The Minions have their own shed where they have lived with me all their lives.  They love their shed.  I am very aware that others covert it so I asked my OH to put up a bar that ensured that the little boys could get in (by ducking under) but bigger ones could not.

This system has been working well until today.

I went to put Tiddles’ rug back on as it was getting colder and came across this new “Minion”.

The wooden bar had been snapped.

I was not happy. not happy at all and, as I was changing everyone’s rugs, I made Taktur, for penance, hold the rugs to keep them off the floor.

Storm made his feelings known about the extra “Minion”.

Despite being asked endlessly by Kappi, he was absolutely determined not to let anyone else in.

Storm is very tenacious when he has to be.

He manned his post, having perhaps let the side down earlier, and was now living with the error of his ways.

And so they all stood together – packed like sardines in a can.  I felt sorry for Tiddles who had nodded off behind Taktur but no one was upset or distressed, so I left them to it.

Suffice it to say that OH is very surprised his barrier was broken (“that was quite a substantial bit of wood, too”) and I removed all the Big Boys later on so the Minions could have their shed back.

I did secretly smile at the way they all stood there!  One stallion, one colt and three geldings in a tiny space with no argument!

The ground is much harder from a bit of a frost last night so I let Haakon out of his stable to get some fresh air.  I soaked his right (far side) foot (potential abscess brooding there now), cleaned his left (near side) hoof (old abscess and over-reach injury has left a huge hole), rubbed Cornucrescine Hoof Ointment in and fed him his Farrier’s Formula.

While Haakon was standing in his bucket of hot water, I groomed him thoroughly and we had a good chat too. He seems less lame and quite perky.

Even so, I hate seeing Haakon like this.  He is very good about everything I do and never complains.  I keep thinking I might have to retire him and I don’t want to.  A ridiculous thought, I know – he is still young and this lameness won’t last forever.  It just feels like it at the moment.

There was a small flurry of snow after all my ministrations.  I don’t know if The Minions have ever seen snow but they didn’t really notice or care.  It settled on their coats like dried coconut flakes.

I put little piles of leftover silage and hay that needed finishing up before I opened up new bales.  This is Kappi, Silver and Storm all sharing very nicely.

So please can I have some more healing vibes for Haakon, if I haven’t used up my quota already.

As ever, my obsession with the weather remains.  I watch the internet weather forecast daily and decide what my plans will be.

We have had a few glimpses of Spring recently which has given us a temporary respite from the harsh weather.

I noticed Klængur and Anderwoo were playing yesterday afternoon.  Klængur does not have the biggest sense of humour so it was very interesting to see who was initiating the game and if anyone was objecting.

I think we can safely assume that Anderwoo had started it – this is his classic launch attack position.

And Klængur was retaliating with an interesting knee attack.  To get Andy off his short little legs is quite an achievement.

I could watch my horses and ponies play for hours.  It is lovely to see, especially Klængur who does take life very seriously.  Andy is always looking for the chink in anyone’s armour so he can exploit it to his maximum benefit.  There is so much mileage in winding up an orange Icelandic horse!

And then I saw this – Klængur following Andy so that the game could continue.

So they went on and on and on having the best time together.

That was our very brief glimpse of spring sent to keep us optimistic that winter will be over soon.  But the bad weather is back again tomorrow with a vengeance.

Prepare to batten down the hatches again.

Thank you for all your kind words and thoughts about Jack.  They are hugely appreciated and mean a great deal.

The family is all a bit at sea now our little black gargoyle has gone.  There is a level of noise that is missing (probably the snoring) and I still glance over to where his bed was, expecting to see him or wait to see him slowly trundling round the garden.

Here are a few films of Jack in his youth.  This is where he learned the word “dead” as he was very territorial and obsessed with toys.  He would collect them all up, put them in his bed and then sit on them like a hen waiting for her eggs to hatch.  I had to teach him when to let go or give his toys up.  Luckily, he liked to learn and do his best.  Clever boy.

Despite the fierce noises, he never bit anyone ever.  He was “very vocal”.

BeAnne used to run rings around Jack and he was very nice about it too.  They were good friends.

Loki is not himself at all.  He hates being the only dog in the house.  BeAnne spends most of her day outside keeping any potential marauders at bay so Loki, although he as not Jack’s best friend, appreciated the snoring canine in the corner.

BeAnne and Loki are almost playing now, which is not like them.  The pack dynamic has changed and it is also a bit tense.  I think there may be words, new lines drawn and then back to a truce.

Anyway, the best cure for missing someone is to go and hug someone(s) you love very very much.  Someone(s) who you can talk to and who understand.

It feels a long time ago.

Haakon is not allowed in the field as he is still lame.  His abscess, we think, is a result of an over-reach injury.  I clean it daily and spray it with terramycin spray.  Various unguents and potions have been bought today to promote hoof growth.

So every day, Haakon has a different friend to keep him company.  Today, it was Klængur and The Minions´turn.

Of course, as Haakon was making the silage bale his own close personal friend, the others left him to it and were resting out of the weather in his stable.

When I went in, I could immediately see Tiddles and Waffle were feeling tired.

But Silver and Storm were not.

They had that gleam in their eyes – the one that says one thing and one thing only – Mischief!

They played for in the stable without disturbing Waffle, Tiddles and Klængur who were nodding off around me.  I was sitting on the floor with Klængur standing over me.

Eventually Storm decided he didn’t want to play anymore, despite Silver’s best efforts.

So everyone stopped and went to sleep. Silence.  It was wonderful.  Just listening and feeling the soft breathing of the snoozing ponies.

Sadly it didn’t last very long and off they went again!  Bounce, bounce, bounce!