Christmas greetings from me to you

Hello!

With just twelve sleeps till Christmas, I don't know about you, but I'm finally starting to get the festive feels.

The decorations are up, my Christmas shopping has started in earnest, and we had a flurry of snow here in Kent on Sunday. You can't get more Christmassy than that!

We picked up our Christmas tree on Saturday. It came from one of our neighbours, who grows and sells Christmas trees for charity. We picked it out back in October, and now it's sitting pretty in our lounge, all twinkly and sparkling.

It's proving a bit too popular with our little rescue kitten, Amber, who has now been with us for a couple of months.

She has settled in really well, and her big sisters Minstrel and Luna are getting used to her jumping on them when they least expect it!

She doesn't go by the nickname Ninja Kitten for nothing!!!

She's already grown so much since we gave her a home, as you can see from the photos.

She has a big personality for one so small, and has certainly stolen our hearts since she came to live with us! In horsey news, I have been out on some chilly winter hacks on both Dobbie and Lockie. I am definitely a fair weather rider these days. I'm getting soft in my old age!!

Here I am with Lockie after a ride the other day (and you can just see Dobbie in the background).

And now, finally, some book news! I'm delighted to report that the audiobook of The Midnight Pony and Other Stories is now available from Audible.

This three-in-one collection of chapter books for younger readers includes The Midnight Pony, The Pony of Tanglewood Farm and - my personal favourite of the three) - Juno's Foal.

You can listen to the sample here.

Read by the hugely talented Danielle Cohen, who recorded the audiobooks of The Lost Pony of Riverdale and Against all Hope, this audiobook is the perfect bedtime read for six to eight-year-olds who love animals - especially ponies!

If you're looking for a Christmassy read, I have three brilliant book recommendations for you (including one of my own, but I couldn't not give it a mention!).

Cressida Burton's Snowed in at Ravensbay is a short story filled with gorgeous ponies, snowy countryside, jingling bells and high drama.

Tudor Robins' Gift Horse is another feel-good, seasonal short read that'll have you feeling festive in no time.

And finally my own A Riverdale Christmas, in which Poppy and Cloud have a fight on their hands to help a young girl's Christmas wish come true.

If you'd like to check out Cressida and Tudor's other fantastic pony books, you'll find them all on Amazon, but you can also visit Cressida's website here and Tudor's author page on Waterstones here.

That's all from me for now. I'll be in touch in 2023. In the meantime, have a fantastic Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Happy reading,

Amanda