The Cure for my bad back is to walk.  I am sure walking helps.  Painkillers stop me minding the pain but walking is definitely the way forward for as long as I my legs work.

Lambie (and Lamb-ster – now officially known as Ster according to Daisy and Flossie) are determined to escape and live in the hill.  Lambie squeezes himself through the tiniest gap he can find taking Ster with him and off they bugger.

Having retrieved them once from the hill, I took them, with Floss, on my two mile walk.  We went slowly but it was exercise for me, none the less.  I am hurting hugely but doing my best.

Lambie was furious with me for bringing him home from playing his hill-friends and would only talk to Flossie.  He knows how to hurt me.

When we got home from our walk, Waffle had managed to get himself stuck in the shed.  He didn’t mind very much and was happily taking in the view.

I sat down with some carrots and fed everyone – sheep and pony.  Waffle decided that he wanted to get to know Lambie.

Lambie is not scared of anyone and happily nosed-to-nose an introduction.

Despite his wicked ways, Lambie is a darling little complaining boy.

Tiddles was on good form today.  His nosey was brought into every occasion and obviously there were kisses given.

Poor little Storm was feeling very sorry for himself.  This is his pathetic feed-me-all-your-carrots face.

And this is his ooh-is-that-a-carrot face?!

All the Minions are doing very well this winter.  I love it when they come out of the field to play and to chat.  Silver was in the background stuffing his face.  If he wanted to talk, he would’ve turned up.

Today my back finally gave up. Bugger.

But I am blessed.

OH cooked breakfast, while Daisy and Floss fed the horses/ponies, put rugs on those that need it and made sure everyone went into their correct fields.

Breakfast was fresh homemade (yes, you heard me, homemade) bagels with bacon and fried home-laid eggs.  Delicious.

Then I had a lie down while OH prepared lunch.  Once everyone was gathered, I crawled downstairs and we opened presents.

Lunch was delicious.  I ate it and then it was all whisked away and washed up.

While OH walked Loki, I tried to help Daisy muck out the shed and the stable from last night’s inmates.  It was then, on the final stretch, that my back closed down completely.

Now I have taken to my bed while I try to decide what to do next.  Valium for the muscle spasms?  Severe analgesia for the pain?  Acupressure for the pain?  A hammer for the pain?

I dunno.  But I feel blessed because my family are around me and they are helpful, kind and wonderful.

As for photos, I managed some food porn.

OH even put Lambie in his boudoir – apparently he was unhelpful (Lambie, not OH) and escaped 5 times!  He was in a wicked bouncy mood.

Happy Christmas everyone.

And please tell my back to behave.  I am in agony.

A Thordale Christmas is full of tradition. However, a lot of preparation goes into maintaining these traditions.

The first tradition is the construction of our “real and authentic” pine tree with our miscellaneous tree decorations gathered over the years and from various locations.

Lambie, of course, makes an appearance.  For some reason he has wings and why not.

Of course, Lambie doesn’t in real life – yet!   (to be arranged, maybe – Lambie would love wings – he would flutter, Mavis Cruet like, over our croft.  It would be beautiful – and yes, I may have had gin.)

We have various Tomte – or nisse or tomtenisse – who have always been living in our tree.  That is a 20 year old Thordale tradition and one everyone remembers.  Tomte are very important to us.

Then there is the Ye Olde Wolde Thordale Yule Log.

It is a work of art and a trial to create.  I leave OH and Daisy to do the thatching and they never cease to amaze me with their abilities.

This year I bought a flock of sheep to decorate the Log with.  As usual, they were smaller than I expected.  That’s Ebay for you!

But I like to think that the new additions to the Thordale Family have been included.  Even in a teeny-tiny way.  (OH said they looked like maggots)

So that is us, ready for Christmas and I may feel slightly sick from eating some of the Yule Log.

Happy Christmas everyone xx

🎄 🎀 🎁 🎂 🎁 🎀 🎄 🎀 🎁 🎂 🎁 🎀 🎄 🎀 🎁 🎂 🎁 🎀 🎄 🎀

A reminder – I need a reminder of what it was like when the sun shone and I was not up to my oxters in mud.

An oxter, by the way, is an armpit.  A jolly good word in my opinion and should be used widely.

Anywho, the rain, it doth rain (as well as hail and sleet) and the wind it doth blow a lot.  While not quite knocking me off my feet, it is enough to make everything take twice as long as I battle through trying to feed ponies, muck them out, decide who wears a rug and why and who doesn’t.  Life is very complicated and, because of the filthy weather, difficult.  There is mud everywhere and I feel like Tarzan swinging from the jungle lianas only I use the horses and their tails to keep me upright as I wade my way through the mud collecting empty buckets, trying not to suddenly find I am sans wellie.  That miserable wet sock feeling knowing you have the choice of putting a muddy sock back into the welly to try and pull it out or just walking home with one on and one off.  Neither choice is nice.

Just as long as the mud doesn’t swallow a horse – remember Artax in the Swamp of Sadness.  It is not dissimilar here.

No one is enjoying this and everyone is fed up.

The horses were out in their field today but, when I saw them hunkering down like this behind the dry stone dyke (stone wall), I immediately felt sorry for them, knowing what the weather was going to do tonight.

They are now all in with hay, water and friends to annoy – warm and dry.  Girls in one shed and boys in another.  Apparently the sun might shine tomorrow.

🙌  👏  🙌 👏 🙌  👏  🙌 👏 🙌  👏  🙌 👏 🙌  👏  🙌 👏 🙌  👏  🙌

Two Shetland Foals Luggage Wrap Luggage Handle Wrap by Boysenberries

Shetland Pony Foals Pitcher by Boysenberries

♬ “Oh, the weather outside is frightful”♬ – gale force wind with, what feels like, buckets of rain or hail being thrown at us.

So we went indoors.

BeAnne was in one of her moods.

The one where she feels that everyone hates her.

She does do resentment very well.

We tried to coax her out of it.  But no, she was having none of it.

So we gave up and left BeAnne to her sulk.

Meanwhile, Daisy went to fetch Kappi, leaving Taktur to eat his Handsome Prince food uninterrupted.

Kappi has not been ridden since Summer, when Daisy went away to work in Norway.

She said he was on the fat and unfit side but still the same horse.  She even found his trot which has been missing for a while.  Icelandic gaits come and go like the wind.  Sometimes there is no obvious reason – a frustrating mystery that happens.

Next, Daisy tried out Esja. Bjørn, her trainer (both Esja’s and Daisy’s) had asked her ride Esja as he is very busy with the lead-up to Christmas.

So Daisy exercised Esja and said she was very similar to the youngsters she trains.  Happy little Esja was thrilled to be doing something and had her ears pricked forwards all the time.

Next it was Floss’ turn.  She had her daily lesson on Haakon.

I went and mucked out The Grandes Dames’ Boudoir, trying hard not to be the interfering mother.  When I returned to the school, Daisy had Flossie tölting round and round in circles, concentrating on bending in the right direction (I think).  Floss looked very good and has come a long way in a very short amount of time.

It is lovely seeing Floss and Daisy using the indoor school and enjoying the horses together – makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤ 🐾 ❤

Shetland pony mare and stallion cushion pillow by Boysenberries

Shetland pony mare and stallion fabric by Boysenberries

Shetland pony mare and stallion bag zazzle HEART tote bag by Boysenberries