Rise (Ride) again

As we all know Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon i.e. between the 22nd March and 25th April. This year the full moon was on the 31st March and thus Easter Sunday 1st April. Thus relatively early in spring.
 
And as we also know, 40 days after Easter it is Ascension Day, a public holiday throughout Germany. However, the day is now more commonly called “Father’s Day” and an excuse for groups of men to undertake outings usually connected with strange forms of transport and involving copious amounts of drink. Not only do the men take it for granted that they deserve a public holiday for their sufferings but they like to have the day a few weeks later when the weather is normally even warmer and should fall after the efforts they endured on the second Sunday in May which is Mother’s Day.
 
Perhaps the UK should consider moving their Mothering Sunday from the fourth Sunday in Lent which is two weeks before Easter. German date ensures there is a much wider choice of flowers on the council roundabouts to choose from when looking around for suitable presents and of course after Easter, the Cadbury Crème Eggs and such delicacies are at discount in the supermarkets.
 
Today though was not a good Fathers day for MrMD or Mr Müller jr of the villages organic sucking cow herd farming family. He had asked me recently if his wife could take a ride on our horses. She had in earlier days been a keen rider but marriage, move and children had got in the way and she would like to start again. Angie had seen her a few days ago and today was selected as a good opportunity as MrMD could childmind.
 
The day turned out wonderfully, at least for Angie who at long last could ride out without having a second horse on a lead. And MrsMY was great, she knew what she was doing so Angie didn’t have to say anything except try and excuse Rosie’s dreadful lazy, stubborn attitude to exercise. It was MrsMY’s first ride on a western saddle and although I forgot to ask, probably the first time on a western as being the fastest horses over a quarter mile. She needs to forcibly be made to move which can be very tiring. Added to that, she is incredibly long and has a strange gait that takes some getting used to.
 
 
Flash insisted on being driven out to the halfway point so that he could check everything was in order. He has chronic Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But that’s a good thing as it keeps him active and gets him to stretch the legs to check on humans, chickens and horses under his management. Luna was bundled against her will into the car as she was exhausted from the increased level of trotting and cantering. She didn’t/wouldn’t admit it and yowled until the girls arrived back home.
 
Despite all the difficulties, MrsMY seemed to enjoy the ride out and has even agreed to repeat the exercise tomorrow. Perhaps MrMD made the mistake of taking Friday off as a “Bridge Day” used when a public holiday and a weekend are separated by a normal workday. Germans don’t move public holidays like the UK to always ensure long weekends.
 
I spent the afternoon mowing three out of four of the horse fields. The rain that started yesterday afternoon was no more than a few drops that didn’t even cover the ground. It possibly rained a tiny bit overnight, the only evidence being damp car rooves, the earth being dry by morning. I even managed to cut parts of one field I haven’t been able to get on to even in the height of summer for probably 10 years or more. A slight drizzle in the evening again brought no relief for the plant world.
 
We do need the rain desperately and are now promised some on Sunday (sorry Mums) and next week should be wet and cool.



Next year things are back to normal - Easter Sunday 21st April, Mother's Day 12th May, Father's Day 30th May and for those who might not know it, Whitsun is 10 days after Ascension Day and thus we all, even in the UK, have a long weekend coming up soon in 2018 even if the UK don't celebrate Whitmonday anymore.