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(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2158 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad
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Danni and I came down and ate our dinner together, the others giving us some space, I suspect at Stella’s suggestion. “Would you like me to make enquiries at the local stables?”
Danni shrugged, “If you want.”
“Darling, it’s if you want.”
“Yeah, okay.” There’s gratitude for you–I suppose she is a teenager.
“I’ll give them a ring tomorrow, what would you wear?”
“Jeans and a cowboy hat?”
“I think they ride with British saddles not the big things cowboys used.”
“Oh.”
“You could always try riding side saddle.”
“What?”
“The Queen does it or has done, though she’s eighty six or something like that, so she’s a bit old these days for riding horses.”
“Side saddle?” Danni looked bemused.
“Yes, you sit on the horse with your legs over one side of it.”
“Wouldn’t you fall off?”
“Not really, the saddle has special pommels you grip with your legs. It’s for riding in a skirt–so John Wayne wouldn’t be able to do it.” I hoped to goodness she wasn’t interested because I had no idea where we’d find such a saddle let alone the person to teach her how to use it.
“Sounds a bit of a challenge, could be fun.” Me and my big mouth.
“Would you really want to ride a horse in skirts?”
“Is that what ladies did in olden times?”
“I don’t know how many would actually ride, horses are too valuable for many people to keep them unless they needed them for their jobs.”
“What you mean like the Lone Ranger?”
“That’s the Wild West, we live in the tame west, no people like doctors and farmers, the military. Then there were the richer types who rode them for pleasure such as hunting.”
“How can anyone enjoy hunting?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart, I suppose it’s something primal in some of them.”
“Wossat mean, primal?”
“It means very primitive, like the need to forage for food–then hunting would be appropriate because people lived as hunter gatherers not farmers, so meat would have been very useful in their diets.”
“Have you ever hunted, Mummy?”
“Yes, but not large animals. You could consider our survey work as a form of hunting, but we don’t kill anything. I’ve also hunted with a camera, taking photos of all sorts of animals and plants–I used to take pictures of butterflies when I was younger.”
“Didn’t people used to collect them?”
“They still do, some breed them specially to have mounted in display cases.”
“What for?”
“You’d have to ask one of them, I don’t know.”
“That seems horrible breeding them to kill.”
“Without eating them, yes it does doesn’t it? But then apparently in some African countries they’re breeding lions for rich tourists to shoot. They’re semi-tame so don’t run away.”
“That’s gross.”
“I agree, who in their right mind would want to kill such a noble beast, unless it posed a threat. I’m afraid humans have this ability to cheapen everything they touch.” I was still miffed that a beautiful red deer stag with a huge crown of antlers had been shot on Exmoor a few years ago by some wanker who paid a lot of money to do it. It seems as soon as something beautiful arises we have to despoil it. Sometimes I despair of my species, though one day the earth will balance things back, unless global warming does for us first. In which case we could be the first species to make itself extinct by greed–somewhat fitting.
“What would they shoot it for?”
“Just to say they had and have a few photos taken with their kill, like I said it’s primal, so it’s deeply primitive behaviour.”
“Next time I swat a fly I want you to take my photo with my kill,” said Danni sniggering.
I shook my head, “What about this ’ere riding school?”
“Can I try it?”
“Of course you can but as soon as the others find out they’ll want to go too.”
“Well forget it then, if it’s gonna be too expensive,” she stood up from the table and walked away leaving me speechless.
“Where’s Danni?” Simon breezed into the kitchen looking for a bottle of beer.
“I don’t know.”
“I thought she was with you?”
“She was until a few moments ago, she flounced off during a discussion about her having riding lessons.”
“Hey, that’s seriously good fun, we had an equestrian centre at Millfield. Have you done any riding?”
“Yeah loads–on a bike.”
“No on a nag.”
“Nope, not one of my priorities in life. Danni went off because I happened to suggest if she went the others would probably want to do so as well.”
“Yeah, why not–give the local stables a ring tomorrow see what they’ve got available. I wonder if Stella would like to go–she used to ride really well, bit of a show jumper too.”
