Lambie is going well mentally, though he is still not brilliant on his legs.  He is getting there, though slowly, and we have been advised to get him moving as much as possible.

Today I took him for a walk around three fields.  He shouts while he does his best to keep up, but is happy to trot alongside.

Poor love, I was wanting nice photos of him in the flowers, so he struggled through the marsh marigolds for me and looked beautiful, always beautiful. Those marsh marigolds are huge if you are very short.

And then he cantered along the short grass.

We stopped at the bluebells for a little photoshoot.

I think we can all agree that blue really suits him and he is a natural model.

Lambie trekked like a trooper.  There was the odd baa just to tell me he was behind, but on and on he went never stopping and never giving up. This lamb has determination.

BeAnne was jealous as it is usually her job to sit in the flowers doing the photoshoot.  Note the sulk.

You can see how they are for size in this photo.

On the home-stretch and Lambie is galloping along.

Over hill….

And over flower.

Klaengur looked on in amusement and slight bewilderment.

Today, we gave all our Sandness mares their spa day.  Raw Deal (Delia) is very old and I think this will be her last summer with us.  No one is wanting to lose their winter coat yet so we just brushed whatever would come out and put coconut oil on any flakey/itchy bits.

Lyra, of course, insisted that Daisy and only Daisy would make her look beautiful.

And she made sure she went through our equipment to check we had brought everything.

Vitamin, Lyra’s mother, was transformed.

And we trimmed tails and ears, slathered coconut oil on flakey skin, manes and tails, brushing it through until they were all gleaming.

Then we moved to the field with Esja and Hetja.

Esja wanted to be an idiot.  Although she was easy to catch, she had obviously been told by someone (Anderwoo – fat Shetland pony who has been there, seen that) that brushes were the equipment of Satan.  It took a while to convince her that she had been lied to and once she decided to trust us, she was very easy to work with.  I even cut out the nasty tats in her lugs without any complaint or discussion. Esja relaxed and accepted our ministrations like a good girl and she was a pleasure to work with.  Trust is important to her.

Hetja, of course, behaved with the decorum of royalty.  She stood quietly while Daisy and I brushed and made her even more beautiful.

So we achieved and I think we bonded with the girls.  It is not easy with them being 4 miles away, but we have no choice and that is the way it has to be.

Winter coats are not going away so we are not forcing the issue.  In Shetland, there can always be bad weather around the corner.

A nice day, though!

A rather raucous Eurovision party last night left Daisy and I feeling a bit lack-lustre today.  So we took the boys (Iacs and Haakon) out for a ride to blow away the cobwebs and and any residual hangover. The boys both took total advantage of us and bogged off like teenagers at 100mph up the hill, over the hill and onto the next hill.

So this afternoon we decided on a more sedate pastime and drove over to see the mares at Sandness.

Hetja looked much more pregnant than last time.

She positively glowed and I have never seen her look more beautiful.

There was something magical in her eyes and look that I can’t put my finger on but tried to capture in these pictures.  She has changed hugely in so many ways.

Obviously Hetja was very pleased to see us and I secretly fed her carrots while I told her that we would try and give her a “spa-day” very soon, ie brush her mane and tail with coconut oil and generally make her feel very special.

Because she is worth it!

Esja was in a bit of a sulk and stropped around pretending that she could be exotic and mysterious too.

If she is co-operative, we will give her a good brush too, including her revolting tatty ears, if she will let us near them.

September, when she starts her training, should be very interesting.

I am still not sure when this foal will appear – June or July?  Any thoughts?

The Minions have not been forgotten, just left to their own devices, which is fairly dangerous but I am a trusting type.

As our visitor is on the boat south tonight, we offered her a last Minion Moment.  I love the way Tiddles is standing as if he is trying very hard to be a big boy, a speshul soldier all growed up!

Waffle and Storm could not resist taking off to play.  Note Storm has Waffle’s tail in his mouth.  To be honest, I am surprised any of them have any fur, mane or tail left.

We stood back and watched from a distance as they enjoyed annoying each other.

Playing has increased ten-fold this time of year.  A belly full of grass and feeling warm(ish) results in chasing each other and lots of playing.  You can see them on the horizon zipping past going in one direction and then, seconds later, coming back at full speed.

The big boys don’t mind at all and it is good for them to have the Minions in their field.  I think it keeps them grounded and gives everyone a sense of perspective.  Sometimes they all join in or gallop off to start their own games.

It is good to see my boys so happy.

Today was windy but possibly the last dry day for a while (rain is forecast for the rest of my life, I think).

Strike while the iron is hot was our phrase of the day so, having given our visitor, Becky, two riding lessons this week in the indoor school, we threw her on Iacs and decided to take her out for a ride in a howling gale. Like you do.

The ride started badly when we immediately found a small hill lamb loudly protesting that he was stuck in the netting of the electric fence (not on).  So Daisy and I jumped off, I took the horses, flung their reins over a fence post, gave Iacs “The Look” (stay put or die) and helped Daisy cut the lambie out of the fence.  He skipped ungratefully off never looking back and Daisy and I remounted.

So we were going along the road, when I looked behind me and decided that one of Becky’s stirrups was shorter than the other.  I am great believer in setting folk up to succeed so I dismounted and stupidly trusted Haakon to wait while I sorted out Becky’s stirrup.

Haakon assessed the situation and buggered off.  It was a rookie mistake by me. This is not the first time he has done this and I should’ve known.

Feeling cross, I sent Daisy/Kappi off to catch Haakon while I walked at Iacs’ head so he wouldn’t go after Daisy.  He has been known.

Haakon was caught and I remounted again and Haakon minced furiously all the way out and all the way back.

But it was a lovely, if windy, ride and we got home safely and in one piece so that, to me, is the very definition of success!