Tag: Piggy French

Pastures new

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The word is out about the first of my two new business ventures… I am now a shareholder in Leigh’s Bees honey company.

To get me in the mood I joined Leigh at the monthly Creake Abbey Farmers Market – I’ve not worked a trade stand since I was married (a million years ago) but it was surprisingly good fun. Later in the month I also did Holkham Christmas Market and Creake Abbey Christmas Market where I made friends with Father Christmas (on my birthday – there’s dedication!).

‘Normal’ work continued apace but was far from irksome, including Caroline Moore‘s 50th birthday party and celebration of Ros Canter & Allstar B’s double gold at WEG, followed the same weekend by Piggy French‘s annual owners party. There was also the BEWA (British Equestrian Writers Association) AGM and lunch in London, where Ros was presented with the Rider of the Year award.

Away from work, there were plenty of fun lunches and dinners, the month only spoilt by the dreaded lurgy in the run up to Christmas. Fortunately I was well enough by Christmas day to spend it with some of my favourite people in Norfolk.

That’s about it. My second new business venture isn’t far off launch date so my nose had to stay pretty close to the grindstone, and I am embarking on Dry January – with an early start… not a drop has passed my lips since 30th December. Watch this space!

On top of the world

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The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials was great. Growler gave an entertaining and delicious dinner party on the first night – after which she and I were described as ‘more entertaining than the Morcambe & Wise Christmas Show’… I think that’s a compliment… Then there was the annual picnic with Brushy & Toons… food has been a bit of a theme this month.

I was working with Sue again, and all the usual suspects were there. Oliver Townend was indeed on a mission, and finished the dressage phase with his three horses in the top 7 – all of which went on to jump clear across country. Piggy French had a great competition too, as did Harry Meade riding my great friend Charlotte Opperman’s Away Cruising which caused much excitement in the Opperman camp. I was very entertained watching ‘the boys’ rushing around with buckets of water to cool the horse, as Harry instructed: ‘faster, faster’.

So all three of my favourite riders competing this year finished in the top 6; Oliver 2nd and 12th, Piggy 5th, and Harry 6th. There was even more cause for celebration on the basis that Burghley was my last horse trials of the year!

I was, however, glued to the television for the World Equestrian Games, in Tryon, North Carolina. For Ros Canter to not just lead Team GB to the gold medal, but take the individual title as well was incredible. She was cool as a cucumber and totally deserved the win.

The rest of September was mostly about sleeping, getting back to Boot Camp and taking up yoga. Lulu and I went to see the Merry Wives of Windsor, which was excellent, and Growler came to stay – we ate far too much, went to a rather random ‘festival’, indulged in some Norfolk Gin and put the world to rights.

That’s about it. I now need to do all those jobs which get put off during the season, start putting the garden to bed, and make the most of the autumn sunshine.

Honey trap to heather moor

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August disappeared in a blur of long walks, motorway miles and computer screens. The first half included a trip to London where Ed, a godson, was playing drums at the launch of his girlfriend’s first album, The Honey Trap by Pixie & The Gypsies. I haven’t been to a London jazz club for years and it was fabulous.

I then took the tourist trail in Norfolk, due to a friend coming to stay. In the 7 years I’ve lived here I had never been to Sandringham (100% recommend) or on the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway (significantly less recommended!). Add in trips to the beach, fish and chips, and chat = happy days.

Scotland beckoned once more and I headed up to Blair Castle Horse Trials, again via a night with my friends in the borders. I was a man down, so to speak, with Ellie’s year old daughter having broken a leg (falling off a pub table!) and keeping Ellie away, so thank goodness Sue is made of stern stuff. She delivered on every level, despite us being glued to our computers long into the night. Our daily entertainment came from Bogdan, a Romanian volunteer who, it’s safe to say, made a lasting impression on both of us.

