The Year of the Horse: 2013 Review.

For 1.354 billion Chinese people the Year of the Horse begins at the end of next month; it started for us on the 21st March when Pat's horse, Daisy, finally arrived at the livery stables near Amandola. Pat's passion for riding had been rekindled by the magnificent holiday in Ireland Sophy treated her to last year, and it wasn't long before she wanted to own a horse again. After a sticky start to the year when she fell and broke her shoulder, we eventually settled on the beautiful Andalusian pictured above.
  March was also memorable for our visit to Sophy and Adam in Dubai where her proud parents witnessed their elder daughter gain a place on the podium in the Spinney's Cup.

Early in June my life entered extra time - an event celebrated with family and friends at a garden party at Candy's house in Upwell. James came over from Australia and Matthew and his wife Charlie supplied us with a mini marquee. Sophy supplied the drinks but, alas, was prevented from leaving Dubai by an Emirati jobsworth.

The psalm which famously tells us that 'The days of our years are threescore and ten" continues "and if by reason of our strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow". The severe bout of sciatica I suffered in the early part of the year suggests  the psalmist's likely to be proved right. The pain went after a few months but I'm left with a permanent limp.

   In July Dave came over to Italy to accompany me to the Leonard Cohen concert in Rome for which Matthew and James had very generously bought me tickets.

   In October I had a trip to the mountains of Abruzzo with Peppe and Angiola 

which took in the earthquake devastated city of L'Aquila:

   As usual, Pat made several visits to the UK to look after Quinn while Candy was away on business. I went over in November to attend Dave's belated celebration of his seventieth:

to look after Quinn and to attend the OEs' Bristol dinner with Mike Jefferies and Chris Vincent. In this photo my old form-mate Chris "Umpter" Northover (centre) as outgoing President hands over his chain of office to another of my friends and contemporaries, Geoff "Dwarf" Beynon, (left) while the Lord Mayor looks on:

The day after the dinner, Mike, his wife Pam, Chris and I  had an enjoyable excursion to the Wye Valley.

We had a hot summer and temperatures  remained in the twenties until virtually the end of October. November, however, saw a precipitous drop in temperature with heavy snow at the end of the month - and I'm not talking about the couple of centimetres which brings the UK to its knees.

Let's hope the weather's better in 2015 as from that year ex-pat pensioners will no longer be eligible for the winter fuel allowance.

  November's snow was followed by torrential rain early this month which not only removed the snow but huge chunks from a large number of roads as well, including the one below Montefalcone's town walls.

We are expecting a particularly enjoyable family Christmas this year as both Sophy and Adam and Candy and Quinn will be joining us in the flesh, whilst we hope to FaceTime - Apple's version of Skype - Matthew and Charlie and James, Gabriel, Ruby and Olly.