Tag: london

A very dear and special friend of mine, Linda Greaves died today. I am going to tell you a little about her, not as an obituary, but because people need to know of special people in this world, like her.

I met Linda many years ago, by our common interest in Horses. Linda when I met her was the Co founder of a Riding for the Disabled Centre in East End of London Docklands area. Linda opened the Centre not for personnel gain, but for her love of Horses and the desire to help the disabled and poor in the East End of London, to give them the opportunity to learn to ride Horses. The Riding Centre started in arches under an old viaduct close by the London Docks, and within what is now the London City Airport. The Horses stables were made of old pallets and abandoned timber. Under Linda’s guidance, many Children, Disabled Adults and Children were taught how to ride and look after the Horses. Although the Riding School was ram shackled, the Horses were looked after and cared for as well as any Horses could be.

When the regeneration of the London Docklands started twenty five plus years ago, Linda was the equestrian advisor for the Developments body, and with her help, guidance and dedicated hard work, she was able to secure for some of the many Horses in the East End, accommodation in purpose built stables. Most of the Horses were working Horses, who previously were stabled in conditions that would have made you want to cry if you had seen them. Nearly fifty Horses were given homes in super high quality stables, with all the facilities, and a live on site Caretaker. Unfortunately over the past few years the Stables have been neglected, by the current undesirable owners of the Horses, and it looks very much like that they will be pulled down, if they haven’t already.

About ten years ago, the ground that the viaduct was built on, that housed the Riding School, that Linda had founded was needed for development, the opportunity came about to get a new Riding School built. With Linda’s dedication and hard work she was able to secure a very large amount of money for the funding of a purpose built Riding Centre for The Newham Riding School and Association. And what a Riding School it is. It has a full size indoor Riding Arena and Sand School, a wonderful American Barn Stable complex for the Horses, a Barn for their hay and straw and in the past couple of years a building has been built for live in Grooms, a Caretaker and a large hall for teaching, all in the middle of the Dockland area. We went there in July 2006 for Linda’s Retirement goodbye. That was the last time that I saw or spoke to Linda, for she made herself a recluse from then on. She told me that she was dieing a few years ago, when she visited us at Denbury for a day. We offered her a cottage, but she would never stay away from her home, if she could return within a day.

I respected Linda’s desire to be reclusive. She would not have wanted pity in her last days. She died a spinster aged only 62. A few years ago she was awarded an MBE for her services for her life longs work, It was presented to her by Princess Ann the Patron of The Riding for the Disabled at Buckingham Palace. If ever a person deserved an award, Linda did. Although I have had no contact with Linda for over a year, it was still a shock to hear that she had died. I have and will miss her for all she has done for me over the years that I have known her. When ever I had problems with Horses my first call would be to Linda, she had forgotten more than I will ever know about Horses. She will be missed.

Linda’s last visit to Denbury was to come and see two Horses that I was to put into syndication for racing. We talked about the names that we may use. Linda suggested a French name, Joie Du Vie, meaning Joy of Life. We gave that name to a Filly, but she never raced. A few weeks back it came important for me to try to get the name back, to be able to name Bliss with. I have been trying ever since to trace the new owner of the named Horse, from a person who knows the owner. Last night I had practically given up. This afternoon I got the call. Strange. Even stranger just before I went to feed the Badgers, I asked if that after Linda’s death should I put the Witches Mask and Hat on when I fed the Badgers. We decided I would, it would have made Linda laugh, we decided. As some of you witnessed, the cameras went down just after.

I hoped that you may of thought that it was Mrs.Farmer who had fed the Badgers tonight. There has also been some strange visitations on the Ghost Cam tonight. Have an interesting Halloween.

Elsie, that was the Ewe Lamb that I had taken out of the fenced area. I have put her back with the rest of the Sheep, to see how she does tonight.

