Well I did it, though The Fates conspired against me.  

• The car didn’t start (jump started from the neighbour’s car),
• the Co-Op refused my credit card so I had to go to the Bank to sort that out,
• my cabin on the ferry had a broken DVD player – I have never even been in a cabin with a dvd player, let alone have one that broke
• the ferry then died and was delayed by 4 hours so I had to change the taxi time and worry all night whether we would get in for my appointment.

I realise all these things are small, but they began to build up, so bearing all this in mind, I arrived at Orthopaedic Out-Patients a gibbering wreck.  Just don’t ask.  I can’t talk about it but I was not myself and I never want a repeat of that again.

Anywho, after that, I phoned for a taxi and went to find some normality, ie John Lewis.  My childhood was spent at John Lewis so it seemed the obvious choice for me to go there.

I just pootled about, regaining some sense of sanity.

Then, I pottered through the two malls that are huge and saw this amazing cupcake Barbie dress, which brought a smile to my face.

I did some wafting to smell less of my previous sheer panic!

Aberdeen rushed past me at a million miles an hour, both materialistically and vehicularly (the blue boat is the ferry I was going to come home on).

It was hot so I sought my oasis at the Apple Store where I was met by a tall spotty yoof who asked me what I wanted.  When I requested to look at the iPhones, he just grunted in the direction and I could see him write me off as an old woman who knew nothing.  I was over-heating, cross and not my best but thoroughly tempted to go and zap straight off to their major data banks and reprogram them with a very large axe!

Instead, I picked up my bags and shuffled off to the boat.

I had a peaceful journey home accompanied by Floss and two of her friends.  They are all recovering from their Advanced Highers.  So far, they have been introduced to Fivla (Floss’ pony)…..

….and have also been thoroughly Zooted.

Gosh, I am glad to be home.  Yesterday, was unspeakable.  I need to think **** sigh ****.

Oh well, have some horses and ponies (pics by me and Anna).  This is my idea of normal.  Not Aberdeen.

After feeding Taktur, we decided to let him wander round the house for a while with Klaengur while we rode the other horses.

He made himself feel quite welcome.

I say! Would you like to stop by for some tea?

Will there be biscuits?

If you insist…

I forgot to mention that my friend is here too.

BeAnne is looking forward to Flossie coming home.  This is her excited face, in case you couldn’t tell.

Then we moved some fencing.  This was on our to-do list left by Frances.  (We also cleaned tack! Not that we’re hunting for brownie points…)

Flossie is bringing a few friends home tomorrow.  Jack is not prepared for this female onslaught.

Plus Frances is returning from hospital tomorrow!

I don’t know why, but I have got into a total state.

I have my first post-op six week appointment with my Consultant Surgeon tomorrow in Aberdeen.  On the boat tonight and I haven’t a clue what to pack.  I am full of the “what-ifs”, like what if I am admitted to hospital because I had that fall?  What do I need to pack?  I seem to have lost all my kaftan nighties which are brilliant for hospital/ferry.  Bugger.  They are in a blue rucksack that has vanished from the Hobbit Hole that is my house (according to Daisy!)

I am panicking and I need help.

Her Maj is trying to be supportive, but sulky, as she knows I am going away.  She is keeping my bed warm.

I have huge anxiety about this trip. I am not like this normally.  This is not me but I don’t want to go and I am scared I won’t cope on my own.  I am suffering also from regular hot flushes (yes, the obvious).  It is all adding up.

I can’t decide what to take.  Daisy kindly ironed a shirt so I don’t look like a country mouse (and yes, that is Wussums on the kitchen work surfaces which is shameful but you try telling him).  She has been my fashion consultant too.

I have made a list of things to say like how do I reduce my painkillers, admit my fall last week, ask what the future is…..

Do you think anyone would mind or notice if I took some moral support to keep me grounded?  BeAnne could be my Thinking Dog for the Stupid, have a little coat and look after me on the boat and in Aberdeen, though I would be barred from every shop after the appointment and/or taxi.

OH asked if I had any Rescue Remedy and then said “you don’t need a dropper of it, you need a St Bernard with a barrel following you!”

I am now getting a headache with the worry.  Oh FFS Frances, you have done this a million times.  How difficult is it to get on a boat and get on with it?  This is only something like the tenth time I’ve done it.  I am shaking.

(Can I take Whiffy with me?)

The girls and I set off to see the bebbies at Sandness, 4 miles down the road. We found the mothers and aunt were settled but there were no bebbies to be seen.  No one seemed all that concerned.

So, we climbed over their fence in search of their little ones who were not very far away but had gone off for a spot of exploring.

Zoot and Dingo were having a lovely time racing through the marsh marigolds, as far away as they dared from their mummies.

It was very obviously Zoot’s brilliant idea.

She was having a great time but Dingo (aka Arg Lucky Charm) immediately raced back to her mum.

She knew exactly how to negotiate the fence which makes me think she has done this before.

Then Zoot suddenly realised that she was on her own and beetled back too, fairly smartly.

And, yes, she ducked easily under the fence. Caught!

They looked like butter woudn’t melt.  A happy family once again.

Zoot soon redeemed herself, however, by spending time with Anna and Daisy.  Dingo just stayed back to watch.

There was much foal-snogging while Dingo watched from a distances. I wonder when and if she will ever come up to talk to us.  She is taking it all in, though.

So, we left them on a beautiful sunny, dare I say it, Shetland Spring afternoon to eat and have fun but preferably not to escape again.

There be dragons…….  beyond that fence.

Today we evicted Anna.

To be fair, I did clean her new abode first.  OH did the outside and I wafted about with some Flash and Febreze inside.

Now I am very proud of my little caravan. It is my home-from-home and I think Anna will be very happy there.

Now it is her home-from-home.

She brought friends.

(All this is because Flossie is coming home with 2 of her friends next week and we have run out of floor space in the bedrooms in what Daisy calls our Hobbit Hole and what I call Our Home)

This is Anna’s immediate view. I don’t think she will complain.

BeAnne has taken up residence too.

To make up for this eviction and to also blag some mattresses, Bessie came over with the necessary supplies and her gorgeous 5 month old Yorkshire terrier puppy, Mootie.

We all duly fell in love!

Some were a tad jealous, it has to be said ,and went into a bit of a film star decline.

Surprisingly, Jack was very happy, though, to see a new dog in his house which makes me wonder whether we should get another lurcher.

This is a very sensitive subject with OH who is adamant that we don’t at present, if at all.  He says I am in no fit state to look after another dog, let alone the two we have, yer, yer, yer.

I am upstairs sulking (plotting) with the cat now.