Do the rides ever end.... e....v....e...r??

Another torrential downpour overnight ensured the mud returned in full force at work. In fact, it was even raining when I was looking to leave in the morning. Bahhh! I waited for it to ease and walked to work with a towel covering my head. The people here hate being outside in the rain and some just won't come to work until it's stopped - me, I'm a trooper. Rain, hail or shine, I'll be there.

There were 3 of us guides on this day, so we saddled 19 horses. Not nearly enuf, as it would seem. The rides POURED in, heavier than even the rain (which thankfully subsided after its little spurt in the morning), and we worked worked WORKED to get them moving through.

Funnily enuf, we were dead until 10am so we got everything ready before the onslaught. I think there were 7 cruise ships in (the dock can hold 10 in a day with 2 out in the water ferrying passengers in), so it was pretty busy, and the weather turned out perfect for riding. So it was all on for young and old, quite literally.

We called in another guide, who came and instantly rode out to find all the horses we'd let out for a day off. I came back at one point to see guests riding all sorts of horses we'd never usually put guests on. I was like, ahh Tornado? Bandolera? I on the boss wife's horse, Spirit? What's going on? No one was spared.

They came in droves. Every time I came back from a ride, I helped my guests off their horses, gave them their shoes (we take them off for the water part of the ride at the end) and I would walk them down - as I walked, someone would pass me with another group and say, "I've got these 6 for you when you're ready." Geeeeez. No rest for the wicked.

I ate a toastie on the way back from taking one of my groups down, no lunch break to be seen, and put a smile on my face. "Welcome to Seaside Nature Park!" And it begins again...

Tips were decent, not as good as the day before, but still a healthy amount. I may have gotten more had I hung around after the ride, but that was just not a possibility this day. It was good, though, as I didn't notice the day pass. Every ride was an hour so I didn't need my phone to check the time, and before I knew it, I was on my last ride and it was almost 5pm.

I told my boss it was a good thing my rides stopped at #5, as I was going a bit delirious and may well have laughed like a madwoman and run screaming into the beach to end my days. In front of the tourists. But as it was, the day did end. And we got out just a little late. I was glad of that. It was good we had an extra guide on so things moved fast at the end.

There were no incidents, at least not with me, just one horse trying to roll who had a non-English speaking rider on it. Actually, that was one of those German rides that I hate - except luckily this time I was out on a ride so they couldn't put me on it! J was VEX about going on it, told me he was telling the boss never again. They can hardly understand me, I can only imagine how hard it is to decipher the Caribbean take on English.

So off I traipsed to Pineapple Pete's again in search of internet, and found myself a new spot (confused all the wait staff) out of the wind tunnel I usually sit in. The nights can get chilly with the wind at the moment and it's a little darker there - A complains enuf as it is that he can't see my face!

Had an over-enthusiastic waitress interrupt my Skype time a bit, and also my cuddle time with a shy dog that hangs around the bar. Nevermind. A was getting ever-closer to bagging his dream flat for us so he was excited. Is so good to video with him, I miss his gorgeous face. Usually it's just voice calls.

This time there was no rain shower on my way home, thank god! I collapsed in bed, then saw 2 missed calls from work and thought, hmm what's up?? Turns out they didn't need me in the next day and said I could still have my regular Friday off as I had plans for that day. Sweet! An extra day off up my sleeve. I need that to get all the things ticked off my To Do list! Then it was off into a delirium-driven sleep..........