azdak

The riding stable has had its annual Christmas party, in not-very-festive sleet, and with its usual share of cock-ups (as the MC, I found myself at one point urging the audience to close their eyes and wish for the Christ Child to come… apparently she was having trouble getting into her dress). On the whole, though, it went well. Both my children rode in the opening a number, a quadrille with 8 horses, which looked absolutely wonderful in the very small riding school. Bexy also rode in "Band of Friendship", which involved her and a friend in full dressage gear – top hat, white gloves, white jodhs, the works – on a white and a black Lippizaner respectively. They had broad red ribbons on sticks, which they whirled into complicated patterns as they did synchronised dressage steps across the school, and it looked fantastic (though if I never have to listen to Jingle Bell Rock again, it will be too soon.) My own contribution, apart from MCing, was a comic turn (I have to do comic turns because I can't do anything properly) advertising Voltigieren For Senior Citizens. I knew it was going to be a hit the moment I laid eyes on my bright pink skin-tight latex jumpsuit, as previously warn by the men's Voltigier team in the Paralympics… Add to that a pink woolly hat, to keep my elderly head warm, and it really didn't matter what I did on the horse.

I fell off once on purpose and once not on purpose, and did excruciatingly bad version of various Volti-exercises, to a totally deadpan commentary by my eldest daughter, and I am glad to say we got lots of laughs. Afterwards my youngest told me that several people had come up to her and said "Your mum is really funny," and several others had said "Your mum is really embarrassing." It made me realise that I do rather take for granted the fact that my children not only tolerate, but actually enable, my addiction to showing off.

And now Martina is off to Tirol until the 25th and I have Famosa entirely to myself! Christmas has come early this year!