Welcome to Hickstead, home to both Seven Oak Stables, and Blue Acre - two rival stables. Both offer opportunities for their clients to reach the highest level of excellence. Each stable differs from the other, so choose wisely and never forget, loyalty is everything... Meanwhile as the stables battle it out, there's trouble brewing at the university. Be careful, if you don't pick a side you may get caught in the cross-fire...
This is an chilled out rpg with a super friendly and relaxed atmosphere! Remember to sign up with your characters full name in all caps and don't forget to do your claims! Thank you and Welcome, we've been established since 10th March 2009 but unfortunately have had to close guest view of our boards due to multiple sites ripping off our hard work, such a shame! Come chat to us in Discord before joining if you like!.
Janie rolled out of bed, early like her usual Saturdays. Today, she had the day off from the barn – and was a bit annoyed she had woken up at 7am. At least the day wasn’t to be wasted, as gardening time was coming up and Janie helped her mom out with prep.
The gardens weren’t too elaborate, but pretty enough that it caught the eye of some neighbors. Janie’s personal favorite was the vegetable garden. She had already started some seeds in the basement to prep for the year. The strawberries were still in the ground and spread like wildfire. Thankfully, they were in their own little area so it wouldn’t overrun the other plots.
Janie quietly walked downstairs and could already hear the tv with her dad’s usual news that he pretended to watch. But God forbid if you change it while he’s playing on his phone. “Morning, mum! Nice day to mulch today, eh?” the teen greeted, letting out a small yawn.
She grabbed a small pan and began simmering some oat milk and chai latte concentrate together.
Marnie had always been an early riser, she figured that it was a waste of a day to wake up late with half of it gone already. Plus, when you had kids, it was impossible to sleep in - first when they were young and spent the night crying, then when they were toddlers and came jumping on you before 6am, and then when they were teenagers waking you up to pick them up from the bar or let them in when they finally wandered home. When they finally let you sleep after all that, your body wouldn't let you - it screamed at you that you'd overslept... at 6:30am.
So she was always up before most of the rest of the house, Kyle would sometimes beat her to it if he was on certain shifts, but generally she got up first. She had routine; she'd feed Kiara and check on her, though if she was asleep she'd leave her be until the child awoke, and then she'd make coffee, and set a few bits up for breakfast. Marnie often made bread the night before, or at least the dough and would set that to bake early sometimes. It was easy to make and she enjoyed it, the homemade stuff tasted so much better. This morning, she'd been up earlier than usual, and the cold, crisp morning promised a sunny day. “Morning, mum! Nice day to mulch today, eh?” She had heard a creak on the stair and now the appearance of her second youngest made her smile. "Good morning, sweetie. It's going to be a beautiful day. Did you want any breakfast?" She asked, taking a sip of her tea as Harper started making something to drink.
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The beverage milk began to hit a boil and Janie turned off the burner. She grabbed the handheld froth wand and blended the mixture together before pouring it into a tall mug with snoopy on it. “Oh, that’d be great – thanks!” The teen placed her empty pot into the sink, letting it fill with water before cleaning it. Mum wasn’t a fan of dishes sitting.
“So, what is the plan for today?” Janie asked. She was just going to do what her mom had planned. It was the easier way. Janie would of course offer something if her mom asked, but she was still in the mode of pleasing.
“Oh, that’d be great – thanks!” She smiled and nodded, opening the fridge door and reaching in to grab a few eggs. "Egg on toast okay?" She asked. She would happily add in some bacon if her daughter wanted a little extra. The boys often requested it, though she sometimes had to force it on Sam who was not the best at eating, but Marnie wasn't always big on breakfast. Egg on toast usually did the trick. She took out two eggs each and began sorting out cutting bread from the fresh loaf, making sure the cuts were thick.
Marnie took a sip of her tea before she grabbed a pan and started with the eggs, cracking them with a practised ease. “So, what is the plan for today?” She hummed slightly as she thought about it, working through the list of chores she needed to complete for the day. "I was thinking of planting some Tullips today, in the flower bed beneath the bay window - I think they'd look pretty, what do you think?" She asked curiously, having always loved having colour in her garden. "I need to pick up the seeds though so if you wanted you could come with me to the garden centre? I'll treat you to lunch?" She offered. The garden centre was just on the outskirts of town, and had more than pots and plants - it sold everything domestic related, with a little cafe in the middle. Depending on the season, the place was full of festivities for Christmas, Halloween or Bonfire Night.
