Early starts.

Creative Clara has to be honest, these early morning starts are beginning to take it out of Baggy! Especially now that when her alarm goes off at 5.30, it's not even properly light any more. But Grotty Groom is still dragging her out of bed to get her to the yard for 6.30, (until she's told that the rules are being relaxed and she can go later), because she's loving being with the Boy Wessles. Although yesterday, she just didn't have the energy to ride him, so she lunged him, and Freda Fretter watched in slight horror as he rodeoed his way around Grotty. At one point all four feet were around three feet above the ground, and when he landed, he took off so fast that it took all of Baggy's strength to hang onto the lunge line. But hang on she did, so to show his displeasure at that, he fly-bucked a few times, before being persuaded to come back to a ridiculously fast, (but highly impressive), trot. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, it was with some trepidation that Grotty mounted the Boy this morning; but she needs to have more faith in him, because he knows it's okay to do a bit of exuberant manoeuvring when he's being lunged on a headcollar (rather than a bridle), and at least he got it out of his system! 

He was a poppet, and despite a slight cough (which results in his nose being on the sand - interesting to sit to!), did some really good trot work, much to Grotty's delight. He's so chilled out, that Grotty can even abandon her air jacket, so that she can hop off him without scratching his saddle. 

It did occur to Clever Bird that the potentially, life-saving air jacket that she always wears, hasn't been serviced for at least four years, and therefore might not actually work! She should probably get Baggy to set it off, just to make sure that it does, but only if Hormonal Hannah can remember where on earth Grotty put the spare gas canisters. And no Baggees, worry not, she won't do it whilst on top of the Boy Wessles, as it's a very loud bang.

Baggy isn't the only one struggling with the 5.30 starts. For the last couple of days, Baggy has got up, gone downstairs and made a cup of decaf. tea, had a shower, gone back upstairs and dressed, gone back downstairs to get ready to leave, then realised that someone was missing!

Even when Furry Mama has gone back upstairs again to find the Pooch, he has refused to leave the comfort of his crate! This morning Clever Bird had to resort to going back downstairs and opening and closing the front door, in order to persuade him to move! But at least he can sleep for another couple of hours in Billy Bob Jalopy campervan while Grotty does her thing. Then he gets to play on the beach.

By early afternoon for the last few days, Baggy just has to have a sleep - and she's not the only one!

Although she's tired, Baggy is benefitting from the extra exercise, along with her (mainly) healthy eating. She has fancied going for a swim in the sea a few times this summer, but so far hasn't done. Why? Well because she doesn't have a swimsuit that fits. She bought a ridiculously expensive one last year to give her confidence, and wore it once!

When she tried it on again last week, she realised that it was falling off her! Not surprising really, as she's lost over three stone since she bought it, but it was such a beautiful swimsuit. So, when she noticed that the shop she bought it from had the same suit on a model in the window, and, better yet, that it was in the sale, Baggy decided to investigate. She popped in this morning and explained her situation. The lady looked at her, and said, "I think you're probably a 12. I'll see whether we have it in that size." They did.

"I presume that I can't try it on."

"No; of course you can!"

"Oh. Well that's lovely, but I don't think I can get these boots off," said Baggy, indicating her long leather horsey-boots, that she can only get off by using a long boot-jack thingy, or one of Calum's swords.

"Hmmm, and they're a bit sandy."

Baggy blushed, as she realised just how sandy they were (in the very posh shop), but in her defense, she'd had no intention of going shopping. But unlike the shop the other day that she asked about the swimsuits in, not only could she try it on, she could return it! So Baggy took a leap of faith, and bought the half-price suit without trying it on. Baggy tried it on as soon as she got home, and it fits perfectly, much to her delight. This means two things: firstly, that Baggy will be making herself even more tired by adding swimming to her routine, secondly, that so far she has gone down four dress sizes on her healthy living programme...

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them can get pretty confused!

Is the nanny state becoming overwhelming?

Some of you will want to turn away from this blog Baggees, because it will be deemed by many to be controversial/ridiculous/out of order/naïve/irresponsible, or possibly just plain stupid, but it's Clever Bird's emerging view, so here goes. Clever Bird is beginning to think that the response to Covid-19 has been over the top! There, she's said it, and now Hormonal Hannah's anxiety is kicking in for being outspoken, but Creative Clara tries to be as honest as she can in these blogs and these thoughts are keeping her awake at night. 