“How about you calling them tomorrow, I tend to have other things to do–like laundry and other chores.”
“Yeah, okay, we might be able to get a group ride on the weekend.”
“Right, I’ll leave that with you then.”
“Yeah fine.”
It’ll be a five minute wonder but it might get me some peace and quiet for a few hours.
Trish eventually went in search of Danni and Simon told her about the riding school. She was non-committal about it saying she’d rather go for a ride on her bike with me. He was suitably astonished, “Women,” he said and went off with his beer to watch the football.
I went upstairs to tell Danni there was football on the TV and heard Trish and her talking. “So you going riding with, Daddy?” asked Trish.
“Are you?”
“Nah, I’d rather ride my bike, less chance of me falling off and breaking my neck, that’s what happened to Superman–well the man who played him.”
“Christopher Reeve was the guy who broke his neck–he’s dead now.”
“Pity they didn’t ask Mummy to fix it, I’m sure she could have.”
“I wondered how Superman could do that anyway, isn’t he supposed to be indestructible.”
“P’raps he had his knickers under his tights that day.” They both laughed though to my adult sensibilities it was a tragedy not a comedy, but then a rider in the Giro died last year when he fell off his bike at speed. Life is very short for some people.
“You gonna stay a girl forever?”
“Dunno, I might do.”
I knocked on the door, “Your dad says there’s soccer on the telly.”
“Who is it?”
“I have no idea.”
“Chelsea and someone,” offered Trish.
“Why didn’t you tell me,” and with that Danni shot downstairs like a turbo charged whippet.
“I guess some girls like soccer,” observed Trish.
“I thought you did?”
“It’s okay to play, but watching it on telly, nah, I’d rather watch the bike racing, C’mon Cav,” she pretended to shout.
Well they say, like mother like daughter.
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Comments
I do wonder...
I do wonder how far Dann* will push things... The kid's very confused. It's nice s/he does still enjoy football, even as a spectator.
Thanks,
Annette
Soccer and Danny
Other than answering questions about soccer, usually with Cathy, there has been no indication of Danni/y watching any soccer, live or otherwise. Now, we have her running down to watch a game on the telly with Simon. It seems soccer might suddenly be something important in his life again, and who can dismiss the possible father/daugher/son talk that could happen during the game?
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
Well Maybe
Or Not, of course a nice Bike ride might solve it all especially if Stella is out for a Drive
Goddess Bless you
Love Desiree
Perhaps We Won't Be The First ?
Re Dr Lady Catherine's remark that humans might become the first species that made themselves extinct by their greed...
We have been listening and searching for signs of Intelligent Life elsewhere in the Cosmos for over 50 years already, and somehow we have failed to find any definite signs of ETs. Looking at how our own species uses its supposed intelligence to slaughter millions in wars and revolts and quarrels about imaginary sky fairies and what their right names are, as well as wrecking our planet and rendering extinct as many other species as we can find, is it not possible or even likely that most if not all other sapient species evolve in a similar way, and eventually go extinct, having wrecked their own planets, and when the oecology collapses fight eachother to extinction ?
Perhaps THAT is why we cannot find any other species sending out signals ?
Perhaps the kind of mental developments that result in our kind of societies all lead to mass destruction ? Perhaps we are just another of Nature's experiments that fail ?
Another aspect to the Murphy's Laws perhaps ?
Pessimistic of course, but the great thing about being a pessimist is how one is often pleasantly surprised :)
Briar
Yesterday i suggested
Danni may be a little jealous of her sisters seeming to get more attention from Cathy and Simon Her behaviour today when faced with the prospect of her siblings going horse riding as well herself it seems to reinforce the point that more than anything Danni would just love to have more me time with her parents..
Of course with a family the size of Cathy and Simon's brood me time is at a premium, What with the busy lives both parents lead sometimes the kids are lucky just to grab a few minutes in the evening for a chat and a cuddle .
As for an answer, Well the obvious one is one of the parents most likely Cathy would have to give their work, (given how much Simon earns its hardly likely to be him ) which as you can imagine is unlikely to happen anytime soon, So i guess its a case of sitting tight and hoping for the best.
Kirri