An early start

Tomorrow is the annual Border Union Agricultural Show, and it's my first one. I'm taking my friend Anne's Shetland pony, who I took to the Black Isle Show a couple of years back and did rather well.

I became friends with Anne when I sold her my first ever foal; a gorgeous chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail, who was also a bit of a rogue. We called him Arnie, after Arnold Swarzenegger, because just after he stood up for the first time, he came bold as brass and shoved his face in our faces. He never showed any fear of humans and was hardly shy and retiring. Anne renamed him Charlie for some reason that totally eludes me.

Whenever Anne would come up North to work, she would bring Arnie/Charlie and her other pony to stay with me, so I would do what I called 'pony bed and breakfast' for a couple of months, which was always fun. And then she bought Bridge (the one I'm taking tomorrow) for a stay too, hence my taking her to the Black Isle Show.

Then we moved to the Borders and realised that in Borders terms Anne lives just around the corner (about 15 miles away) in Duns, and I've been out with her and the cart with Arnie/Charlie in the drive shaft, which was great fun.

Fingers crossed that we do well tomorrow, as rain is expected. Nothing worse than standing in the wet and not getting anything as a reward, especially as I have to get up at 5.30 am just for the pleasure.