Story tellers assignment - My Hobbies

My Hobbies story teller assignment   Since I was a tiny child I have been mad about horses. My parents were city types and totally not interested in horses so I had no chance of having my own pony but after years of constant nagging I was allowed to start riding lessons for my 10th birthday. Until then I had practised riding ponies on the back of the sofa and I had an imaginary stable with ponies in it, in my bedroom!  I wanted a foal so badly - like this one , bred by a friend of mine a couple of years ago

  I loved my lessons and continued riding throughout my teens and into my 20's and I had a horse on loan for a while and a pony for one of my daughters - but it wasn't until I was in my mid 30's that I finally got my first horse, a lovely thoroughbred mare called  Echo. I called her that because I was working for a newspaper called The Echo at the time so that's where I earned the money to buy her! I sold her eventually to go team chasing - and got my beloved Megan pictured below - A Welsh Cob and I had her from 2 years old until she died in her 20's - the same week as my father died  - that was a bad bad week. I still ride but on a friend's horse not my own.

                       

  Books and reading have always been one of my other main pastimes. My dad taught me to read very early and I was reading proper books easily before I started school. I find it so hard to walk past a bookshop without going in - and buying one - or more !  I like all sorts of books, fiction and non fiction and get through 3 or 4 a week .  My house is very small and overflowing with books.

So I don't buy so many now but go to our local library every week - they are brilliant and will order brand new releases for you free of charge. Because I love books so much I didn't think I would like reading from a Kindle - but I love it ! I have loads of books downloaded ready to read - will be very useful if we get snowed in again this winter!  

                            

  Baking is my 3rd hobby - I love to make cakes, biscuits, desserts etc and bake at least 3 times a week - for family and friends as well as for me.  It's very relaxing !

                                   

  Next of course walking and photography! I never go anywhere without my camera. Pembrokeshire is such a beautiful place and I walk several miles a day with Hovis and nearly always see something I want to photograph.

    Years ago I would have included music too but I don't listen to music so much these days - and when I do its mostly old stuff - from my 60's , 70's and 80's collection ! I still have some cassettes like this old Simon and Garfunkel one                             

    and lots of old CD's.     

                         

  I like to listen to music through speakers and hardly ever use my MP3 player and never use my phone for music. It's definitely not as important to me as it was when I was youinger though.     The best thing about being retired after working for 40 years is having lots of time to spend on my hobbies and doing things that I really enjoy!