Trevor & Lorna came to take pictures, and both Oliver Townend and Piggy French posted good wins – and with great STV coverage I hope I have kept my gold star from last year. The rumbles concerning team selection for the World Games continued – World number 1 Oliver has been left out, but it was good news for Piggy, Ros Canter and Bill Levett (AUS).

I managed to snatch 36 hours at home before re-packing and heading to Growler’s for Burghley – I think Oliver, with three horses to ride, will have a point to prove.

Highs and lows

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May already seems a blur – I really must look at my work/life balance! Badminton was a hoot, Ellie was back and it all went swimmingly (Media team, left). The only sad part was watching the retirement of one of my favourite horses of all time, last year’s winner Nereo.

Oliver Townend was named the new World number 1 following his Kentucky win and he increased his points lead with 2nd and 5th places at Badminton, but no Grand Slam. The pressure must have been immense.

Rockingham and Houghton Internationals followed in quick succession, the sun shone and every press officer’s dream – I got live TV coverage at both. BBC Look East came to Rockingham to film its Friday night sports programme, where Piggy French and Andrew Nicholson were wonderful interviewees, while it was ITV Anglia venturing to Houghton, chatting to Emily Lochore and filming the weekend weather forecast.

Growler also came to Houghton, to help Henry Symington and me judge the Best Dressed at the trot up which was exceedingly entertaining – fortunately Henry remembered to switch off his microphone at all the crucial moments.

I finally got my act together, and on the Sunday Catherine Austen and I found the best place from which to watch the Nations Cup cross country – it was extraordinary how many of the photographers papped us…

Sadly, yet again, a month concluded with bad news. Noel Linge, a true countryman, Norfolk man and gentleman died on 29th, at the age of 89. You couldn’t meet a more charming, twinkly person – super kind (he welcomed George – my horse – to stay when I first moved to Norfolk), he had time for everyone and nothing was ever too much trouble. I will miss him.

Photos © Julian Portch & Adam Fanthorpe

Two down, eight to go

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With the premature demise of Burnham Market International, what better way to cheer up than lunch with the Jacksons. Is it possible to adopt an entire family? I must look in to it. I also decided that I had ‘earnt’ a visit from the magic fingered Annette – what’s not to love about a near-two hour massage all in the comfort of home.

Life still revolved around writing features for impending events, but I got a couple of flights in and Growler came to stay. The weather was mostly pretty grim still, though it meant that we had Holkham beach (left) almost to ourselves. Having said that, a trip to Holme beach (right) with Henry & Jenny a couple of weeks later, when spring had finally sprung, was hardly a scrum.

Belton International was the next ‘big’ thing on my calendar, with the added advantage of spending the two nights away with two different sets of old friends. The sun came out to play and it was a thoroughly enjoyable 3 days – although I was a little surprised when a BBC Sports Online ‘camera woman’ turned up to get some footage of Piggy French, and used an iPhone to do so. Call me old fashioned…

We got Oliver Townend‘s new website up and running, just in time for him to head to the States and win the 4* in Kentucky. Seriously classy riding on both Cooley Master Class (the winner) and MHS King Joules (who finished 8th). Two legs of the Grand Slam in the bag – and my nerves shot to pieces!

And that’s about it for April… Next stop Badminton – oh and I have a lodger for the summer. No having to live in the porch for the cats when I’m away!

Food glorious food

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With work commitments significantly lighter now my event season is over I appear to be turning in to a domestic goddess. I’ve rustled up a full monty Sunday lunch and even baked a cake – both firsts since I moved to Norfolk 6 years ago; hard to believe I was once a ‘proper’ cook (yes, I do have a certificate to prove it!). While on the subject of food, Shucks in Thornham, a very cosy yurt with a roaring fire, is my new favourite place for breakfast. Their Huevos Rancheros is to die for, the copious amount of chilli a perfect cure for autumn snuffles.

