The Pony Express?

A couple of days ago Robbie told me about a man who attempted to board a train with his Pony in Wrexham. I didn't believe him at first, but he pointed to a YouTube clip showing the man with his little grey pony on the platform waiting for the train. The pony seemed very good natured, it did not show any outward signs of fear. Apparently the man even took the pony in the lift to get to the platform. The train operating company Arriva Trains Wales released CCTV pictures of the pony in the lift and on the platform.


Robbie was horrified and he patiently explained that with the exception of dogs animals must be conveyed in a fully enclosed basket or pet carrier no larger than 85cm x 60cm x 60cm. Personally I would rather travel with that pony near me than with a tarantula or a snake in a pet carrier. A spokeswoman for Arriva Trains Wales said "Large animals, including horses and ponies, which may pose a risk to the general public, are not permitted to travel." I am not suggesting that horses and ponies should travel with people on already overcrowded trains. But if they are trying to prevent risk to the travelling public they perhaps need to have another look at their rules. I would rather travel with ten horses than ten football fans and I would prefer a whole train full of horses to one annoying drunk. After all horses don't spend hours on mobile phones telling the world in general that they are on a train and they don't feel the need to terrorise their fellow passengers with their music. 


Apparently the man wanted to board the train with his pony because he wanted to take it to hospital. Perhaps he is a bit eccentric, but judging by the pictures that little pony seemed calm and not at all distressed by it's adventure. 

Snow Joke!

Robbie can be so annoying, especially when it comes to time. He deals with everything the way he deals with a train timetable, always in the 24hr clock and always timed to the second. This in especially annoying when he phones me asking for a lift, a simple ten to, or quarter past (or whatever) would be so much easier to deal with. He rang me yesterday to tell me that heavy snow was expected at 04.00 the following morning, I wasn't keen to know that more snow was coming our way, but it his use of the 24hr clock that irritated me and I told him sharply that you can't time nature. When I got home from work he told me that the timing for the snow had been revised to 03.00, and he got an even sharper answer from me. So it was infuriating when I got up to visit the bathroom during the night and found that his prediction had been spot in and we had several inches of snow! The roads have not been gritted and traffic has more or less ground to a halt, so there was no chance of going anywhere safely this morning. Robbie is working from home and Sam and Laura are out playing in the snow because their schools are closed. The previous snow had become compacted and turned to a sheet of ice on the pavements and minor roads, so the new snow is deceptively dangerous to walk on or drive on and I dread to think what will happen tonight when this lot freezes!

Slightly Singed Green Fingers

Robbie is not an experienced gardener, but last year he willingly ventured out to the front garden armed with the hedge cutter. I had shown him how to use a circuit breaker, but shortly afterwards I realised that Robbie wasn't using the equipment safely. Words were exchanged, the white flag of surrender was waved and Robbie returned to his venture appropriately protected. Seconds later there was a bang and Robbie was on the floor looking stunned. He had, as predicted, cut straight through the cable. He suffered a bruised bottom and dented dignity, but thankfully he was otherwise unscathed.