The snow showers come and go in various densities, ranging from snowflakes to hail.  The showers are short and nothing stays around for long.

Everyone who had access to the bale overnight was thrown out into the field this morning after a good brekkie, to let those that never get near it have an opportunity.

Some, (mostly Iacs), are hogging the bale and becoming Smaug-like in their efforts to keep one ton of silage for themselves.

So it is good that Les Grandes Dames, Preggy Lady and The Minions can have a fair shot at the bale too.

Someone was asking about Taktur.  He is fine.  Happy not be involved in the bale politics, I am sure, as is Kappi who keeps him company.

They are in their 5 acre field across the scattald (hill) and get a big hardfeed brekkie in the morning along with a large wedge of silage that I lug over in a large CostCo carrier bag in the evening.

It was a lovely sunset as I completed my evening chores.

Lambie and Ster are on flying form – thank you for asking.  When I am busy shovelling another pile of something into a wheelbarrow, their frolicking antics never cease to make me smile as they dance around like idiots.

Everyone should have a Lambie and a Ster (scuse the shouting!)

And now we have snow and OH has a diagnosis – acute cholecystitis.  Poor thing.  He told me he was ill and I am now supplying sympathy in the correct dosage.

Lambie and Ster are constantly “helping” and hanging around waiting for food to be handed out.

I have managed to put properly fitting rugs on Storm and Tiddles.  I love the way they match.

Waffle just fits into this rug which was brought over yesterday. It is a bit snug but it will do for the time being and then can be passed on down to the smaller boys next year.

Dear Klaengur was reluctantly sharing his food, despite there being 10 buckets out for 10 ponies.

I am on the look out for a a rug for Silver. He is managing the best out of all of the Minions this winter.

I like to colour coordinate if possible!

This is Haakon’s dinosaur face when he absolutely refuses to be moved on from his food by anyone.

Iacs is the worst culprit for hassling.  He goes round each bucket first bullying everyone off while trying to see if anyone has chocolate cake unbeknownst to him.  I was furious at him and, I am not sorry to say, he got a telling.  Next time it will be a headcollar and being dragged out of sight from the others.

But I am not too worried. Everyone looks well covered and healthy.

The Icelandic horses’ coats are doing exactly what they were meant to.

Last night was spent here – Gilbert Bain Hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department (or GBH, as it is locally known!)

OH has a filthy cold and it seemed to be finally abating when he woke up with chest pain.  Luckily I was already awake so I drove him tout de suite to A&E.

I don’t muck around when I hear the words “chest pain”.  It is not for me to make a diagnosis and professionals are much better equipped to look after OH than me.

I have sat in many A&E’s over the years for various children, friends, relatives, even myself but it never ceases to cheer me up that GBH A&E is almost always empty.  No queuing with the great unwashed.

Just a mug of tea, two types of dunkable biccies and the remote control (I watched Highway to Heaven).

After some tests, they decided to keep OH in for the night and I drove home.  It was the scariest drive ever. I genuinely thought the car was broken.  I had no control at all and, calling on all my ancestors, I managed to drive slowly home at 20mph.  I think there was black ice everywhere and my nerves were in shreds.

Anyway, the upshot is that OH is now coming home on the bus having been discharged with nothing found.  He will go back for more tests.

Phew!

Oh yes, as we left at 03:00, I saw Iacs standing by himself eating the silage bale.  When I got home at 07:00, I saw Iacs still by himself and still eating the silage bale!

He looked like Ermintrude.

I learned something new today.  Cheap unbranded rugs are a false economy.

Today I made the decision to put rugs on The Minions.

There seems to be no let-up in this horrid weather and they are suffering.

Storm’s rug from last year still fits him, just.  I reckon he will have outgrown it by next year and that is a huge shame as it was wonderful and fitted very well.  He is very attached to it and his little face lit up when I put it on him.

Tiddles has done lots of growing and I never really noticed.  I struggled to find a rug that would fit him.  His bottom hangs out of this one but it is better than nothing.

Silver is wearing a 3’9″ no fill rug that fitted well.  This was the best of all the rugs today.

You may remember this was the first rug I had for Storm.  It was a tad big then.

“Ride Up With Wear Sir”

I tried another rug that has never been worn and he was much too big for it.   Everything poked out. This is where I found out that cheap rugs are a false economy.  The neck was made for a whippet, the velcro was too thick to go through its buckle and the whole thing was nasty and badly made.  So Waffle ate it.

Waffle is sporting a fetching binder-twine number but it is warm and functional so it will have to do for the time being.

We will struggle through with these rugs, though I might see if Ebay have some good brands being sold (Masta, Rambo (Rhino or Wug), Rhinegold) or just sell a kidney and do a spot of shopping.

Now this rug is wonderful.

It fits, it is warm and Brá loves it.

The weather is unforgiving at the moment.  Gales and sleet.

Everyone is very fed up.

Wet and tired.  It is eroding to the spirit.

The only thing that cheers anyone up is the silage bale but I want the horses/ponies to go out in their fields for a few hours, if only to get some space and exercise.

Obviously, Les Grandes Dames and the Preggy Lady can stay around the yard.  That is a given.

Everyone has given up arguing – they are all too tired.  Even Delia will talk to Waffle, which is usually unheard of.

But the bale is the source of all happiness….

…. and everyone is allowed a good go at it.

I am desperate that no one is thin that shouldn’t be or losing weight.  All I do is shovel food in and shovel the manure out.  OH is a God-send and mucks out the sheds every day.

We just live day-to-day looking at every weather forecast and hoping they are mostly wrong.

The fields are sodden and not draining.  No one is interested in eating any grass they find.  They just stand and wait to be let back in.  At night, I put everyone in with a good pile of food just so they are warm and not endlessly shivering with the sleet and driving wind.

Gales, gales, gales.

We are all feeling very fed up.

Sorry for the whinge.  Did I mention we are fed up?  I haven’t seen Lambie and Ster bounce for a few days now.

I think it is that February Feeling.