The initial news about this awful virus was literally terrifying! What's more it proved to be pretty accurate. It is a nasty, deadly virus, that seems to spread fast and appears to be one step ahead of the scientists who are trying to create a vaccine against it. Baggy is horrified by the number of deaths it's caused, and by how it seems to leave some people who've had it, with long-term issues. The lockdown in the United Kingdom (and many other countries) seemed to be effective at controlling its spread to a large degree, but what happens now? The UK not surprisingly, is now officially in a recession. Clever Bird thinks that in a few more months this will be declared as a depression, because businesses are still not able to function normally, or in some cases, at all. Local lockdowns are being re-imposed left, right and centre. Companies, large and small are going bust, and laying people off. Many people are still too scared to leave their homes. The economy is on the brink of collapse. And it would seem that Covid-19 is here to stay. It is also by no means a certainty that a suitable effective vaccine will ever be available. So what does happen now? 

Social distancing (generally), hand washing and wearing masks all make perfect sense, and are fairly easy to do - or at least they should be; yet many people don't seem to want to bother. But with these "rules" in place, Clever Bird can't help but think that it's time to try to get the world back to a new normal - a more normal, normal than currently exists, because if it doesn't get back to normal fairly soon, unemployment is going to be a huge threat to many people's physical and mental health. 

For instance, how exactly are clothes shops supposed to stay profitable if it's not possible to try anything on? And if you can take it home and try it on, then why can't you try it on in the shop? Or as Baggy discovered yesterday, if you would like a swimsuit, you not only can't try it on, if you buy it, you cannot return it - unless you buy it from the website, then (because it's the law!), you may return it. Stupid! Yet, no one is preventing people from picking up such items, before putting them back on the rails! 

And how about the fact that soap and water is the best way to kill the virus, and yet many public toilets remain closed? Number one furry is driving an HGV around the country along with thousands of other professional drivers, keeping the country supplied with goods during one of the hottest weeks of the year. These drivers have to live in their little tin boxes all week, but do they have access to showers? Nope, not at present, because the ever-dwindling ones that are available at truck stops and services, are currently closed. Worse yet, truck stops can't make any money in the current restricted world, and are going bust, so there'll soon be even fewer places for drivers to rest and get washed.

One way systems in shops are just plain crackers in most cases - making people be in shops longer than is necessary; walk way further than necessary and pass more people than they needed to. Shops that have always allowed dogs to go into them suddenly won't allow dogs in (why?). And don't even start Clara on cafes and restaurants etc. But at least now it's hot and dry, and people can be outdoors - what happens in a few more weeks time when it's cold and wet and everyone is indoors where the virus spreads more easily? And they've also got colds and flu to contend with, and all the kids are back at school, and students are at college, and lots more people are commuting to work - will the country be locked down again when the inevitable happens? Maybe, just maybe, we need to be able to make decisions for ourselves once again; businesses should be allowed to decide for themselves what is and isn't acceptable - five people only in a shop, is pretty pointless when all five are queuing at the till together for instance. 

If a vaccine isn't available, will there be any choice but to let people start to live their own lives again? The country can't keep being locked down can it? And if it can, and is, what will be left at the end of these lockdowns? Surely Clever Bird can't be the only one thinking that the current restrictions are too much? Where will it end? How will it end? Will it end?

Maybe nature is making its point...

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them can get pretty confused! 

Animals are sent to us for a reason.

Baggy spent a while re-reading her blog last night, starting back in February, pre-Covid-19 world. She had forgotten just how anxious Hormonal Hannah was at the beginning of this pandemic; so anxious in fact that she could very easily have developed agoraphobia. Not being able to visit a beach for over two months was hard, and it's wonderful that Furry Mama is going again. Pepper Pooch is loving it as well, and they're getting there early enough  to beat the worst of the heat, and most of the crowds. But, and there's always a "but" in Baggy's life; Pepper seems to be showing the initial signs that he's becoming poorly again.

He seems to have developed yet another ear infection, and he has a psoriasis-type rash on his groin. Naturally, Freda Fretter is worried sick about this, but as Furry Mama has all the appropriate medicines leftover from last time, she's onto it. Clever Bird knows that the vets haven't yet figured out what exactly is wrong with Pepper, but autoimmune diseases mean that his body keeps "attacking itself". What isn't known is specifically what triggers these reactions, although being stressed can certainly be a factor. Freda worries that merely not walking Pepper for a day (because it was 34 deg.C), might have been enough this time - it certainly appears to be what caused it previously. 

After leaving the beach today, Furry mama had to drop by the vets' in order to collect his worm and flea treatments, and a bag of his Anallergenic food. She happened to bump into (not literally you understand Baggees), the vet who treated Pepper with his first violent sickness episode during lockdown, back in March. She remembered Baggy, and asked after Pepper (by name, which was pretty impressive). Furry Mama explained the latest symptoms, and was worried by her comment that "his body was basically eating itself," or words to that affect. 

"Poor lad, he suffers a lot doesn't he?"

"Well, he's mine, so there's no surprise there," replied Furry Mama. "Any animal who chooses me to be their human always has problems!" 

Furry Mama went on to explain about Minty Mutt and Wesley's issues, before mentioning Hinge cat, and immediately getting tearful.

