MY DIARY STARTS HERE February 2004>

my 37th birthday

Finishing School

SEE ALL MY SCHOOLS OCTOBER 2021

 ... but also looks back to 1997 when I was still at "finishing school". This first year of my online diary includes some stories from the last seven years and photos going back to my childhood.   (Tony's diary starts in 2012)

            

Alfred made me a calendar for the summer of 1997.  In May it was my 37th Birthday.  In June it was John's birthday.  In July we went on holiday to Glen Garry.  In August we went to visit Francesca in Edinburgh.  I had to go back to school until I escaped at Christmas to go and live in the community with John and Alfred.
  

I used to love Saturday mornings.  I still like them but I used to have a very special reason for loving them.  Alfred used to take me to my horse-riding class and Mummy usually came too, to see how well I was doing.  Although it was quite near Alfred's house and not too far from my house, we were almost always late.  No me!

GRAHAM taught me to ride at his riding school.  My horse's name was Shadow.  Winter and summer, whatever the weather, I used to love my riding, even in the snow!

           

I always tried to keep a nice "straight back" to please Graham.  Some days, Jean would take me horse-riding.  I liked Jean very much.  She has a daughter and two dogs.  Jean would teach me to do my exercises, like holding my arms out and bending from side to side.  I enjoyed this because it was really easy for me, slim, fit and forty as I was.
Sometimes if both Graham and Jean were busy, Sharon would give me my lesson.  I remember lots of lovely sunny days, riding on Shadow, with other people on their horses riding beside us.  Alfred remembers the days when the wind and driving snow made him shiver.  No me!