Pity the poor horses!

"Life's hard" was the stock answer of a good friend when she didn't know what else to say. Often she meant it too. Today the weather was hard, motivation was hard and it was hard to find a blip. To the local newsagent this morning, braving the chilling wind, our plans for more extended exercise curtailed by near horizontal snow flurries. Everything was grey; nothing caught the eye: we rushed back to heat. Later, as desperation began to take hold, we ventured out once more on a different route: still nothing. Then, remembering the Clydesdale wintering in a field along the road, not far from here, we set off again in the opposite direction.

It was on its own at the top of the field, huddled behind a warm-brown shed, protected from the gale. It had blip potential. As we crossed the fence to get closer, it moved away from the shelter towards us, no doubt anticipating a treat - that opportunity gone! Further along another group of ponies were sheltering under some trees, backs to the wind. We kept well back and used the zoom, so it's a bit grainy - stretching the limits of the little IXUS.

Some days it's harder to find a blip - no doubt the experience of most on this site - but it can't be much fun being a horse in this weather!