Our New Police Patrol
I heard the unmistakable clip-clop and by the time I’d got my camera, they were walking sedately into the distance.
Our New Police Patrol
I’ve not seen them patrolling here before, but an ex-policeman I used to know years ago, said that horses are not a bad way to show yourself and have a look into residential areas. I know myself, that the view from a horse as you walk around, is times better than the one you get from a car.
I suspect though today, as it was a Sunday morning, it was more about giving the horses a stretch and some exercise.
As I didn’t take a good look, I got to wondering where the horses came from. I found this article from Spitalfields Life, describing the stables of the City of London Police at Wood Street, just South of the Barbican. I would suspect, that they could have come from there, as the distance would be a very suitable walk for a working horse.
Would I Go Back To Iceland?
I think I will go again, as Iceland is a country that appeals to my mind.
But if I do go again, it will be with someone else, as my trip would have been so much better with a companion!
I still want to go over a geothermal power station!
And it would be wonderful to ride one of the sturdy Icelandic horses in some of the amazing countryside.
There Are Icelandic Horses Everywhere
It surprised me how many horses were to be seen on Iceland.
There Are Icelandic Horses Everywhere
Icelandic horses are always horses, no matter what size they are. One reason could be that in Icelandic, there is no word for pony.
In one town we passed through, the guide said that horses outnumbered people by three to one.
Bannockburn Riding for the Disabled
I was alerted to the plight of this organisation by Melanie Reid in her Saturday column in The Times.
Riding for the Disabled was one of the charities C and myself supported, so she would be totally behind my donation to help the Bannockburn RDA in their fight against a difficult landlord.
If you would like to donate, you can use Just Giving.
Cats For Protection
The BBC is showing a video of a cat saving a young boy from a dog. It’s here on the Daily Mail.
But cats are strange animals and often behave in ways to get what they want.
Years ago, I often used to walk round the stables by the house to check the horses. One night, I shone a torch into the stable and saw that the horse was sitting curled up by the back wall. But the torch picked out two eyes just under his shoulder and I could see one of our ginger cats snuggled in the warmth. It wasn’t the only time I saw this and one day mentioned it to an old horse-coper, who explained it like this.
Horses don’t like mice and rats scrambling through the straw, as being flight animals small noises may make them want to flee and of course they can’t. So the horse had encouraged the cat in, to protect him from the savage rodents. He said that over the years, he’d seen several strong friendships between horses or ponies and cats.
Let Them Eat Horse
Princess Anne has stirred everybody up, with her statement on why we should eat horsemeat. It’s reported in her mother’s Daily Telegraph. Here’s the first paragraph.
The Princess Royal, who is President of World Horse Welfare, says that Britain should consider eating horsemeat because it would improve standards of care for the animals.
As someone, who has been around horses for a lot of his life, I totally agree with what she said.
One point is that in France, their heavy horses are in much better state than ours! Ours, include the Suffolk horse, which is becoming one of the rarest animals on the planet. The reason the French horses are in better state, is that they are kept for the production of meat.
Lea Bridge Station
Lea Bridge Station is going to be reopened at the end of next year. As I was passing, I took a few pictures of the station as it is today.
It would appear that a certain amount of clearing up has been done.
What surprised me was the landscaping around the line at this point.
It is also close to a couple of attractions in the Lea Valley Park, is well seved by buses and there were quite a few pedestrians and cyclists about. I had actually been to the nearby Lea Valley Riding Centre, to see about getting back on a horse.
So I am not be surprised that the figures showed the station is a good one to reopen. Although this article says that it might close.
I have a feeling that the figures will be nowhere like they are predicted. But whether they are higher or lower, I will not guess.
A lot depends on the service levels through the station, which currently sees two trains every hour in each direction. If that were to be doubled, it would make a lot of difference.
There is a good article and discussion on Lea Bridge station here on London Reconnections.
On a personal basis, I might use the station to go north, as it is one 56 bus to the station. So if I was going to Broxbourne or one of the other stations up the Lea Valley line, it would be a simple alternative. Especially, if the trains were four an hour.
Carriages In Palermo
Palermo has lots of horse-drawn carriages for the tourists.
Not for me though a ride! I’ve only ever been in a horse-drawn carriage once and that was in Seville.
But unlike many places nearly all of the horses, looked to be in good condition.
A Horse In Heathrow Terminal Five
This horse is one of the silliest piece of art I’ve ever seen.
A Horse In Heathrow Terminal Five
It was outside British Airways Executive Club.
Riding Whilst Pregnant
There has been a bit of criticism of Zara Phillips riding, whilst she is pregnant.
I do wonder if her mother and grandmother gave up whilst they were pregnant!
I’ve known lots of women, who continued to ride after they became pregnant and some for quite a long time. In none of these cases was there any complications. Although an anaesthetist once told me, that he once had to give an epidural to a very fit ballet dancer during childbirth and had difficulty getting the needle home, as her muscles were so strong. But it all turned out right in the end.
The funniest story was from a mate of mine, who rode up to a forthright lady we both knew well. “Good morning, Mrs. S”, he said and the reply was “I’m pregnant and so’s the horse!” Both births were successful, and I’ve met the daiughter involved many times.
The Anonymous Widower 