I am sitting here, not wanting to write this…

Rest in peace, Storm.  Sleep well.  I am so sorry – I feel like I failed you horribly.

(I left him last night, inside, nibbling on a haynet, considering a bucket but he died overnight).

❤️ Storm  (2013 to 2024) ❤️
Forever in our hearts.
Run free, and don’t forget to buck a lot while you create chaos.

I am very worried about Storm.  He is just not improving in any way. All the others are nearly back to normal, but not Storm. He is not eating, he is so depressed and I am at my wits’ end to know what to do next.

So, today, I put him outside with the others for the daylight hours dosed up on painkillers to see if that would give him back a bit of spark.  I could see that he was pleased to see his friends and I am sure it brightened him up a bit but he is still very disinterested in food.  I am now wondering if his teeth are hurting as I’ve seen him doing funny things with his jaw while he is eating.  Typical, just after the equine dentist’s visit too. Spring will be in his next visit.

I do think, however, that breathing in fresh air and being with all his herd might do a little good, even if only mentally.

The weather is not helpful – flurries of hail or snow or sleet.

And through all my poo-picking, haynet soaking, buckets and moving ponies, etc, I have a faithful helper, no matter the weather.  Pepper is always with me.  I know the electric fence is working too – she zapped herself and came running to me.

I will talk to the vet tomorrow and see what can be done.  In the wee small hours, when I am worrying, I am almost thinking about putting Storm to sleep.  He has no quality of life at the moment and is going backwards, not forwards. I just wish he was interested and happier and eating, eating anything would be good.

Please can I have all your healing vibes, prayers, thoughts and wishes for Storm.  I feel like crying.

The snow has arrived, as you can see from this morning’s muck-heap photo. It’s not much but enough to cause disruption on the roads and make work outside colder and more difficult.

After breakfast, I found this lot all together, all getting along, which makes me very happy to see.  It’s take quite a while.

Meanwhile Lambie and Barrel had discovered Dahlia and Gussie’s hay in their wee shed.  “Honestly, you two, you have your own hay”.  They scarfed down the lot.

But it is lovely to see that Dahlia and Gus-Gus are finally accepted as being part of the flock.  I hope the problems are now over and they all just go around together. That would be perfect.

Maggie and Barrel have been the problem but seem to have got over themselves.

“Yes, Maggie, you!”

Gussie and Dahlia even came down to the shed when I opened the field gate in case anyone was cold and wanted to come home. We have had intermittent showers of snow and hail (pea-size at times that hurts) all day.  It’s not much fun outside and I do feel very sorry for them.

(and the local pheasant has reappeared, to see what we have in the way of food).

But we are coping and I am trying not to worry about the potential water-pipes-freezing situation which will be the next thing.  I currently have many containers full of water in the big shed, where it is warmer from the ponies living in there.

The days are getting shorter by a few minutes every day now so daylight time is becoming limited.

The vile weather has finally calmed down but the wind has turned and we now have a bitingly harsh northerly to contend with.  Snow is on its way but for now we content ourselves with intermittent hail (about pea size at times – and it hurts).

I was on breakfast bucket duty which is no hardship as everyone is close by and knows the drill.

Kolka in the corner.

Iacs and Haakon side by side.  I was in between Iacs and Kolka because if a fight is going to break out, that is where it would start and I would stop it before they even remembered.

Standing, listening to the sounds of eating, I could see the last resting place of our hen-house which is now destined for firewood.

No one, Icelandic horse, is minding this weather (the Shetland ponies are a different matter).  Their thick layered winter coats are doing what they’re supposed to for this time of year.

Although they may look wet in places, it is superficial and the fur traps the body heat, keeping them warm.

And they have no ribs so also have an internal covering as well.  They are built for this.

Shetland ponies apparently melt, so they tell me.  I am not listening to them.

This morning was tough – blisteringly cold, with occasional hail and gale force winds so the old ladies went out with the proviso that if they asked to come inside, they could.  Standing up was tricky, so we just managed minimal outside chores.

Around 11-ish, I found Fivla by herself looking miserable and trying to catch my eye.

So I opened the gate and shouted.  She trotted to the shed without a second asking.

I popped her in a small stall….

…. and gave her a few scoops of hay replacer to warm her up.

And a few minutes later Vitamin shouted and came charging inside too – another bucket of grub for her.

There was also the disgruntled audience but they have their soaked hay, which of course they didn’t want. I didn’t listen to their complaints.

So that just leaves these three outside, who are making good use of both containers.

And the Icelandics who are grazing like it’s just a mere zephyr blowing.

The sheep are all fine too.  They are very good at finding shelter – the lee of the shed today.  Dahlia and Gussie dutifully appeared for breakfast, which they had in their shed and then got in a muddle because I had changed their breakfast place and routine.  Never, ever change a sheep’s routine.

Casualties of this ferocious storm?  One hen house which is now in its component parts in the field, and my Jerusalem artichoke bed which, to be fair, was on the way out anyway.

No flute today – not weather for driving in – so I made a sheep instead.  The wind is slowly dying down now and we are forecast snow. *** sigh ***