The house is being cleaned to within an inch of its life and some chair covers I started making more than 2 years ago are nearing completion. I just wish the light didn’t fade so quickly now – putting the garden to bed gets curtailed ever-earlier with each passing day… One of the benefits of going ‘on the waggon’ (shall I pause as you pick yourselves off the floor? Don’t worry, it won’t last for ever) is the unleashing of new-found energy – well, it’s either that or my endless boot camp sessions are finally paying off.

On the work front there was good news for three of our web clients with the publication of the October FEI World Rider Rankings, most notably for Ros Canter who has climbed up to 6th place. Oliver Townend finishes the month in 11th, and Piggy French 12th.

The best fun last month was undoubtedly a trip to London with Growler. She, perhaps ill-advisedly, enlisted my help on a shopping mission, and I actually rather enjoyed sitting in splendour in a large armchair, while two young assistants (who looked like they should still be at school) trotted back and forth from shop floor to changing room as I gesticulated towards various clothes rails. G tried on dress after dress only for me to say ‘No, looks like you are on the Starship Enterprise’ or ‘No, much too much like a bridesmaid’, let alone ‘too long’, ‘too short’, ‘too green’ etc… the poor thing, I must have battered her in to trying on about 25 dresses, the dodgy ones invariably part of my selection! I just wish I’d taken photos 😉

From the West End we went on to Shakespeare’s Globe, via a delicious dinner at The Swan (I thoroughly recommend this place, even if you aren’t going to the theatre). I’d been super-efficient buying really good seats, and they were worth every penny. King Lear is one of my favourite plays (it was my A Level Shakespeare text) and the performance was brilliant.

Another Growler date was a trip to Northants for her confirmation. I have to admit that the only church doors I’ve darkened in recent months have been funeral related, so it was a pleasant change not to have to fill my pockets with hankies… although, on the basis that the very charming Bishop took great delight in flicking water over large chunks of the congregation, some folk probably did need something absorbent.

The service was followed by the biggest Sunday lunch I think I have ever consumed, at The George in Stamford. Gosh, October really does seem to have revolved around food – best climb on those scales, it could be ugly.

Gold medals and golden eagles

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August passed in a whirlwind, but fortunately not all work-related – most noteworthy was my annual trip to Fealar, this time falling immediately ahead of Blair.

It remains breathtakingly beautiful, although we had rather less sunshine than last year. Not only did I discover that the coat I had taken wasn’t waterproof, I also very nearly disappeared into a peat bog – fortunately there was a strapping young man close at hand who caught me and pulled me out. The highlight of my, as ever abbreviated, stay (due to Blair commitments), was again seeing the golden eagles, as well as half a dozen stag less than 50 meters away. My last night there was after everyone else had left – to be alone in the most remote lodge in the British Isles was fabulous.

The only drawback was that I was in the Highlands (with no phone/internet/tv) during the European Championships. I hared in to Pitlochry on the final day to catch up with the live stream, courtesy of the Atholl Palace Hotel, for the last few showjumping rounds…. and was delighted to see Oliver and Ros collect their team gold medals.

On to Blair, which was great fun. I had two new team members keeping me on the straight and narrow, Sue Polley and Molly Shepherd-Boden, who both worked their socks off. We had a few excitements, starting with an unexpected overnight (and unknown) visitor in our static caravan on the first night – I’m not sure who was more surprised at 6am the following morning. That rather set the tone for the week…

After 48 hours in Norfolk it was time for Burghley. I was definitely dribbling by this stage, but the joy of Burghley is staying with ‘Growler’. It’s almost impossible to believe that exactly a year ago, the day I turned up, she had been diagnosed with the Big C. Twelve months on, and currently the picture of health, she was in celebratory mood and we planned a picnic with Manners Media’s Trevor & Lorna.