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Janie nodded. “Yes, thanks!” Usually on school days, Janie was in charge of her own breakfast and lunch. Days she worked, lunch and breakfast she handled as well – so Janie wasn’t going to say no to food someone else cooked for her. Dinners were always welcomed after a long day.
Lips pursed and blew onto the hot mug before taking a sip. The cinnamon and ginger were heavenly. Janie took a seat in one of the chairs in the kitchen and watched as her mom cooked. “I agree. The tulips would look beautiful. I wonder if we could do different colors? I saw some that were multicolored?” Dahlia had some other ones and the gardens in front of her store had some themes going on. Janie wondered what a themed garden would look like in the backyard. She would do something based on movie scenes or the like. “Have you seen any of those monochromatic gardens people are doing nowadays?” One could say that was Janie’s way of hinting at something.
“Oh, yes! I want to see if they have any new crystal ornaments.” Janie had this odd obsession with looking at the garden ornaments even though she never bought any. She saw a stone birdbath last year that was way too expensive. “Also if they have the purple cauliflower seeds in stock!”
“Yes, thanks!” She smiled and gave a nod of affirmation, putting four pieces of bread into the toaster ready to go as she worked on the eggs. She had this down to a 't' now, she was a well oiled on man band when it came to feeding the troupes, and one child was practically a walk in the park. Whilst the eggs continued to cook, she pulled out two clean places and set them on the counter, popping the bread down when the right time hit.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Harper take a seat. “I agree. The tulips would look beautiful. I wonder if we could do different colors? I saw some that were multicolored?” Marnie nodded, "I just love their vibrancy," A picture popped into mind of them sprung up and cheerful in the garden, "We can certainly try at least!" She was always happy to experiment with the garden. Having the kids input was lovely, it meant they cared and were less likely to trample things they had spent time looking after.
“Have you seen any of those monochromatic gardens people are doing nowadays?” An eyebrow rose and she pulled the toast out and began to spread butter. "No I haven't, what have I missed?" she asked curiously, as she then added the eggs and offered up the quick breakfast to her daughter, taking hers to sit opposite and placing the cutlery on the table ready. “Oh, yes! I want to see if they have any new crystal ornaments. Also if they have the purple cauliflower seeds in stock!” Marnie smiled warmly and nodded, "I think they were looking to bring in new stock last week so hopefully you should be in luck."
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Janie nodded. “Yes, thanks!” The smell of everything cooking was always welcomed in the stomach of Janie. Her mom knew how to cook well, and it was skill that Janie kind of picked up on. There was no denying, Janie was kind of useless in a few things. Sure, she could use a drill – but a rotary saw or how to fix paint on the wall. That was something she had considered learning. A shop class was being offered by the local hardware store, so maybe she would stop by there. Not like she was at the age to need those things, but she was a curious gal.
“Thanks, mum,” she smiled as her food was placed in front of her. “Yeah, the monochromatic gardens are interesting. Molly went to a botanical garden with her family and sent me pictures of these gardens. You choose a color of your choice and plant things that would go well together. Instead of different pops of color, it’s all a purple, a black, or a white theme. Flowers, bushes...herbs. It might be too much to try this year in the ground, but maybe some planters?” Janie really didn’t need another hobby to go down on. She had her horse lessons and her stunt work. Gardening was a lot less stressful though.
“Thanks, mum,” Marnie smiled brightly, "You're welcome," She had to admit she felt lucky to have her children - of course parenting had a big play in things, but all of her kids were so polite and so thoughtful. They had their moments, and occasionally Jack had been a handful, but considering the trouble her family could get into, they really were such sweethearts. “Yeah, the monochromatic gardens are interesting. Molly went to a botanical garden with her family and sent me pictures of these gardens. You choose a color of your choice and plant things that would go well together. Instead of different pops of color, it’s all a purple, a black, or a white theme. Flowers, bushes...herbs. It might be too much to try this year in the ground, but maybe some planters?”
Marnie chewed thoughtfully as she listened to her daughter explain about the monochromatic gardens. She gave a slow nod as she tried to imagine it, "Perhaps in the top right corner? I need to clear the area a little as some of the flowers there have died out; even my green fingers can't fix them," She gave a sad smile, "I don't think I'd like to do the entire garden that way though, I love the colours too much - when everything comes out in the Spring and onto summer, it's just so beautiful," It was getting to that time now, and there was just something about being sat in the sun looking out at all those magnificent splashes of colour. She took another mouthful of breakfast as she waited to see if Harper would agree to the compromise.
