Well with a blink of an eye Christmas was here and now is gone. It was another great Christmas spent in Germany. Originally I had planned on returning home for ten days to spend the holidays with my family, but after some thinking and planning I decided that it would be better if I said here and toughed out the last few months. Then I planned on having a nice relaxing Christmas to myself, but that these plans also fell through. This year I was once again with my good friend Mirjam and her family for Christmas Eve. It turned out even better than last year. We had a nice family dinner and then a little time around the Christmas tree with lots of laugher and good conversation. Then before we knew it, it was 1:00AM and we went into a very popular disco in Krefeld. And then before long it was 6:00AM and we headed home, slept for an hour, and then had a family breakfast. Then, totally in the holiday spirit we drove to the barn and looked after our horses together and laugher about the occurrences in the last hours. After a nice long Christmas walk with my horse through the country roads I went home, phoned my parents to wish them a merry Christmas and then I look on the clock and realized that my Christmas day plans were about to commence. Quickly I showered and changed and made it out just as my ride was pulling up. I hopped in the car and we drove half an hour to the city, Wesel. Here was a little more chaotic Christmas celebration in that there were smaller children running around. But it was also a very enjoyable night. Then the Second day of Christmas I had a nice relaxing day alone with my horse and a good book. Now that Christmas is behind me, I am looking forward to this week, New Years.

Other than Christmas, this last week was very quiet. I worked Christmas Eve together with Mirjam. Then Christmas day we all had the day off. And the Germans also have Christmas on the 26th. It’s called the second day of Christmas. We had to work again; however, it is what we call a ‘Schell durch tag”, meaning that we ride only a few horses fast and do all the barn work and by 1:30 PM we are finished for the day and one person returns in the evening to feed the horses.

As far as Focus, she is back in top form. She is working hard as it looks like she will be attending a few more German shows before she travels home. She is getting a better and better grip on the Prix St Georges as every day goes by. I have never seen a horse learn so fast, so well before. It is certainly a task to get a horse so young to the Young Rider level, especially so fast. I have 2009 and 2010 to do Young Riders and in these years Focus is seven and eight. But as it looks now my goal is not so far away!

The weather has taken an unbearable turn in the last few days. Last week we had 8 degrees, This morning when I woke up it was minus 8 and therefore I decided to stay in bed the whole morning curled up under my sheets reading a book, focus could wait until Lunch time when it finally warmed up to 0 degrees.

Time is slowly slipping away from me. In two and a half months Focus will enter quarantine, I hope, and in just under four months we will be home, with just enough time to start Canadian shows in May.

Well just a short note to say hello and Happy Holidays...

So until next week!

Erika and Focus