It is so good to be home at last; I mean actually back in Devon. One advantage of going away at this time of year is returning to see such a change. The days are so much longer, the hedgerows are starting to blossom and it's noticeably warmer than when I left. All of this, combined with my friends reiterating that summer must be on its way, got me a little excited. After five weeks in temperatures far higher than we will ever experience on our hottest summer day, I stepped off the plane into the sunshine I was instantly reminded - it is still only April.
Despite knowing it's Easter I'm British and will therefore make the most of any sunshine, pretending that it is actually warm enough to sit outside and eat an ice-cream. I attended a local point to point in the south hams where picnics are as important as the racing itself, I was pleased to see that even those dressed in shorts were stubbornly refusing to admit they regretted their choice of clothing. Thankfully I'd dressed appropriately so was happy to stay to the bitter end and catch the final race. It was probably the most exciting, certainly the shortest, and definitely the only 'ground shaker' of the day - the spectacle that is Clydesdale racing. These horses are designed for pulling carts not galloping; their feet are the size of dinner plates and the feather they carry around each leg does not aid aerodynamics but they certainly got everyone's interest as they thundered past.
It couldn't have been any further from my last racing experience just a month ago in Hong Kong but you really can't beat a point to point on a bank holiday weekend.