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Janie frowned. “Really? You’ve managed to keep us kids all alive, so that counts for something,” she grinned. Plants were one thing, and humans were another. Janie wondered which was more expensive, as there were some people that spent a lot of money on plants. In her spare time, Janie had browsed all the house plants – and some reached hundreds of pounds. She didn’t know if she could ever spend that much on flowers. But she also did spend quite a bit on athleisure. Hobbies were expensive, weren’t they?
“I agree. I just liked the idea,” she shrugged. “It may be my one little project for myself?” Janie doubts her mom would care, but she always liked to ask before taking over something. The garden was technically her mom’s space. Janie was just allowed to use it.
“What time were you thinking of heading out? I can get ready whenever!”
“Really? You’ve managed to keep us kids all alive, so that counts for something,” Marnie laughed and gave Harper a considering look. "I have, just about... but you do all try your best to test my skills in that department." She joked. Sometimes it was tough and even her eternal patience was tested, but she loved them to hell and back. "It's a good job I don't work anymore, you lot are a full time occupation." She smiled, "But, you're also my entire world." She promised, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
“I agree. I just liked the idea,” Marnie smiled and nodded, she was all for encouraging her kids interests as much as she could, sometimes it was more difficult than other times but she wanted them to flouris and experience as much as they could in life - to never feel like they went without. “It may be my one little project for myself?” Marnie nodded, "That's fine, I will make you some space to experiment." She smiled, happy to help her try things out. She'd take a look at it herself later when she had a spare moment, but she was pleased Harper had asked first. The garden had been her project over the years, her past time to enjoy when she needed time to herself, and it would be been a bit of a disappointment if she lost out on some of the things she was tending to, to a surprise spring of flowers she hadn't planted.
“What time were you thinking of heading out? I can get ready whenever!” Marnie smiled as she tidied up after breakfast. "I am ready whenever you are, sweetie?" She said, she was dressed and set to go out the front door as soon as her daughter was. "Shall we head off now?"
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“Well, we have to keep you on your toes, though?” Janie laughed. There were times she wanted to run away and live by herself, but what teen wasn’t like that? Janie didn’t have a tough childhood; her brain chemistry was a battle and was the issue. Her parents never claimed her breakdown was a curse or anything, but the guilt of worrying was hard to deal with. That time in the hospital was a difficult time for everyone in the household.
“Sam and Jack are almost out of the house. Well, getting there. I’m sure you and dad might be panicking about that.” Janie didn’t know what the house would be like when her older brothers were out. She was nearing college age herself, too – so in a few years, it’d be the baby in the house.
“Great!” Janie smiled – finishing off her breakfast. “Even if it’s a small pot or something.”
“Yeah, I can get dressed in a jiffy!” Janie knew if they sat around, it meant they wouldn’t really leave until the places closed. The young teen finished her cuppa but knew she wanted a cup to go – starting the kettle so her water would be ready by the time she was done. Dishes were rinsed and placed into the dishwasher after Janie prepped a to-go cup with her tea bag, cream, and sugar.
Janie rushed upstairs, albeit quietly, and dressed into something she didn’t mind getting some dirt on. Which, honestly at this point, was most of her closet. The timing of her changing and freshening up lined up perfectly to the kettle. Janie poured herself a tumbler to go and grinned. “I’m ready!”
“Well, we have to keep you on your toes, though?” Marnie laughed at that and put a hand to her chest as she thought of her children and the things they had gotten up to over the years. "Toes yes, just avoid giving me heart failure as much as possible please." She teased, though honestly the kids were good and rarely gave her that much of a scare. If beaten flowers and coming home past curfew was the worst she experienced, she was pretty happy with her lot in life. She took any issue that came their way as a head on challenge and didn't berate the kids or make them feel like a disappointment. People were only human, things happened, she loved them unconditionally regardless.
“Sam and Jack are almost out of the house. Well, getting there. I’m sure you and dad might be panicking about that.” Her smile was soft and a little sad as she dwelled on that fact. "It will be an odd day when the house falls so quiet," She admitted but her smile brightened regardless. "But I'll be proud of the day too - the same as with you, when you are ready for that step." Her and Kyle were fully ready to support them every day of their lives, no matter how long that took, she was not in a rush to get the kids out of the house and would never want them to feel that way ether.
“Great! Even if it’s a small pot or something. Yeah, I can get dressed in a jiffy!” She smiled again and nodded, "nothing wrong with having a nose at what they have and seeing if it takes our interest!" She finished wiping up and then locked the back door and went to grab her bag and shoes, slipping them on ready to go just as her daughter announced. “I’m ready!” An warm grin and Marnie grabbed her keys. "Let's go!"
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