I did not expect to be writing another chapter so soon after the last, but things happened on Sunday that I thought I should let you guys in on.  I was really miffed not to be able to go to the party at the Causeway Foot, especially after I had readied myself on Saturday - Brillcream and everything!  However, first thing Sunday morning I had another run in with the electric fencing here - I HATE ELECTRIC FENCES!
     As there are a lot of horses here, the fencing has been made especially safe for them.  It consists of sheep netting strung very tightly with a strand of barbed wire a couple of inches above that, apparently to stop horses chewing.  Strung on either side of the netting and about 30 inches off the ground, and 12 inches away from said netting is a very thick white rope which carries an electric charge, this apparently to stop the horses getting close enough to fight over the fences - they must be very stupid animals.
     The first time I was allowed in one of the fields, I ran alongside the fence very close.  The electric part was high enough to miss my body, but I forgot about the damn tail, which brushed against the electric rope, causing me to yelp!  I continued along the fence line with my tail touching and yelping until I finally sussed out that if I ran away from the fence my tail stopped smarting.  Until Sunday I have never been near enough the fence to touch it.  The four of us went into the 2 empty fields for our usual early morning run.  I do have to admit that I might have been showing off a little, after all with 3 legs apiece the others can no way match MY speed, and I can easily run rings around them.  I stopped to smell something interesting and when I looked up the others were going into the other field through the open gate.  I tore after them but must have had a senior moment or something because I misjudged and ran the wrong side of the gatepost straight into the sheep netting.  It's just as well the fence posts were on my side and the netting on the other side because when my 36 kilos hit the fence at 20 miles per hour the staples holding the netting on the fence posts popped off, and the fence gave somewhat which softened the impact.  However the recoil acted like a catapult and shot me 3 or 4 yards back into the field - I think that's how I got the bloody nose.  Apart from being very shook up and some superfluous scrapes I'm ok, but that's why I didn't get to the party.                                                                                       XX Pim
PS best outcome of the day - when the others came back from the party the dragon had got me a fluffy toy (which I love carrying round), a dangly thing all of my own to go on my collar for the next party, but best of all I got TWO chicken wings!