"She was only eight when we lost her, and we still have her sister, Bracket, so it's a daily reminder."

"Bless her, that was young."

"It was, but we rescued them from a horrible situation, so at least she had a really happy few years." 

"And that's what you're giving Pepper too." 

Naturally, all Freda Fretter took in from that statement was that Pepper would possibly not have a long life, and if that is the case, Calum and Furry Mama plan on making the lad as happy as they can. 

Grotty Groom certainly hopes that her Boy Wessles has had a good life with her, during the past fifteen years. He was a sweetheart when she rode him in the school this morning - even though it was already 23 deg.C at 7.30am. 

Yes Baggees, Grotty had Baggy looking more than a little flushed! But look at that Boy, waiting for Creative Clara to get a photo of him with Grotty. She had to wander away from him to get him in the shot, because each time she tried to do a close up, he stuck his nose on the phone!

It's great that he's now so relaxed in the school though, because it means that Baggy can get the mounting block in and out, without having to hang onto him.

Not bad for a ridiculously spooky horse eh Baggees?

Clever Bird thinks that if he could, Wesley would happily just spend the day in the school; not being ridden - just standing about!

There's one nice advantage to being the first person to ride each day, the school has usually been levelled. Grotty uses this to plan her moves - well, yes, more accurately Wesley's moves - because she can see exactly where they've been. Are they walking in a proper straight line? Is their circle really a circle, or more of an egg?

And when Creative Clara gets a little fed up of circles, straight lines, serpentines and tear-drops, she plays, "follow the tractor tracks", (although she can't help but wonder now, whether those tracks might become more challenging once Pauline (the lovely yard manager) sees that comment)...

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No Baggy was harmed in its writing, although some of them can get pretty confused!

Why is it so hard to wear a mask?

Clever Bird is no longer at all sure how this Covid-19 is going to play out. It sounds as though it's going to be staying around for years, and that they're hopeful, but by no means certain, that a vaccine will be developed. The whole, "let's get everyone over 50 to self isolate" plan, seems to have gone away, thankfully, because that was never going to happen. 1-in-5 people are now known to show zero symptoms when they have it, so presumably are merrily getting on with their lives, and inadvertently infecting other people. Many others do have symptoms when they're infected, but not necessarily the cough, high temperature and loss of smell that are the criteria for self-isolating. Masks are mandatory in shops (in theory), yet many people are wearing them incorrectly, or using flimsy, one-layered jobs that are pretty useless. Freda Fretter has observed total nonsense situations from people who clearly have no clue why they're wearing a mask: an old chap leaving a café and taking off his mask, then laying it, mouth-side down on the newly disinfected table - not "his" newly disinfected table, just a convenient one. He then chatted to a friend on another table, before picking up his mask and leaving! A young woman leaving a shop, taking off her mask and whilst holding the mask in her same hand, picking up, and putting back down, displayed vegetables on the table outside the grocery shop. 

As for social distancing: Baggy was disinfecting her hands with the sanitiser provided, whilst waiting to be allowed to go into a café to order her latte when she heard a voice behind her, "That smells rather lovely, I might have a go with that." Baggy turned around, to be faced, literally about a foot away, by an old guy, with no mask on, laughing and indicating the sanitiser - not that he did use it! Instead he touched Baggy on her (bare) arm and said, "But it's more of a woman's scent." So all things considered, Freda Fretter has come to the conclusion that Baggy's fate is in the lap of the Gods. All she can do is to keep Baggy as safe as possible in the midst of such ignorance, and get on with her life, as she's not prepared to lock herself away again, unless she has to. 

Grotty Groom continues to get Baggy up at 5.30 so that she can work with the Boy Wessles. She varies his work to keep them both from becoming bored. They ride in the school, go out on hacks, long-rein, or lunge, depending on the temperature, and Baggy's energy levels. 

On the hottest day last week, Grotty decided just to give both Boys a bath instead of working them. Admittedly Baggy ended up as wet as the horses, but it was worth it to try to alleviate their itchy tails. She smelt as nice as they did as well, after using the mint and tea tree oil shampoo. Not that it made any difference! This was the next day:  

Clever Bird thinks that perhaps Wesley just prefers the loo-brush look. 

Furry Mama has been going to different beaches to avoid the crowds: Dunwich

Sizewell;

Gorleston. 

Since it's been so hot, number one furry has had the barbeque out a couple of times. It's lovely for Baggy to have a husband who is such a good cook, and they certainly won't be eating-out,(inside) any time soon, so...

Today's lunch:

And Baggy is spoilt! Having made a late lunch, number one furry had to go to bed as he has to get up at 1.00am to get ready to head off to work! Baggy's 5.30am alarm will be a positive lie-in, in comparison...

Note to readers: For the avoidance of any doubt, every character in this blog is Baggy! No was harmed in its writing, although some of them get pretty confused!