Is Bug back to full health now? "I'm being careful, so he's still in light work to make sure I don't ask too much before his muscle on his bottom is fully recovered, but the allergy has finally gone! His skin has been flaking a little too but this seems to be a result of sweating in the humid climate and has affected lots of the horses." How are they coping with the heat in general? "They all also seem to pant a lot to cool down after even quite light work, which can be a little alarming but this seems to be the way they all cope and we just have to make sure we cool them down as efficiently as possible."

How's the socialising going? "Tonight, I went to a cocktail party hosted by the Italian Consulate where we met the Ambassador. I am now excellent friends with his wife who gave me brilliant shopping tips and was extremely charming to talk to! Infact, I nearly didn't make it there in time due to a huge confusion with my team uniform which I had sent for ironing. It was really very difficult trying to work out what was going on and to explain my problem to a large number of hotel staff who speak good English but don't always seem to really understand. At one point my careful explanation of my clothing emergency was answered with "so you are looking for your partner?"!!!! I also got to see the impressive Hong Kong symphony of lights, where all the biggest skyscrapers on the island flash in differnt colours! I was desperate to go shopping and exploring later but the Italians dawdled and ambled so frustratingly that we just had to take the bus back." Glad to know you have got everything in perspective!

The blog has been changed to an interview to comply with Olympic regulations.