LouBar

I learned to read before I went to school and joined the library. I got through so many books that I finished the children’s section and was given an adult ticket at 10 years old as long as the librarian checked my selection to make sure they were suitable. I’ve continued to read alot and generally go to the library every 3 weeks and get 10 books each time.

I haven’t got a favourite genre but I’m not keen on “thin” books as I get through them too quickly! Occasionally I will get out a book I’ve read before if I really enjoyed it the first time. Because I read so many I don’t buy novels but I do buy reference books on a wide range of topics. I think I would find it very hard to make a list of my top 100 books and I would be lost without them.
One habit I have is reading more than one book at a time as I can dip in and out of a novel and don’t have to get to the end of a chapter to leave it. My husband can’t get to grips with this and thinks it strange that I leave books around the house and generally just pick up the nearest one when I want to read.

I read your thread janeitesarah and your distance to goal reading the last 90 books in 7 months is very acheivable so enjoy your reading :0))

I turned 40 and realised if I didn’t do something about this lifelong wish then it wasn’t going to happen. I took up regular riding lessons including how to look after a horse as I had had little contact with horses for over 25 years. After a year doing this I was ready to buy my first horse in 2001 – Alma a 15.2 Chestnut warmblood mare who unfortunately had to be retired from riding in 2003 but we have learnt to do a lot of groundwork and liberty work together. Alma has just moved to one of my friend’s farm as my friend is very experienced in looking after broodmares and raising youngstock – a specialist area – Alma is now in foal – due May 2008 – I’m counting off the days :0))

I then found Mervin a 15h heavy weight piebald show cob and we have had tremendous fun doing long distance rides and the occasional competition. Mervin now needs a quieter life at 16 so I have a friend who rides Mervin on a share arrangement and helps me look after him.

So in May this year I bought Conor a 15.3hh chestnut and white Irish Draft cross who is able to jump a 4 ft track so will be teaching me how to jump as this is something I have little experience of. We will also be doing some dressage tests but mainly riding through the gorgeous countryside in various parts of the UK

I love riding for the fact that you never stop learning and every horse has it’s own unique character; I get out and about in the countryside regardless of the weather and spend time with my horses – not just riding but caring and spending time with them. It is a great stress reliever after a day at the office.

It is a time consuming hobby so I’m grateful for a very understanding husband as I am out of the house a lot. Especially as I never thought I’d have more than one horse! Luckily he has his own time consuming hobbies so we have things to share when we get home togther – no bad thing when you’ve been together for 20 years

So if you are considering having your own horse then I can guarantee that you need to at least double the time you think that you would spend down at the yard as there are always things that need to be done or take longer than you think even with a single horse.

My next ambition is to live in the same place as my horses – i.e. a house in the countryside with enough land to keep my horses at home. Now where is that lottery ticket ….......

26lbs between January and March 2007 and have been fairly static since so happy that I could maintain the new level.
But now I want to lose another 30lbs before we go on holiday in November. I found it helped to increase my exercise so took up a dance class and then found a second one. They both finished in April but now I’ve found another class to go to once a week so I’m going to enrol on Monday