted her (A) back to paddock at high speed. Shocking to watch. Rope burns aplenty. Got things under control by running/limping/hobbling into the area myself and with lots of shout and push, only cheeky mare did it again when being loaded, just as her predecessor had done. This was the well behaved replacement we had planned and hoped for .

Made it to Easter Egg Hunt Farm at 1005 A went on fast ride with C, P, and one other. She was thrilled. Only pre-teen accepted in a bunch off 16 year olds. There was a medium speed ride and slow. She elected to go on fast and coped admirably. Cant beat a bit off galloping about in the fresh air I say….Suddenly realised, infirm as I am with right hip, and hating the canter pace anyway, the days of me riding out with her on sponsored and fun rides are over. She will always want to do the fast ride. I would always prefer to proceed at walk only…..

I wore no make up today and looked very “Devon” as my Devonian sister in law would say. Wild, frizzed-up hair standing out a right angles to my face, spots on my face and profoundly/furrowed/wrinkled forehead. Only way you could detect I was a recent immigrant from South East was immaculate nails – french manicure. Impeccable.

About the furrowed brow….. Must get an appointmet to see Dr. E.

Felt miserable and disgruntled as ever , for no particular reason (probably my default setting) till N asked me to ride with her in “Gator” and go watch the riders from high in the valley. Suddenly I saw the wild garlic, bluebells, primroses in the hedgerows and felt the sun on my face and thought. “Stop being so bloody miserable will you? This is IT. This is bloody paradise” By this I meant I was sitting in the “Gator” on a heavenly Devon farm which proudly breeds South Devons, with a group of other unmade up women also boasting many wrinkles and spots all overweight and all of us in our utter prime. By this I meant, unaccompanied by husbands, (phew) not looking after children (or… worse still grandchildren….shudder) or looking after ill parents (at least not this morning) and far more importantly NOT AT WORK.

Haunted by thought of woman my age on check out Sainsburys Torquay till 11pm at night when I did a late night foray on Weds. She told me she spends day looking after granchild, so her daughter can work then out to work herself at 7pm. Just HORRIBLE,

A definite wake up and smell the coffee moment.

My eye, subject of last blog post, recovered now although very diminished in power. Now focussing on next medical issue, seriously arthritic right hip. Actually took pain killers today and felt surprisingly well. Was able to descend into the valley in Flete Wood through thickening carpet of bluebells and then stagger back up.. v unusual.

Home, attended to desk for long timethen stepdaughter arrived for Easter. Noticed she was unmade up too, again first time I have seen her without make up since she was 11 y.o. Very odd.

Only now do I understand why the captcha thing offers an audio version. Prove you are not robot Type in the letters you see. But….. I cant see them. Also eye patch and swollen eye playing havoc with my biometrics facial and iris recognition. Today, bit of a breakthrough, My eye is more open, less gummy and the spirit level has dropped t about 3/4 position and yes, my normal myopic eyesight is the same as it was, above the spirit level/gas bubble and the black, half moon shadow has gone from inside corner of left eye. There is still however a juddering and flickering bottom left corner of my eye .

I have a detached retina and must have it fixed tomorrow morning 8am sharp by on call Consultant. Poor guy probably ruined his plans for the weekend and he will be in a hurry to get away for Sunday lunch. What a bore. His wife will be fed up too. Worst thing is will have to be dependent on OFT today who must drive me about and ensure I lie down with left cheek to pillow for 50 mins in every hour. How humiliating. Just when I am striking blows for independence.

Month since I took off ny wedding ring and no one has commented. Not a sniff. Really very liberating.