The sky had been blue, the temperature balmy… until we set out to the cars to extract said picnic. Thunder crashed, lightning crackled and the rain came down. Net result – a very funny, rather cramped supper in the car… the mirth continuing back at base, aided by a bottle of Toffee Vodka 🙂

Burghley was fabulous – more so than ever because Manners Media clients posted a 1-2. Oliver took his second title (the last one 8 years ago), finishing a couple of points ahead of Piggy, for whom the runner up spot was a best Burghley result so far. Totally deserved results and I have yet to stop smiling.

Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks…*

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(* with apologies to Shakespeare for stealing)

Life has been a little dull of late. It’s all very well having a ‘quiet time’ from work, but when the strong winds blow and the sun takes itself off to…. well…. sunnier climes, the net result is a rather grumpy me.

I only got airborne three times in July, and one of those occasions was suitably buttock clenching, practicing cross wind landings – all other attempts, including to start aerobatics lessons, have been thwarted. The early morning checks of the aviation forecasts to assess if a trip to Kent to fly with my godson have so far all resulted in a text from me to him saying ‘not today, fingers crossed for tomorrow’.

Instead it’s been a case of windswept gardening, soggy hacks, and tortuous (often also both windswept and soggy) boot camp sessions. The highlight of the month turns out to be work related, which I’m sure shouldn’t be the case… I was asked to write a piece for the Burghley Horse Trials programme, which necessitated me going to Burghley HQ and rifling through all the old programmes back to 1961. Absolutely fascinating – to think that whilst today the gentlest of tumbles onto the ground means elimination…. in 1961 a horse could fall 4 times before a rider was given his marching orders!

But I almost forgot – another serious highlight… three Manners Media clients have been selected for the European Championships in a couple of weeks time. I am so chuffed for Oliver Townend, Piggy French and Ros Canter – Trevor Holt is going to have his work cut out keeping up with those three.

With so little to report, the month concluded with a really fun evening in a new Burnham Market restaurant, 20 North Street, courtesy of Shanty the Highland cow’s owner. The food was melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the gang of people round the table wonderful company.

So now I have 3 weeks to go before Blair, and the next eventing-dominated onslaught… Blair, Burghley, Blenheim and Osberton. Yikes.

Bye bye Bertie

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I have survived my busiest month of the year – significantly less fit (not around for ‘boot camp’ sessions), probably half a stone heavier (diet of sandwiches) and with a complaining liver…. but it’s done for 2017.

First up was Badminton, and whilst I missed my usual partner in crime, Ellie, Steph did sterling work and the rest of the team were on great form. It feels like a lifetime ago now, but I do remember Nina chivvying us all out of the Media Centre on the Thursday evening just in time to catch the back end of the Cocktail Party. Badminton House is spectacular, and it is a huge privilege to have a good snoop around the paintings whilst sipping fine champagne and being fed scrumptious canapés.

The total highlight, however, was that Andrew Nicholson FINALLY won, on his 37th completion (must do the sums to see how often he started and didn’t complete). I don’t think there has ever been a more popular winner, or more tears shed by so many people, myself included. Epic.

I got home to find that Angel Horse had patently been partying too hard in the field, and was in dire need of a string of massages from the magic-fingered Sophie. He really is old enough to know better. With no riding I could at least keep on top of work, slip in a sneaky flight or two and spend a memorable, alcohol-fuelled evening with old friends from Lincolnshire days… did we really drink an entire bottle of port?

Before I could blink I was off to Rockingham International and 4 nights in the Best Western, Corby. Rockingham is such a great event, and this year was no different despite a couple of days of truly dire weather. The best hour was undoubtedly the one spent in the aforementioned Andrew Nicholson’s lorry while he was doing a radio interview – very entertaining, he is one happy man.

No rest for the wicked and it was on to Houghton International. The weather was glorious – bar half an hour of such heavy rain everything had to be stopped; horses and riders couldn’t even see the fences – and the Germans were on fire, winning the Nations Cup and taking a 1-2 in the 3*. Luckily client Piggy French flew the UK flag by winning both the 1* and the 2*.

