I'm so hard I get whip blisters

I am in high spirits today, after waking up before my alarm and doing the morning work in light snow - meaning not-too-cold temperatures - and then having a good workout with the camels and some great work on another horse that I previously disliked.

The camels were much more energetic today, and while I thought I'd have to really push them along and stress my voice, they reacted quite well and were frollicking up and down the paddock for quite a while. And if you've never seen a camel frollick... well, just like everything else they do, it's extremely funny. Half the time I'm laughing too much to sound authoritarian enuf to get them to move. G said they would have also been getting more used to me so would be more inclined to do what I said.

The horse I rode afterwards, Gnom, was the first horse I rode here and I did not enjoy him. He is shit with mustering camels and walks too fast so I always had to rein him in. Today, however, after a warning from G that his energy would give me a good "adventure", he was a little angel and we actually worked quite well in the paddock with his head down and a nice working trot. My very elementary dressage skills got a good ol' dust-off and I actually felt like I was riding WELL. That's a change.

Was meant to go shopping with G's sister today but she cancelled.. Then G heard and got all angry at her. There is such a weird chemistry with this family unit, I just can't work it out. So I try to avoid it all. The less I say, the less I step on toes. Other than that they're lovely people.

Oh, and today while I was crackin the whip I managed to give myself a blister on the bottom of my thumb. Talk about AWKWARD! Grr... Anyway at least I have something to show for my efforts.