For One Night only The Man in Black was Back.

So, I had a fabulous weekend (almost!) It started on Friday night, as all good weekends should. We went along to the good old Civic Hall Theatre in Bedworth, they had a Johnny Cash tribute night with the old 60's Rocker PJ Proby singing as the big guy. After our last visit to the good old civvie Hall our expectations were not truthfully very high (We saw a very ageing group of guys calling themselves the Bootleg Shadows a few months back, who were so appalling they were funny!) However this show was just fabulous, PJ was like having The Man in Black back. He used up the entire first half and part of the second half being Cash and then for the last part of the show he was himself. Despite being of undetermined years he could truly still rock (I can see how the trouser incident happened). A very good show for very little money £13 each, a bargain!

Saturday morning arrived along with the rain, typical. I was a little trepidatious (is that a word?) as I headed out to the new stables I where I was to ride. I had a warm welcome from the owners a married couple about the same age as me. The office was in a warm barn with a huge fireplace with an enormous open fire, I was offered coffee and they chatted away about how the lesson was going to proceed. I was fitted out with a body protector (nobody rides without one at this establishment) and introduced to the tutor, Alex. Now Alex was not a spotty teenager earning extra pocket money teaching people to ride, but a fully qualified instructor easily in her 50's who oozed confidence and set me three goals for the day. 1. To get in the saddle again. 2. To get Toffee to obey my commands. 3. To get a decent rise and fall trot going. Nothing more, nothing less, I was not to worry about style, legs or hands, just do it! And I did. Toffee thought he would try and take the Mick at first, horses always sense a nervous rider, he wanted to go back to the middle of the school where we mounted and stand by his yellow pole. He is a lazy boy and just wants to stand still given half a chance. Once I got tough with him he gave up and trotted nicely round with just one nip back to the middle, which I quickly corrected. The good news is that I get to go up a class next time.

The last few days has seen me very well acquainted with daytime TV as I somehow along the weekend picked up some very nasty tummy bug, not in the least pleasant in any way or form!