info@driving-sideways.co.uk    
 

Omnibus Blog,  the continuing story of our journey, making the dream real.  Driving-Sideways Ltd and the New Forest Horsedrawn Omnibus were established primarily to keep rare-breed heavy horses in work and to pass on the skills required to keep them in daily use in road work, land work and in competition.  Sometimes personal, sometimes about the company, the blog is my opportunity to talk about the issues on my mind.  The highs and lows, and the rest of the team contribute too, requesting pictures and topics for me to write about.  I try and write at least once a week and welcome comments and feedback.  The blog reads from left to right from the most recent to the oldest - the current month's topics are on the "whats new" dropdown list above.

Email comments to mo@driving-sideways.co.uk                           

May 2008


27/04/08                               Driving...


Not a drawbridge, or a moat, but a new gate nonetheless
21/05/08           Mending Fences...


A grand day out, travelling out in historical style
18/05/08/                Vintage Tours...


The Ranger
12/05/08              The Lone Ranger...


Rupert & Obie
10/05/08                        First Steps...


Jo, all dressed up and ready for the off...
10/05/08                 A New Groom... 

April 2008

It is starting to become second nature...
27/04/08                               Driving...

as modelled by Jo
20/04/08    Grozzie's Present '08...

The results of all of Steve
20/04/08                             Eveners...

Crossing the ford at Rockford
15/04/08             Harbridge Drive...

Our first day out with two buses....
13/04/08                       First Video...

February 2008

Go Jo...
28/02/08                   Right first time....

hmm, I know steve says I am messy but this is a bit over the top.
17/02/08                Getting Messy...

I dont quite know what Jo is doing! Answers on a postcard....
11/02/2008                        Firestarting...

January 2008

Our second group of students ...
29/01/2008                          Students2

harness2
21/01/2008                   New Harness

Our newest recruit
12/01/2008        Our newest Recruit

It
08/01/2008                        Indulgence

teteatete
04/01/2008                         Tete a tete

 Passsed at first attempt
02/01/2008               Jo's Blog Pt 2...

Mana, catching us all off guard
01/01/2008          Happy New Year...

December 2007

A year ago today we sat in the lorry pondering how to make the horses self-sufficient.
08/12/07                           A year on...

Its Pruddi
09/12/07             Advent Calendar...

A grand way to celebrate the shortest day of the year.
21/12/07                Winter Solstice...

Loos & Bus Shelters, which is which?
01/12/07                 Loos & Buses...

Santa
02/12/07                  Santa's Stuck...

Kingston Maurward logo
05/12/07          Our First Students...

December 2007

Jo, our newest partner and education co-ordinator, her first taste of driving an HGV,
28/11/07                         Jo Bloggs...

In a time of steady progress, the harness was stolen from the lorry. A set back and frustrating.
27/11/07             Harness Stolen!!!...

Is this the shape of things to come? Children going to school on a horse drawn bus?
25/11/07                 Horse Transport...

Playing horseyard chess is fun and very satisfying.
24/11/07                                          Chess...

The equipping continues - putting things in place for the rest of the winter
22/11/07      Equipping the trust 2...

A home of our own.
21/11/07            A home of our own...

Autumn renovations continue, the ramp is finished, the paddock cleaner is next....
19/11/07                                             Tools...

40 years old, rusty and in need of TLC, the JCB will make a huge difference to us.
20/11/07         Equipping the trust...

Suffolk Punch horses are so rare that when one turns up virtually next door, you take notice.
18/11/07                         A New Friend...

Do you think this is taking cleaning too far?
18/11/07                                        In the ****

An important day, the wheel is back, remade, and we are able to look forward again.
13/11/07                            Wheely Good

Jo is our next best hope, driver wise, tractor driving is the second step on the path...
06/11/07                                  Jo Driving...

So, we still arent at a workable solution yet....
04/11/07                          Nearly there?...

Horses & Hay, one way to stop them charging round like fules is to get them to do the work instead.
03/11/07               Autumn Progress,,,

 

October 2007

Robert, our farrier, friend and mentor using his percherons and hitchcart to sow his pasture.
31/10/07                       Getting Hitched

A rainy Sunday is an ideal time to take stock. The boys are paying attention, waiting for attention
29/10/07                      Taking Stock

Four ton of horse running at full pelt
28/10/07                   Glory Moments

Steve is a man of many skills, his original career was welding in a shipyard, an amazing man.
18/10/07                    Making Good...

Jo, our newest partner and education co-ordinator, her first taste of driving an HGV,
15/10/07                              About Jo

One of the privileges of running the bus has been taking families out for special occasions.
07/10/07   A learning experience...

