It’s All In The Timing

Of course, it couldn’t go according to plan.

This week is the Halloween Pony Camp. It is an extremely busy camp this year with up to twenty kids running amok on the yard. So it is of utmost importance that I am well rested, full of energy and in peak physical health in order to manage and co-ordinate the yard related activities for the week.

Naturally, I am stinking rotten ill. I have a recurring infection that has come back to cause me pain, discomfort and make me feel generally like a rather large pile of something hot and steamy. I have also managed to contract a delightful cold and cough which has very quickly started spreading to my throat and chest. My voice has all but disappeared, handy when you have several riding lessons to teach every day. I am seriously lacking the energy and strength to put one foot in front of the other most of the time and yet somehow I am forcing myself to keep going and get the kids doing.

I blame Sonny for the latter problem, the cold and the cough. I went to stay with him in Cork at the weekend and while it was lovely to see him and spend the weekend there, it was rather unfortunate that he was ill the whole time and thoughtfully shared his “mega-germs” with me. I guess I can’t say he never gives me anything.

Cork was nice. We went for dinner on Friday night and then met up with one of Athos’ friends in a pub where there was a jazz band playing. It was actually the jazz festival in Cork over the weekend, so everywhere you walked past had music pouring out of it. It was impossible not to catch strains of various jazzy tunes as you walked down the street. Saturday saw us walking into Cork once more for brunch, which was very welcome by the time it came. And I finally got a cup of tea! I suppose you wouldn’t really understand the excitement of that if you’re not a big tea drinker. But it was a good moment. We were both pretty tired though, as revelling housemates had woken us during the night. So it was back to curl up under the duvet and watch a movie for the afternoon. Nice.

We were supposed to be going out on Saturday night to see Sonny’s friend’s band play but halfway through the evening Sonny turned to me and asked if I minded not going as he wasn’t feeling up to it. So we stayed in and got an early night. It was, however, the middle of Saturday night that I ended up getting ill and so it wasn’t quite as restful as I’d hoped. Which meant we had another lazy day on Sunday, watching another movie and lounging around talking to a couple of his housemates. When it came for me to leave I was sad, but not a little relieved to be heading back to a double bed all to myself as opposed to the previous two nights of sharing a single. Note to everyone ever: single beds are not for sharing!

If it weren’t for feeling so rotten and like I’m falling apart at the seams, I think I’d probably be in a good space. Yesterday was stressful, but today went well. I’m getting into the swing of teaching the campers, and my lovely girls working the yard are a great team so we’re managing to keep things running fairly smoothly despite the chaotic destructive impact of fifteen kids. Our poor tack room is in shock.

I must say though, I am looking forward to the peace and quiet that next week will bring if only to have the chance to recover my voice fully and stop everyone laughing at me every time I open my mouth to speak and end up squeaking instead. Sigh.

Growlysqueak.