There was, of course, more camel racing, organised by the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and this time I WAS a jockey. I haven’t laughed so much in months – and while I rather let Bertie down (didn’t kick hard enough!), it was brilliant fun; I can live with being beaten by Andreas Ostholt. I also love the fact that Bettina Hoy literally leapt off her winning horse, and on to a camel as the professional rider in the final. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, am chuffed to say I raised £3,600.

So that was May. I’m now looking forward to a slower pace of life with just Blaston Show at the end of June. I say ‘just’ – it’s the Show’s 60th anniversary so I’d best pull my finger out.

I do love a camel

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I’m happy to say, April was good. It kicked off with a 9 hour round trip to Hampshire on the hottest weekend of the year so far. Deeply frustrating to be stuck in a car for so long, but 24 hours with Katie made it all worthwhile. On the Sunday she had invited some of my best friends from college days (yes, back in the 1980s, I’m that old!) for lunch – I couldn’t ask for a better day.

Then on to Barefoot Estates Burnham Market International. Not many people know but I have a real ‘thing’ about camels… it started when I rode one around the age of 6, the first time I ever went abroad (which reminds me, at the time I was attending a convent in East Grinstead, St Agnes & St Michael’s, and my biggest concern after arriving on foreign shores was: ‘Mum, what am I going to tell the nuns when I go back to school?’ Perplexed, she asked me to explain. ‘I’ve been above the clouds…. and there is NO heaven.’)

I can’t remember how I got around that one.

It was almost 20 years later when I was next back in the (camel) saddle, in Egypt with the White Rabbit interloper (for those that haven’t read my previous blogs, simply ignore). I even inflicted my ‘passion’ on said interloper by adopting a camel in his name.

Then, another 10 years or so later, with my ex-husband in Petra, Jordan, I spent a wedding anniversary astride a grumpy, swearing, hilarious dromedary. Given my marital status it’s not rocket science to work out which bit of that holiday made me most happy 😉

You will be forgiven for thinking I have gone off on a tangent, but no – we had camel racing, courtesy of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Musketeer’s official charity this year, at Burnham Market. With Mitsubishi Motors Badminton, Rockingham and Saracen Feeds Houghton looming I did not step forward this time in case I fell off and bent myself, but I did take the opportunity to have a sneaky ‘bonding session’ with Bertie (pictured – isn’t he handsome?), on whom I have been promised the ride in 3 weeks time when I am a jockey at Houghton…. shameless plug: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Hilary-Manners.

It’s love. What more can I say?

Aside from that, Burnham Market was also a great weekend because a) client of almost 15 years, Oliver Townend (have I said, British number 1 for the last 3 years? Probably…) won the headline 3* class for the 10th time since 2007 b) it’s a rare feeling for an equestrian press officer to get your event mentioned in the Daily Mail, Sunday Express… and even the Daily Star (thanks to the camel/Zara Tindall combo – and to Rhiannon Rix for starring, despite wearing a jacket zipped to the neck – that must be a first for the Daily Star) c) we had fantastic spectator numbers and d) I survived the late night chat/eat/drink sessions with Lorna and my top photographer, Trevor Holt.

Post Burnham I was remarkably sociable – totally out of character for me, but it seems my Norfolk friends have sussed how to get me out of my cave. I even found myself having a ‘make-over’ with Fiona Reddick, bizarrely planned while she was checking the fit of George’s saddle during Burnham – I love a woman who multi-tasks!

So now I am packing for the ‘big one’, Badminton… I can’t wait. I leave at sparrow’s fart in the morning. Will Herr Jung do it again? After his performance in Kentucky last weekend no one can doubt he’s on form and I will never bet against the magic Sam. Time will tell… the really good news is that another client, Piggy French, is back on the Radio Badminton team for the second year… sorry Pigs, but I think it’s time we all heard this again:

Piggy’s post-cross country interview with Michael Jung at Badminton 2016 – classic Piggy!