Kitten spam and horsey news

Hello,

My birthday was back in the summer and I have been waiting very patiently for my present ever since.

To celebrate my advancing years, Adrian treated me to tickets to the Warner Brothers' Harry Potter Studio Tour near London.

As any of you who've been will know, you have to book tickets well in advance, and I was keen to wait until the Christmas decorations at Hogwarts were up, so we finally went last Tuesday.

I had big expectations, as everyone I know who has been has said how brilliant it is, and I wasn't disappointed.

It really was a magical experience (pardon the pun!) and we both had great fun nosing around the sets for the Harry Potter films.

Highlights for me were the main hall, Gringott's Bank (before and after a visit by a fire-breathing dragon), Diagon Alley and the huge model of Hogwarts in the snow.

I loved riding on Hagrid's motorbike and pulling up a mandrake. I even had a go at trying to push a trolley through the wall on Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross Station.

[I was gutted when it didn't let me through].

It was all absolutely fascinating, from the animatronics to the prosthetics and everything else in between. I loved it. Definitely a birthday present to remember!

In other news, our kitten Charlie has well and truly settled in and we now can't imagine life BC [Before Charlie].

He's getting bigger by the day and is convinced he's a-human. His big sister Amber thinks he's a-nnoying!

I just think he's cute!

Dobbie and I have had a couple of mini schooling sessions recently when it's been too foggy to hack out safely.

We haven't attempted anything adventurous - just a bit of pole work and some simple groundwork - but it's good to change it up a bit every now and again.

Having said that, I'm always happiest hacking out and I think Dobbie is too.

Here he is, looking his usual suave, handsome self!

It's just over a month until Christmas and if you're looking for inspiration when it comes to choosing a gift for a horse-mad friend or relative, I might be able to help.

My friend and fellow horse book author Tudor Robins has put together a fantastic holiday gift guide, featuring books that are guaranteed to provide a gallopingly good read.

The list features authors from the UK, Canada and the US, including another lovely friend of mine, Cressida Burton, author of the fabulous Ravensbay Boarding School & Equestrian Academy series; Tudor Robins' hit Island series; Brittney Joy's fab young adult equestrian series The Red Rock Ranch; Linda Shantz's heart-pounding Good Things Come horse racing series, and Jenny Roman's stable of heartfelt horse stories for grown-ups.

Oh, and the Riverdale Pony Stories have snuck in there too!

You can find the full guide here.

That's all from me for now.

I'm off to start my Christmas shopping!

Thanks for letting me hang out with you for a little while and speak soon!

Amanda