The heat is on- still!

And in the middle of these hot summer days I have been lucky enough to reconnect with my equestrian self- again through my Swedish/Italian friend Gunnar whose daughter has a lovely mare called Valentina, stabled not far from Siena. She also has a younger horse that she uses for competition jumping, so Valentina is being neglected and I can ride her! 

Meanwhile, in more serious horse matters: Siena is beginning to limber up and preparations are underway for the August  Palio- the barriers around the Piazza and the VIP balcony at the starting point are put in place, and soon the 'tufo' arrives which covers the cobbles with a thick layer of earth; and then we are almost there!