Conversations through the middle

Life from a (slightly) more mature perspective

Living out for the summer

My horse is staying out tonight for the first time this year. I’m worried, of course, that’s what I do, worry. He wouldn’t be out just yet if it wasn’t for the fact that last night we found a load of blood in his field and it turned out he was having nose bleeds. I know that nose bleeds can look a lot worse than they are – my daughter has them, especially in summer – but still the amount of blood in the field was, well, lets just say we were looking for a body, a deer or something quite big, until we realised the blood was coming from John’s nose.

When I spoke to the vet today he told me there had been lots of similar cases lately, he thinks it is to do with the change in the weather.

So I decided to leave him out tonight (John, not the vet). I’m hoping that being out will stop him galloping around the field first thing in the morning when he’s turned out, so he won’t get too hot and he won’t have a nose bleed. He is 24 years old and it’s not good to act like a four year old.

So that’s where we are. The bleeding had stopped when I left, he seemed happy, it hasn’t put him off his food, but I worry about him. Has anybody out there in cyberspace had a similar experience? How long should I ‘manage it’ as the vet put it before I call for medical help? Does it go away on its own, which is what I’m hoping and what the vet has suggested will happen? Should I be doing something I’m not doing at the moment? Any help would be gratefully received. And on top of all that I’m still worried about how he’ll be, out tonight for the first time this year.

And this year’s most fashionable fly mask features a platypus-style nose cover that will hopefully
keep out the pollen (while giving the baby something to laugh about and grab hold of)
Hey mam, why are you taking photographs of me?

Posing for the camera – but not on his own, baby is just out of shot and the perfect companion

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Friends together

The boys – John and baby – are getting on brilliantly. John loves having company in the field and baby loves the security of being with a grown-up horse. They wander around together, John is teaching the baby how to groom (at the expense of my rugs, which the little one is constantly gnawing on) and they are sublimely happy in one another’s company. I could stand watching them all day, they are so sweet. My boy has had a new lease of life since baby arrived, I swear he looks younger, happier, alert and his eyes are bright. I’m so happy for him and very proud he has taking to being a grandpa the way he has. I took these photos last weekend.

Learning to groom (I took off John’s rug when I saw the baby grooming it!)

A little bit further to the left … a bit more … aaargh, that’s just right

“Right, that’s the end of the grooming,” said John as baby forgot himself and bit a little too hard.

Off they go…

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Back to school – ban on term-time holidays?

I read in the news that the Government is thinking of making it illegal to take your child out of school for a holiday during term time. What? Have politicians got nothing better to do with their time? What about the state of the economy, the problems with the NHS, the financial climate and global warming for goodness sake.

Is it a case of ‘we can’t control the important things so we’ll control the little things instead, so we still feel like we’re in, er, control’? It beggars belief.

Whether or not a family takes a term-time holiday is down to the family, the school and lets face it, how much money they have. Obviously it’s not ideal, but have you seen the cost of holidays at peak times?

At my daughter’s school for example any parent who wants to take their child out of school during term time has to discuss the situation with the head master. He takes into consideration attendance and the school schedule – whether there are exams coming up. If attendance is deemed satisfactory and there are no exams looming, then chances are the request will be granted. He is a sensible and reasonable man with a family of his own who is well aware of the financial pressures on parents, especially at this time.

Parents were informed at the beginning of the year that no time off for holidays would be granted in May for year 6 pupils as that’s when they have their SATs, which is only common sense, and I haven’t heard of any parent arguing against that.  

Politicians should take note that parents do not take their children out of school to be disruptive, rather they take kids out of school so the whole family can enjoy a holiday together, quality time together so they can relax and enjoy each other’s company without the daily stresses and pressures we are all under, all of the time. The alternative for many would be no holiday – going away during school holidays is just too expensive.

Banning families from taking term-time holidays would be counterproductive – part of being a kid is behaving like a kid and where better to do that than on holiday? It’s where families bond, create memories the children take into adulthood, enjoy new experiences, laugh and play.

The lucky ones will continue to do that during official school holidays; the rest of us will have to go without. I wonder which group the politicians fall into…

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