That time of year again – when everyone moves fields ready for Autumn which can either be an Indian Summer or wind, gales, rain and worse.

I have a lovely field waiting that has been left since last winter ready for the four Shetland ladies.

I know it is not ideal for a certain body-type of girl but our thoughts are that even if Fivla gets fat, she will lose it as she will winter here for as long as possible and there will be no extra hard feed (I must keep telling myself that).

Also the grass is dying back now.

See what happens.

Everyone was more than happy to be put in this field.  The school children walk past and talk to them.

We moved the ponies two at a time and Fivla shouted her head off when we first took Vitamin away with Lyra.

The old ladies are a very close little bunch.

After that, we walked the dogs on the local beach.

We haven’t been to the beach for a while.

It was very empty.

Not a bird or seal to be seen.

So, BeAnne enjoyed a little swim.

And Loki wandered about.

So, that’s the girls moved ready for Autumn and possibly Winter (or at least December).  Life is rather complicated this year as Newt has not been castrated (one nut Newt) and I don’t want to split the Minions but I do want them to live at Lyradale (another field 2 miles from home).  I can’t let Newt live with the girls.

In my head, it all makes sense.  Basically, we just have to go with the flow – weather, grass, Newt’s non nut appearance, etc….

Yesterday was a strange day.

After the net/bales scenario, our visitors, taking OH, went off a-trippering and suddenly every midge in the land jumped on us.

Lambie was indoors faster than a whippet.  He just can’t do midges.

Later on, the wind got going and I offered to walk the dogs.  Half way down the track, I decided I was over-dressed and dumped my coat on a post only to notice I was being followed.

Dear boys, they were all determined to come with me.

Lambie followed his Muzzah #2.

I looked back only to see Rammie had joined us too.

We even were passed by cars on the single track road and all the sheeples knew where to wait, politely.

Yes, I did get some very odd looks from the passengers in the vehicle.

So that would be four sheep, two dogs and me walking along the road.

Loki did his best to disown us.

And so did the hill sheep.  They were totally oblivious of this ridiculous situation.

Once we reached the gate (our turning point), I did a head count.  Rammie had given up half way along. He is very lame and was finding it difficult.  Her Maj, on the other paw, couldn’t be arsed and had a sit-down strike somewhere along the road.

My theory was we could collect them all on the way home.

Once home, we had to leave Rammie in the hill as he doesn’t really understand about people/dogs/sheep all sitting down together.

We had a nice sit in the sun listening to music on my iPad.

Daisy found our sheep/dog/people pile.

Awww, I love Lambie’s expressions – now that is The Winning Smile!

If Landseer drew sheep….

And then the midges came back again so we all had to fly into the house again.  Poor Lambie. I feel his pain.

I have 16 bales of silage and, this year, I am not going to let the big birdies and their big beaks/talons get into them.  Last year, I spent my winter hovering around my silage bales armed with a cloth to dry the bales where they had been damaged with silage bale tape to mend the holes left by the birds standing on them.

I am trying  a new invention – recyling old tyres and fish net.  First, I put one tyre on the top of each bale.

After an advert on a local website asking if anyone had any spare fishing net, we collected a large old salmon net.

First we laid it out – we have visitors staying so I roped them in as well – they did offer!

As ever, one small family member got in the way.

Having laid the net flat next to the bales on the track to establish the net’s actual dimensions, we then started to roll it over and lift it on.

Perhaps not the lightest or most helpful of net.

Daisy, being small and agile, was tasked to gently stand on the top, lifting the net over the bales and the tyres.

The net was enormous and spread well.

I am very happy with this set-up. I hope it works.  There is also enough net at the base to deter the hill sheep from the bales.

Once finished, we let BeAnne out from her “helping”.

Afterwards we went for a ride, knowing full well that the horses should be introduced to the new scary monster.  Taktur was fine.

Haakon’s eyes were out on stalks!

 

By tomorrow, they will all be used to it.

Success!

So bring it on Birdies!

Lambie is on top form. He spends most days, when OH is out of the house, coming inside for a chat and a quick look round.  Now the midges have disappeared, for the time being, he has given up sulking.

I ❤️ my Lambie. I can’t help it – we are imprinted on each other.

Meanwhile, I am feeling a tad guilty about the foals.  I haven’t spent nearly as much time with them as I ought.

But then, my ethos, is that foals should learn to be foals first from each other and their mothers.  There is nothing I can really teach them at this age.

They come up, they talk and that is all I really want.  But these two are very sociable, well balanced and happy.  I would make more of an effort if they were incredibly shy or their mothers were keeping them away.

Brá is not that kind of mother.  She would give Dreki away if she could.  Having Hetja around with Lilja helps, though.  Last year, I think she sometimes felt very alone with Efstur.

The mothers share the foal care.

Soon we will move this four over to Lyradale. I am not weaning the foals until next Spring at the earliest.   No one is pregnant so it doesn’t matter.  Nature can do the hard work.

Anywho, I was out with my camera just as the rain was threatening (yes, my washing was outside so of course it had to rain).

This are a different style for me.  I used the flash.

I think I quite like the “drama” but it is not something I will do very often.  A bit too arty-farty for me.

I think I might ride Haakon tomorrow.  See how it goes.

After my spinal steroid injections, I have been on bedrest for 24 hours so they can work on the localised spot so obviously not out and about with a camera.

When a friend offered me her photos of the Viking Show last week, I didn’t say no plus they are very good.

So, here they are……

Dimma trying to get Floss’ burger – not a chance, though full marks for trying.

The judges’ conflab.

All that hard work. Exhausting.

(Me.  Diet. Now)

The winner.

(And again, oh God, that is me – tomorrow The Diet to end all Diets!)

Congratulations!

Thank you, Jean Sinclair, – you have done good, filled a gap and seen my life from a different angle.

And here are some spare ones from me.

(practising)

(waiting)

(winning)

Enthusiastic little person determined to feed everyone.

Right, tomorrow I am properly off my bed rest and I will go back to my duties.

I have decided that I am not going to ride for a while.  I want the steroid epidural to do its bit – the side effects are hot flushes which are vile. I may have to live outside for a while, in Lambie’s shed (wifi and radio).

Funnily enough, Daisy and I were driving home from doing the veg packing at Transition Turriefield, when we thought we recognised two sheeps on the road – Rammie and ‘Ster.  So we called them home and they happily trotted behind the van.

Then when we discovered that Lambie and ”Bert were not home either so we set off again in the car and found them further up the road.  I got out and Daisy drove the car home, while I walked back with two errant sheeps in tow.

(at the moment, my life consists of ridiculous sheeples)