Bliss had front shoes put on today. She was brilliant having the shoes put on. It was as if she had been having them fitted since she was born. It is good when Horses can be shod without any trouble, most are, but some Horses can be a pain in the neck, the odd ones even need to be sedated. A good Farrier helps. Our Farrier has worked for some of the top racing yards in the Country, and is by far the best that we have had. I remember that once when we mentioned the name of a Horse that I had purchased, the Farriers ears pricked up, he knew the Horse very well, and told us of things that we wanted to know about her, that we could not get any information about. Bliss after being shod is no longer lame and we will be getting her working as much as Misty. Misty didn’t need doing, her feet must be a little harder.

Some of the Farrier’s that we have had, have been nightmares. Shoes falling off within days of new shoes being fitted, putting the nails through the soles making the Horses lame. One Farrier who came to shoe, started to hit the Arnie when he moved. Arnie is very good being shod. He was sent on his way very quickly, so quick that he didn’t get the chance to even finish shoeing Arnie. Another Farrier that we had use to employ three apprentices, who would do most of the work, that caused a few problems. When we lived in London, the Queens Farrier shod our Horses. He was in full employment as a Farrier at Buckingham Palace. I should think he was moonlighting shoeing our Horses. It didn’t sound a bad job, he had a Flat in the Royal Mews. Twice he gave me a tour of the Royal Carriages, my passion and the Royal Horses. He was a nice man, but not a very good Farrier, probably was when he was younger. Living in the middle of London, you don’t get much of a choice of Farriers.

Its looking less likely the Bliss and Misty will be going to be sold at Auction. Neither look as if their coats and condition will be up to the standard required for them to realise their true value. Misty is not too bad, but Bliss looks like a walking disaster. Her coat is very much like Ladies, her Mother, very fine and marks very easy. The other day we put her in a Stable on her own, whilst we worked with Misty, when we let her out she had taken a very large area of hair off of the front of her face. Every time she gets a mark on her, which is most days, it looks bad, but it is only superficial. For Bliss to turn up at the Auction with these marks would be a turn off for a lot of potential buyers.

We need to make a decision very quickly on what we are going to do with Bliss and Misty. I will go into it further in tomorrows Diary.

The Diary will be short tonight as we only decided that the Horses were going to be stabled overnight at 8.30pm. By the time we have bedded the stables up, hayed and watered the Horses, fed the Badgers, it will be time to sit and watch the telly for half an hour.

I would rather have the Horses out in the Summer, but with the heavy showers for the past few days, the Horses need a rest from it. Woody will only get more ill than she is if she is kept out with continuous rain. Breeze being an Arab and fine coated, chills very quickly, this morning she came in shivering, and after Bliss’s full Brother dying when he was being looked after in Ireland and getting hypothermia, I don’t want Willow out in continuous rain. Willow as all the Foals, find the most comfortable place in the stable when kept in overnight, in the corner on the hay. As I am writing I am looking at her covered in hay, fast asleep.

I don’t know where the time has gone, mid summers day already, and we have not made the hay yet. It needs to be made soon, I like making it when the seed is still on the grass, It is alright at the moment, but if the seed ripens and there is heavy rain most of it gets lost for the hay. Glastonbury looks as if it is going to be a washout again. I don’t know how people continue going year after year, knowing that most years they are going to be squelching around in mud. Some years back I needed to make regular trips to London. On one occasion I had the misfortune to catch a train, that at Reading filled with people going to the festival. When I say it was overcrowded that would be an under statement, with so many people on the train they were having to sit and stand in the centre isle, so tightly squashed in that they were unable to move. If you have experienced the London underground in the rush hour, it was worse than that, if that is possible. To make matters worse the train company had put on an old train without air conditioning. It was the worse train journey that I had ever experienced. The only thing that did make it at all bearable was a young girl sitting on a table, playing a guitar and singing. What a relief when the train stopped at some obscure station and they all departed, in the middle of no where, that the train passes through without anyone noticing.

Yes Ladies, I did see that horrible thing on the feeder, I sure you don’t mind that I didn’t post your entries on the forum. I have been watching the feeding area that they use most, near where I have the cage with the poison in. There seems to be a lot less Rats feeding, although there does not seem a lot of the poison is being eaten. If I remember I will take the feeders down that they were on tonight, it may make them go to the cage for supper. I cringe very time I go to fill the feeders, put the Badger feed out or check for dead ones. Its horrible.