LOOKING back, as we are so inclined to do at New Year, 2016 will, for me, be notable for two major changes.

Firstly, a career move, which brought about a very welcome return to the Gazette & Herald office in Malton, and secondly, a change in livery yards for our horsey family.

The new livery yard, which is also a riding school, is reassuringly familiar as the place where it all began.

It was more than 30 years ago that here my teenage passion for horses was re-kindled and then, a few years later, this is where both my children learnt to ride and in turn fell prey to what is arguably one of the most expensive and all-consuming addictions in the world.

The farm buildings themselves are old now, but it is lovely to see that many of the original faces are still here, albeit with different horses, still enjoying the same hobby with as much passion and enthusiasm as ever.

One of the more notable new additions, however, is a pint-sized donkey called Jimmy.

A small chap, housed just a couple of doors down from my coloured mare, notwithstanding his size, this guy emits one of the loudest and most ear-splitting rackets that I have ever heard.

He also has a strong aversion to mud, flatly refusing to sully his diminutive hooves in the gateway to the field and believe me, when this little guy decides that he isn’t going to do something, it would take more than hell and high water to persuade him otherwise.

The farm is also home to a couple of very sociable, rescued black pigs who are a great favourite with my granddaughters, and then there is Nando the “house chicken”.

Nando is a small red hen who frequents the stables during the day at her leisure, returning to the farm house at night where she roosts indoors, safe from predators.

This little girl’s story is one of courage, tenacity and fortitude, so needless to say she will never need to fear ending her days on anyone’s dinner table.

Originally, Nando came to live on the farm with a group of ex-battery hens. For a while life was free-range and idyllic, but one night disaster struck, in the shape of a fox.

All the hens were killed with the exception of one, who was severely mauled.

At this point, the chicken was not expected to live, but the lady of the house decided that Nando had to be given a chance and so the sorry bundle of feathers was taken indoors and miraculously, against all the odds, she was nursed back to health.

Watching her now, strutting around the stable yard as though she owns the place, carefully selecting her favourite tasty bits from any bowls of uncovered horse feed that she comes across, it is hard to imagine that she was once at death’s door.

Her ordeal has taken its toll in other ways, however, as come night fall, this chicken wants to be inside. Not in a hen hut either, but in the farm house, with the dogs and her human family, where she feels safe.

I do like New Year, though, and New Year’s Day in particular. A fresh page at the start of a brand new book just waiting to be filled; but with what?

At the moment, no one can say for certain how the story will go, but I am sure, come what may, we are going to have great fun finding out.