This is the sight that greeted me from the end of my garden.

Three little boys fast a-bye-byes in the long buttercups.

I wandered quietly about with my camera to see various horses having a rest from the stresses and strains of everyday life trying not to disturb anyone.

Iacs was with Kappi.

Haakon was with Klaengur.

I was a little concerned as I could not immediately see Tiddles but I found him slightly further up the field having a kip.

Silver immediately got up to say hello.

And then Tiddles though they were still very sleepy boys.  Like toddlers after a daytime nap.

Taktur was also missing but I quickly realised he was on sentry duty in his hut, with only some chickens as friends.

This was not a shed built for horses but they all love it and take it in turns (or not) to squeeze themselves into it with no fighting or guarding.

Meanwhile, all my creeping about with my camera had not woken Storm and Waffle even slightly.

Dear little Storm had the most blissful smile on his face as he slept.

I wonder what he was dreaming about?

Don’t you just wish some days that you could bottle an incredible feeling and every time you are feeling down, have a sniff and feel wonderful all over again?

I received a surprise parcel in the post yesterday – some photos and film of the Icelandic Horse of Great Britain 2015 British Championships.

Included was a lovely film of Daisy riding in the Elementary Tölt Finals (so proud ** sniff **).

Seeing it all over again, through a spectator’s eyes made me remember how nervous I was, on Daisy’s behalf, and how wonderful when Daisy’s name was called giving the winning title.

Her smile says everything and all the hard work everyone has invested in her and Kappi has paid off.

In the film, Daisy’s trainer, Bjørn runs onto the track and gives Daisy a Shetland flag.

Daisy does her winner’s round with it in her boot, proudly representing the Icelandic horses from Shetland.

 

I just wanted to share with you (again) someone else’s point of view of Daisy’s amazing achievement on Kappi.

She is now ranked No 1 in Britain in Elementary Tölt Class (ETT8)

We are all very proud of her (especially me, **** sniff **** )

 

 

Despite the most accurate of weather forecasts promising no rain today, it has rained all day and everyone was very wet – both indoors and out.  My OH said it was like rain you get south as it came down vertically!

Even Iacs’ silly-frilly had gone flat.  Some might say that he has lost his ker-poof!

On a good note, the rain brought The Minions up from the recuperation-after-a-nasty-op field.  I have been calling them up for ages, which they have consistently ignored.  Now they wanted to complain about the weather and annoy Taktur.

This is Storm’s complaining face.  He hates the rain but I refuse to rug him up just for this.

Taktur, as always, looks gorgeous in the rain but then he is handsome whatever the weather.

Lambie sort of “shrunk in the wash” but he was his usual smiley self.  I gave him some hard feed as we are trying to wean him and he happily tucked into that with gusto.

Gusto or Lambert, as he is known, had not shrunk.

The Minions have been away from the main herd since Friday and I think they have missed the big boys.

Whether the big boys have missed them, however, is another matter!

  

I left them to renew acquaintainces.  Tiddles seems well enough post-op and so they can all go back together.  Storm was still grumbling, though – I think I could hear mutterings!

Ragwort.  I hate it.

My Nemesis.  A source of harm or ruin.  Too effing right.

Loathsome, dangerous stuff to horses (and sheep).

I have been battling it unsuccessfully over the years – many, many years especially in my lovely self-contained croft, Clothie.  This croft once had no ragwort at all, not even a hint, until I stupidly had ditches dug to drain the soil better and with that the ragwort seeds that had been lying dormant for years, centuries even, appeared.

As it is still wet on the ground (and above actually), I went over to Clothie with the dogs in the pretence it was a dog walk, and picked a binbagful.

In previous years, I have tried spraying using different specific ragwort pesticides with no visual results except leaving me thinking at times I was only watering it. So this year I am picking it out, roots and all and then it will be burned.

I took my good camera and macro lens to make the resulting back ache worth my while.

  

Clothie has a spectacular array of wild flowers and it is a very peaceful place.

I realised my dog walk was not a success when I found Loki having a bit of a rest.

BeAnne was busy doing her own thing, though.

And so we went home to our welcome committee who were previously engaged. I am going to try and pull up a bag of ragwort every day, if I can.  I shall add it to my daily to-do list.

A few photos from my travels around the island recently.

Razorbills at Sumburgh Head

Sea pinks (Thrift) on the cliff edge at Sumburgh.

A busy guillemot colony.

Squabbling shalders (oystercatchers to you!)

A Shetland bumblebee (Bombus muscorum).  Lovely little orange chap.

A sundew (my all time favourite hill plant).

Common Butterwort (I had to look that up for you).

Wild Thyme?

Some kind of moss (no idea so I am no thinking I need to buy a good plant book)

Minions enjoying the grass.

I advertised for someone with a metal detector to come and look for buried “treasure” at Thordale.

Obviously he had supervision.

And this is the great Viking hoard that was found!

Just got to pop to the British Museum to get it valued.

I doubt we will be getting rich quick, to be honest but it was fun.

Sorry, not a very inspired blog but my upper back hurts, it is raining and cold.

WHERE IS THE EFFING SUMMER?