Can we go home now please?

Emma rode out with the hunt today, which was due to end at the farm - The day was littered with showers of sleet and even when the sun peeked out, the cold wind didn't give up.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it was ' grandma's ' birthday, so there was much cake to be had and a few visitors.

The kids were going stir crazy indoors, so twice we all got togged up and went outside. Alex didn't give a damn about the weather as long as he could ride his little truck about, even in the sleet! There were tears as we forced him back inside.

At one point, daddy took them out to sit in his tractor parked in a field across the lane. I went to photograph them, then we all sat in the tractor cab looking out to watch for the horses and hounds. We couldn't see them, but a few people drove past, saw us sitting there and gave us a wave! Another sleet shower came in, so we were stuck there for quite a while, but it was warm enough and Mary put the radio on for us ... LOUD!!

In the end, only 6 riders made it to the farm. They were given hot tea, quiche, chips and cake in a random order to warm them up. I overheard someone say " I've never had chips with cake before " and someone else reply " neither have I, but it's quite nice ".

My blip is of one of the tired hounds, Sawyer, who lived on the farm for a few months as a pup. He's grown up to be a lovely boy, one of the less troublesome ones - some were haring around, into everything, including the house!

Once they'd investigated the area though, they settled down to clean themselves and began to find a place to have a nap until their transport home arrived.