Sunday 21 August 2011

FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE

One word to describe it Haras Du Pin France....... INCREDIBLE!!!!!


Monday - The journey.......
 
It took us 11 hours to get there 2 hrs this side 1hr and a half on the boat and 7 hrs from Calais to Haras Du Pin it was a long trip but it was well worth it! But partly why it took so long was because mother decided to take the scenic route towards Paris which added an hr or two onto our journey. On this journey Mum got incredible jumpy and nervous pointing out cars that where coming up beside us that she thought where too close or were going to cut us up which me and my uncle found hysterical because they where just driving past not to close at all!!!!



My Uncle and amaaaaaazing Godfather GRANT came with us because sadly my Nan fell very ill before we went to France and my Dad needed to be there for her. The moment we arrived there at Haras Du Pin my Nan passed away which hit us very hard. We hated not being able to be there for my Dad and being so far away from him, I liked to think that she lived to see us arrive safely to the event and was my guardian angel throughout!
 
When we arrived we where met by the stable manager the first person we spoke to in France but luckily I didn't need to brush off my French from school because she spoke a little English!!

Haras Du Pin is absolutely amazing, very posh and massive.

We thought she had put us in a fab spot with loads of room not to cramped............ until we got out and we heard the generator!!!! We where right next to it!!! We couldn't have been any closer if we had tried it was pretty much in Grants tent which he was very happy about..........NOT!



Stella had a nice stable which was airy and at the end of the row so she was happy, when we got her out of the lorry we were very worried about how stiff she was going to be but there was no need to be, she came off like a spring chicken dancing, we were worrying unnecessarily.


That evening I cooked us a meal it consisted of steak on the BBQ which I never do, actually I am never trusted to cook meat as cooking is not one of my best skills and it was proved when I thought the steak was done and it was pretty much raw all the way through so that ended going back on the BBQ and Grant finishing it off, I think I should to stick to riding!!!!

Tuesday - Build up to trot up

It was a quietish day, we had a junior meeting, where we met each other and got our British Flags. We had a great group of juniors who I got to know really well, we were all very supportive of each other and so friendly.

Mum had a great day she continued the theme of embarrassing me where ever she goes! She took her contact lenses out and then asked Grant which where the ladies were, well you can imagine Grant thought it would be very funny to tell her where the men's were, she found out when she walked into a urinal! Then we decided to investigate the event on the bikes, Mum fell off her bike, properly fell off. I heard her shout my name, I cycled back round the corner to see mum on the floor with the bike on top of her. She managed to fall of in front of quite a few people.Anyway she was fine, didn't hurt herself, just her pride and my street cred!

In the afternoon we got Stella ready for the trot up, she was bathed and plaited and looked fantastic. We were all very nervous. I have never done a trot up before. But we had no need to be she passed it with flying colours.

Competition blog to follow tomorrow.




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