Well, the Pony Club show was great fun. I drove down to Penny's in the early morning fog and drizzle, with extra fleeces and warm cardigans tucked in to the back of the car. I arrived with Penny about 8.20 a.m. and we jumped into her car after a quick dose of lurcher love from Ben and Milly and also saying hello to Joe. Then it was off to Llandovery. On the way, saw masses of red kites which was great, then once we hit Llandeilo suddenly the sun came out and by the time we arrived at the show, it was a clear blue sky and blazing sunshine all day. We had a wonderful day and I really enjoyed myself. Lots to do, with quite a few classes, scores to record for jumping rounds, rosettes and certificates to dish out, picking up class lists and judging sheets from the secretary and helping out with repairing fences and catching ponies when riders fell off in the ring. Smallest were little leading rein ponies with tiny 3 year olds on top right up to the big hunters with adults on board. There was a professional photographer there and you can see the gallery from the show here.

By the time we finished our classes it was close to 3, there was a lunch laid on for us in the rugby club and then we pootled back to Penny's. Then home and I was pretty tired, and unfortunately had really caught the sun on the back of my neck and tops of my arms. I hadn't expected to need to take sun lotion as the weather had started being more suitable for welly boots. I'm now at the peeling stage.

Rita and Roger came over for the weekend and arrived yesterday afternoon. Rita's arm is still giving cause for concern - she is still in a cast but her arm is painful and swollen and an operation has still not been fully ruled out. However, she is being seen regularly by the consultant so we are hopeful it will continue to heal.

We took the dogs out early yesterday morning to Tredegar House for our normal walk, and as it was quiet let Andy off the lead. He was happy to be able to run around and then to his delight spotted a squirrel and was off like a rocket after it. Naturally the squirrel was able to safely take refuge in a tree, leaving Andy doing his vertical take off jumps at the base. We caught up with him and realised he was limping and bleeding and it turned out that in his sprint he'd ripped out a toenail on his back off side paw and the near side was grazed on the knuckle of his paw. We got him back to the car leaving a trail of bloody footprints and in hte house it looked like a crime scene. We bathed the foot in warm salty water and he retired to his bed, looking very sorry for himself so we gave him a painkiller. Since then, he's been very quiet, and we've continued to give pain relief although the stump/quick appears to be healing. I can only imagine how painful it must be.

It's been a lovely day today - we didn't take Andy out for his walk as he was still looking very sorry for himself and not moving very much. After the others came back, we had a late breakfast - I had made a delicious date, honey and oatmeal loaf which we all enjoyed. After a relaxing potter, we then went out this afternoon to one of the National Garden Scheme gardens. For those who don't know, this is a wonderful scheme where otherwise private gardens are opened to the public for charity on specified dates, usually with beautiful or unusual planting, plant sales and tea and cake.

The garden we went to see today is this one - not too far to travel so we set off in the beautiful sunshine leaving the woofs peacefully snoozing at home. They had laid on parking in an adjacent field and it was absolutely lovely with a steady stream of visitors, some tempting plant sales and delicious home made cakes and tea. I loved the orchard which had a variety of apple, pear, plum and medlar trees, and also particularly liked the use of clematis in the garden - they are obviously a fan of the species, and it was unusual to see clematis being used against the house walls. Lots of lovely herbaceous perennials with attractive colour combinations. The garden was set against the beautiful Usk countryside and looked out over a wheat field. I've attached some pics. After we came home, Rita is watching the tennis final and I'm hoping to sneak a peek later at the Tour. As it's such a gorgeous day, we'll be having a big jug of Pimms in the garden and will probably eat out there tonight. We're doing a sort of Meditteranean medley, with a watermelon, feta and mint salad, a pea and mint hummus, some pitta breads, grilled marinaded beef strips, and a couple of other salads with a raspberry cheesecake to follow.