Tails From Provence

In Training for Tuscany

We’re off to La Fiaba tomorrow for a riding weekend. We were going to be super-fit for this. We’re not. We were going to have ridden Aero and Flurry out for at least five days a week for the last month, with at least two of those rides being long ones. We didn’t.

Flurry thinks this situation is hilarious.

You’re going to be riding for HOW MANY hours a day??

(Actually, that is a seriously good giraffe impersonation)

Yesterday I rode for about an hour, with Alexandrine on Max and JC, who owns Volverine, a lovely little bay horse which has been at the farm for the last two months to be broken. He went home after the ride to start his life as a Cheval de Randonée – a trekker! JC is serious trekker – he goes off for eight days out of every month. At least I think that’s what he said. He speaks very fast.

I know, yeah, no hat, but these Frenchmen are tough.

We had a lovely ride, through the woods across the road from the farm, down towards Reillanne and back again. The LSH came on foot, with Cookie on the leash, to see how she would behave when out with horses. To our surprise, she was excellent – she didn’t fight with Chips and she didn’t bark at the horses at all. However, she didn’t seem to understand that I was ON Flurry – when I called her, she looked around, puzzled, but never looked up at me!

The advantage of having the LSH on foot is that he took some photos, so I can share this ride with you all. UK and Irish readers, this is what Spring looks like (if you can get broadband in your igloos). Seriously, avalanches in the Mourne mountains – what’s that about??

We started off on foot, but mounted right after this photo.

Then we had a long descent to cross a stream (which is usually dry but is not, now) followed by a climb up the other side.

Followed a track for a short while, heading into the woods

turned left onto a gravel road for a short bit, before turning right for a pretty long spell on a rough stony trail through scrub oak where the LSH couldn’t get a decent angle on us.

There was a big loop around through the scrub and back up the hill again, where we left him behind for a bit (sorry, LSH) but he caught up with us at the second lavender field.

(I like those ones!)

After the lavender, we were back on a gravel road in the woods for a while. Flurry was in turbo-mode the whole time he was in front – not trying to tank off or anything (although I think if Volverine had given him an excuse he’d have been gone!) but marching out at the briskest walk he’s capable of.

We turned off and headed through the patch where Alexandrine’s Dad is felling trees and JC went out in front. As soon as someone else took the lead, Flurry switched off.

Back down to the same stream crossing

stop for a quick slurp…

and scramble up the other side. With a little buck and a skip if you’re a dun gelding who’s still feeling fresh.

Back to the farm, where sweaty horses have to get washed behind the ears

and everybody can have a drink of water

before collapsing in a heap.

Ok, Tuscany, I’m ready for ya!

A Bit of This’ n’ That

First, a rugby joke.

What do Ronan O’Gara and the LSH have in common?

They were both dropped the same week…

no, it’s not hilarious.

yes, the LSH has lost his job.

no, we’re not upset.

yes, we were kinda expecting it.

no, we’re not going back to Ireland.

yes, we have plans…

Moving on…

I mentioned the Transumanza thingy in Tuscany a while back – that was supposed to be happening at Easter weekend. Unfortunately, La Fiaba have had to postpone it, but we’re going for the weekend anyway – we’re going to have a riding and eating lots of yummy Italian food weekend. Can’t wait, we’re leaving on Friday!

We had unexpected visitors on Sunday which was very pleasant although the weather wasn’t (don’t worry friends and followers in the UK and Ireland, I am NOT going to dare complain about the weather here). Just a point of fact, it pi**ed rain all weekend. My Bro and his wife Ant were coming down to this area with the intention of doing some rock climbing, but when the cliffs are all wet, they’re a bit hard to climb, so Bro and Ant decided to spend Sunday evening and Monday morning with us instead of pitching a soggy tent in a miserable campsite somewhere. They’ve gone on to Toulon now, and I believe the weather has improved and some cliffs have even been climbed, but we’re hoping to connect with them again after we come back from Tuscany and before they go back to sunny Stockport.

In preparation for our trip to La Fiaba, we rode today. It involved a long, long time chipping horses out of heaps of muck, but it was worth it. Très plaisant, as they say around here. They haven’t done much in the last two weeks, the LSH was in Brazil (my, he does get around, not for much longer, though!) and it was very, very wet here, so they were a little on their toes heading out but we kept it short and sweet and finished up with everyone happy.