I'm not sure why, but this weeks visit to the stables hardly took up any of my thoughts before the event this week. Usually I can think of little else the day before or even more sometimes. This I find a little surprising in that it was quite an important week with potential for something to go wrong, in that Peter was due to be there for his first time as a helper. I, true to form had volunteered myself to be both his mentor and match maker. I'm not sure that I qualify for either role really, but especially the latter one.
He did arrive, which was a good start, and after asking Lyn, I set him off with Elisabeth to fill hay nets and it made me happy to see them walking back across the yard not only chattering and laughing away together, but also he seemed to have remembered how I told him to help her as much as possible while being kind and nice to her. She had one net full of hay and he was struggling down the yard beside her with four!! That's what I call a proper gentleman!
Throughout the day I set them together whenever there was a pos ability and it was a pleasure to see them getting along so well, albeit a bit to much fooling around at times but I let it slide this week. Although looking back maybe a bit of alienation against me might not have been a bad thing. One of the many things I learned from Miss Oliver's self improvement classes is that nothing brings people together like a common enemy. Also it would have taken me off the menu should I still be on it in his head.
Because mum and dad were going on a night out I had Charlotte come back home with me. Mum and dad had already left when we got home. Charlotte was to have my old room for the night so I took her up there with her things and then showed her round house. Mum had left us both a salad for our dinner plus what was left of this weeks Victoria sponge cake. It's easy to see why Charlotte is so slender, she nibbles away at her food in a manner that made me worry that she wasn't enjoying it. But when questioned she said she was enjoying it very much as salad was one of her fav meals. I hope she is okay and not one of those that half starve themselves just to fit an image.
Other than that there were no worries. We took a walk around the farm yard after we had finished eating and tidied up after ourselves. Mum specified that strongly, as part of being left home alone with Charlotte.
"Don't go letting me come home to a mess will you?" She had said.
I hope she really knew that she didn't need to tell me that, I think it was just a standard mother comment, like an instinct one gets born with or something.
Dad had added jokingly, "And try not to burn the house down!"
"Okay!" I'd replied, in my best, 'I'm not stupid manner'.
Notice how these day's a have a manner and not an attitude! Grandfather would be proud of me.
Before adding as an after thought, "And you two try not to get any parking tickets!"
Mum called me a cheeky madam while chasing after me with the tea towel.
This brought back a memory of grandfather flicking me in the face with one of his socks, although the situations were way different. His was to intimidate, mum's was done in fun and with a good nature.
The rest of the night was just spent chatting away, mostly about horses and riding, also after a while, I think when she got more comfortable being with me, she got to asking me how I came to be at the farm, and we got in to my past, and before we realised it, it was time for some supper and bed.
I enjoyed it, not just because we had a good time, but I also finally found the real Charlotte, the one that I always knew was there somewhere, but could never quite find. I'm actually now finding myself fighting the depth of my affection for her if I'm honest.
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