The summer is over, we had a great time, now it is time to move forward.
04/10/07                A new beginning

  

September 2007

Sultan, surprising us all, he enjoyed having his teeth done!
27/09/07                 Dentists & Driving

A fitting end to the season, the Waterside Red Devils, our first booking when the bus was a dream.
19/09/07                                 A fitting end

Have you ever heard the like? Round boxes and square wheels!
18/09/07                         Square Wheels

Making a contribution to the community and having fun too!
16/09/07 Celebrations & Carnivals

Jack & Sultan, fit again, on the road, exploring the forest, something we would love to share.
10/09/07                               Back to Four

The debate continues over the Rover
07/09/07                             Tram or Bus?

August 2007

The 3rd & 12th Salisbury Guides on the Into the Forest tour, one of the highlights of a great week.
31/08/07                        What a week

Another moment which has been a dream made real, Steve, on the bus for the first time.
24/08/07                                           Carnival

One of those times where a phone call out of the blue makes a day already special, even more so.
22/08/07                     Obadiah Elliot

Replacing a tyre on a wooden wheel is a bit of a different undertaking than a motor car!
20/08/07      The Wheels on the Bus

What can I say? The latest bus in the universe? It is here. That is the important thing.
17/08/07                The Latest Bus?

Sultan, fit again & now he needs work to get him back to driving, a lovely way way to spend a Sunday
12/08/07                       Sunday Heaven

Sultan
10/08/07              A Sultan's Progress

Our first full bus and three wonderful families came with us to lunch. A fantastic experience.
09/08/07                                    Full House

Even the wheelchair visitors get a chance to greet the boys...
08/08/07              What price a smile?

Donkey Ears
07/08/07                     Donkey Ears?

The horseshoe trust is not all about the horses, the land must be maintained as well.
06/08/07                                       Hay Days

Heavy horses have an amazing effect on people, they relate and give confidence in a unique way.
04/08/07                    Bigger Picture

01/08/07Catching Up

 

 

July 2007

18/07/07The Public

17/07/07Sunshine

15/07/07Roop's Birthday

13/07/07Uncertainty

11/07/07What a team!

09/07/07They're Off

07/07/07Passengers

05/07/07The Day Breaks

03/07/07Service

June 2007

22/06/07Decision Time

15/06/07The Story So Far

Team driving using all four horses is a difficult skill to master.
13/06/07Like Buses

May 2007

19/05/07The Exile Begins

16/05/07Going Onwards

10/05/07A Timeless Moment

April 2007

30/04/07Perfect Timing

23/04/07Busy, Busy, Busy

15/04/07Keeping Up with the Joneses

14/04/07Preparing

09/04/07How to Spend a Holiday

07/04/07Back to Basics

05/04/07Worth Waiting For!

04/04/07Visitors, Grooms & an Easter Egg Hunt

03/04/07Ringwood Revisited

02/04/07Destinations

01/04/07Happy Birthday to the Boys

 

March 2007

30/03/0 Market Place

28/03/07Burley Route

26/03/07Broadcasting

23/03/07Raising the Roof

21/03/07If I ruled the world

16/03/07Shoeing Mk3

15/03/07Learning

12/03/07A lovely day

09/03/07Lorries, Livery & Lost Shoes

06/03/07Backroom Stuff

02/03/07Excited!

 

February 2007

28/02/2007Pruddie

27/02/2007Maybe

26/02/2007Obie and Grants

25/02/2007Progress Report

25/02/2007A bit of a day

21/02/2007Time Flies

21/02/2007Getting Better

20/02/2007Shoe Trouble!

19/02/2007Teamwork

16/02/2007Three Felloes

14/02/2007Taking Time

13/02/2007White Buck

12/02/2007Shoeing Cake

09/02/2007The rest

09/02/2007A tough week

Steve & Jo visiting a local primary school to introduce the children to heavy horses & driving them.
04/02/2007Grooming Tips!

02/02/2007Grozzie's Christmas Present

01/02/2007Welcome to Kat

January 2007

31/01/2007Front page news

30/01/2007The horses on the bus

29/01/2007No more carrots for Roop

26/01/2007Introducing Romana

25/01/2007A Big Day

23/01/2007Grooming the Grooms

21/01/2007For the want of a nail

16/01/2007Whats a dream worth?

14/01/2007Serious Faces

12/01/2007Public Appearances

11/01/2007The view from the top

10/01/2007Fetching the Bus

December 2006

27/12/06The Ringwood Rover

 - Our First Meeting

13/12/06  Are you ready for this?

This is what we are looking at for a bus, brand new, made in Poland.
12/12/06    Beginning the search

Where should we take the bus, once we have it? Ringwood to Brockenhurst? An exciting idea
11/12/06         Ringwood to Brock?

Steve (and Pruddi), an unending source of wisdom and fun.
10/12/06                     Quote of the Day

The horses and grooms from the Southampton Corporation circa 1895
09/12/06                       No Legislation?

Is this what a dream looks like?
08/12/06                                Just an idea


 


 

 

                                     This project is part-financed by the New Forest National Park Authority's Sustainable Development Fund.