March

Jay has finished her second term at Oxford, and we brought her back home on Friday 7. Since then she has been kept fairly busy at the stables, either seeing Clyde, or working there.

After a long winter without being used, the horsebox was started again, while our Rover 45 needed new tyres, MOT, licence and an annual service.

The Cheltenham Festival (11-14) affected us very little this year. One day was cancelled, of course, because of the high winds. On another day, we went into Bishop’s Cleeve in the middle of the afternoon, when everyone is at the races, and the roads were very quiet.

Another Overbury Bowls Club Quiz on Saturday 15, with a different setter. He had thrown in quite a few local questions, but, luckily, we were teamed up this time with a local couple who knew all the answers. Roger had also, despite our profound lack of interest in racing, insisted we go along knowing the 1-2-3 in the Gold Cup the previous day, and Neptune Collonges duly earned us a precious point. We were able to hold on to win the miniature wines.

Helen came home for the Easter weekend, and Teresa prepared a turkey meal on Easter Sunday, with some rather tempting Easter eggs to be handed out afterwards. No little trips this time, though Teresa and the girls did intend to visit an event at Sudeley Castle. But, though it was little more than a marketing opportunity for local traders, they were charging their normal entrance charges, so Teresa baulked and came away.

After a winter of discomfort in the form of aches and pains from the chest wound of his operation, Roger went to the doctor, and was reassured that the examination and an ECG showed no fundamental problems. He just needs to grin and bear it.

Jay has taken an interest in singing. She has joined a college choir at Oxford, and on the weekend of 28-30 she went on a Gloucestershire choral course held at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. She liked the accommodation – small but well furnished room with en-suite facilities – and really enjoyed the concentrated programme of singing, which culminated in a short concert for families and friends on the Sunday.

Finally, Teresa’s birthday on Monday 31. We were going to celebrate by going out for a meal, but Juliet was working at the stables morning and afternoon, so we postponed that in favour of sausages and chips at home. (We went out the following day – to a Beefeater: very good.)

We did find time to have a slice of Teresa’s birthday cake, and for her to open the presents, many most thoughtfully chosen by the girls – mostly in pink, eg earrings, shopping bag. The main present was a pink notebook computer, which means that she need no longer be tied to her desk, or indeed to the house, as she can connect to our network wirelessly from any room, or to the Internet via WAP if away from home.

Teresa also worked her magic yet again by having a request played on Classic FM, a piece of Vivaldi with a dedication from Roger, Helen, Juliet and ‘our naughty pony Clyde’.

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