All the news (good or bad) from Summerhill Stables

INFURIATING PHRASE No 12 To decimate. Used to signify near complete destruction –actually it means to kill one in ten leaving nine out of ten unaffected!

Certain questions were raised about last week’s photograph of Kate and the boys in London Dungeon and in particular as to whether Charlie was wearing a kilt. Kate wrote to us and said "It wasn't just Charlie in a kilt - we all were, all 23 of us! - all weekend! Charlie's was Hunting Stewart - courtesy of his Uncle Adrian; Patrick's was Royal Stewart - courtesy of the big box of kilts which lives in the scout hall for such occasions. Mine was very nice with pink and lavender stripes - courtesy of M & S sale about 20 years ago when kilts were the 'must have' fashion item! - I knew it would come in handy sometime!"

This is a photograph of Edward and a baby alligator – he didn’t actually catch it! It’s kept so that visitors can be photographed with it. He was in Florida on his own at a friend’s wedding. As he was parted from Susie he had to cuddle the next best thing!!

Robert had a major success this week. You will recall that he had created a guide to all the houses in Bentham so that the First Responders could find houses in the dark. During the creation of this book he had asked the next door neighbour of a house down an alley off the main drag through in High Bentham what the name of the neighbouring house was. The reply was that it didn’t matter as the old lady would not wish to be resuscitated. So imagine his satisfaction when it was reported, at this month’s First Responders’ meeting, that the ambulance had been called out to that very same address and that the First Responders, with the help of his guide, had to show the ambulance crew where the house was since they could not find it.

Robert’s knee is no better following the op but he lives and hobbles in hope and sees the surgeon again on the 20th. Pikey has heard nothing following our last trip to see her haematologist so - no news is good news. Her back op has brought her considerable pain relief although she still finds walking a real trial and she will be dependent on her walking frame for the rest of her mortal.

Loads of love Robert and Pikey