I've won a prize! A real one!!
This is a massive event for me because, although I have been lucky in life (for the most part), I never, ever win prizes for anything.
Only once did my raffle ticket come up - I was 14 years old and I won a bottle of sweet sherry. I think it was out of date. Dad was happy because it went into several trifles - his favourite dessert.
How did I win? I bought a book I'd been thinking of getting for a while - called Expat Women: Confessions. Then I discovered that if I bought it during May and sent the receipt to the group, I'd be entered into the draw. Every single prize was covetable. As it was a global draw, I didn't think I stood a chance, but if you don't try...
Anyway, on Twitter yesterday I saw they'd put up the list of winners, and lo and behold, my name - sort of - was at number 9. I spent the afternoon on tenterhooks wondering if there was more than one Carole Mobbs (without the Hallett) in the world who had entered this draw.
But this morning it was confirmed by email.
It was me! I've won a Kindle! I am so happy it's ridiculous.
I wonder if this has broken the never-win-anything spell? Now I would like to win an iPad please...
So with this happy news buzzing around in my head I took Rhiannon to her third riding lesson. This time I had to drive without Tim's calming presence beside me and put up with Rhiannon's non-stop yapping instead.
Halfway there, a massive thunderstorm hit and the heavens opened. I had no idea how to turn the windscreen wipers on! So I had to hold the wiper control stick whilst driving. A little nerve wracking, but I'm now comfortable driving on the wrong side of the road.
Luckily, the torrential rain held off for Rhiannon's lesson which she insisted I watch. She's coming on tremendously well and, after just two lessons has mastered the rising trot. She showed me how to groom and tack up "her" pony. His name is Napumuk and he's a very well behaved 17 years old.
The teacher is fabulous and I'm considering taking lessons myself in the autumn. Although I can ride, ie I can stay on a horse while it's galloping and I can trot without shaking my body to pieces, I've never had a proper lesson. And I've only really ridden using a Western saddle.
Let's see how I feel in the Autumn. There's no point starting now as we're off to the UK for five weeks from July.
Anyway, today's main topic in my head has been "I've won a PRIZE!"