When I went out this morning, I could see that everyone was feeling a bit soggy.  The Icelandic herd of boys all looked a bit fed up, despite being in the last of the good fields, ie the only one with any grass which we have been saving for as long as we could.

This time of year grass is at a huge premium and we try to rotate fields so they don’t get churned up.  This is a new method for us.

BeAnne rushed up and down protecting the fences.  It is her important job.  She knows this.  A collie taught her.

Three of the boys had been brought in to eat their hard feed.  Currently, only Haakon (because he is old and lost weight last winter), Taktur (because he is a stallion in training and tends to drop weight at the slightest hint) and Efstur (because he has done some growing and appears to have lost weight) are fed and rugged if rain is forecast.  Today we rugged them up.  Rain will appear later.

So you know, Dreki remains a dear boy.  I ❤️ this little chap.  Him and his sister, Lilja – peas in a pod.

So, I have been pottering about all day, doing nothing strenuous and, as the weather brightened up this afternoon, I took BeAnne for a walk.

She went grudgingly and had to be put on a lead as she has a tendency to turn tail and go home if you are not noticing.

Upon my return home, I could see the boys had spread out and were now enjoying the grass.

Honestly you would think we were being cruel.

They are a fussy bunch.  Just because we refuse to open the silage or feed them hay yet does not mean anyone is starving.

Yes, Iacs.  Starving.

Well the Nursing Staff made it very clear that today would be spent in bed.  No excuses, no moving and no getting up (except for the obvious).

I was pinned to my bed by a small hairy, if rather smelly now she is an old lady, Patterdale terrier nurse who included a thorough washing up service as well.

I was not going to argue, mostly because I couldn’t move and had lost all feeling in my legs.

So I have mostly spent my day window shopping for my studio which now has interior walls, lights and stuff.  OH has been going along splendidly with it.  Full marks there. I am in a very Chinese mood as I have been watching a Chinese serial (Empresses in the Palace – I can’t rate it highly enough if only for the set, the costumes and the jewellery), playing Chinese iPad games and eating Floss’ wonderful Chinese food.

The view from my window this morning. I miss my boys.

Tomorrow, I will get up properly and see how I feel. I did manage a quick foray downstairs in my jimjams to mend the nursery gate at the front door –  ‘Ster jumped on it last night and brought down.  When the sheep came in late this afternoon, I fed them their ginger biscuits so it was good to see a change of faces even Lambie looked resentful that his Muzzah had been neglecting his every whim.

So here we were, up at the crack of sparrows, bright and early, leaving Daisy and Flossie in charge of all the animals as well as any chores they felt like doing.

OH kindly drove as I don’t trust my legs on long distances now.

There was a beautiful sunrise which we commented upon as it kept going.

We drove past the boat (the 14 hour trip overnight ferry from Lerwick to Aberdeen) which had berthed a few hours earlier.

And, quite frankly, if I hadn’t had to have these spinal injections, I would’ve been off with my camera trying to photo the incredible sky and sea.  This is the hospital carpark at 09:00.

There was a bit of waiting in my cubicle. I think they were running late.

After the agony, not enough intravenous gin (there never is these days) and once I was considered compos mentis enough, I was given a bottle of water with some Digestive biscuits.  Proper ones.  McVities ones. Perfect post-injection fodder.

OH drove me home and I went to bed with full nursing staff.

Staff Nurse Soufflé was supportive in every way but mostly because Daisy brought me a chicken sandwich as well as many cups of tea for lunch.  I was starving.

BeAnne is always supportive.  Perhaps overdoing it a bit. The sandwich called to her.

So that is that and I pray the injections work.  F&D held the fort admirably.  Cooking, cleaning and general animal slavery – even Lambie got his biccies!

Every day someone goes and checks the horses and ponies who live 2 miles down the road at Leradale.

The croft consists of an enormous field split into two.

There is a large hill field – perfect for fat little Shetland ponies to winter in.

And a smaller “in-by” field that surrounds the derelict old croft house.  This field has thick green grass and is where the pregnant Icelandic mares and a two year old filly live.

Despite their constant yearnings for more food, the Shetland ponies, aka The Minions, are fat. They all did exceedingly well this summer and the winter weather is what these fat layers are for.

Today, I walked down to the Minion field armed with a bag of vegetable and fruit scraps.  Lyra accompanied me and said she didn’t know what apple pieces were and could she please have the broccoli stalks.  I duly obliged.

I threw the rest of the veg/fruit out for the Shetlands.  It was funny watching them argue over banana peel which they hate but were not going to let anyone else have.  Banana peel is an acquired taste.

I checked everyone was fat and happy, had a quick hug and then climbed back up the hill, through the Icelandic horse field, back to the car.

Obviously I was followed.

I am always followed.

Like mother, like daughter.  Hetja is a veg-bag-half-full kinda girl while Brá was having a hissy fit over the plastic bag that rustled in an alarming way.

As I go through the photos on my camera this evening, I found some beautiful skies.  These I took on my daily walks.

Sunset the day before yesterday’s storm.

and sunrise today.  The weather is winding down again now, thankfully.

Tomorrow I am off early to hospital for steroid anaesthetic injections into my spine.  I am not promising anything but I hope they work.  They must. I am finding life difficult.

The storm is here and, touch-wood, we still have electricity so here we go ….. today’s blog.

I had made preparations for this inclement weather and fed the sheep in their second-best bedroom (no wifi, but a new bale of straw plus renovations last year, ie structurally more stable walls were added) instead of their field.  Lambie hates eating with ‘Ster and ‘Bert as they eat faster and then hassle him.  He hates this, goes into a decline and gives up, rather wetly in my opinion.  So, as his Muzzah, I know this and Lambie and I reverted to Plan B.  I fed him his breakfasty privately in the porch.

Luckily Lambie understands this and happily followed me back to the house.  Like I said, we are prepared.

A favourite – Stauffer’s Animal Crackers sent from America.

A bag of Cheesy Smiles for emergencies (organic, no less).  Only the best for Lambie.

And a healthy option – carrots which they all adore.

The other two Boyzens came a-knocking looking for their “friend” (who you can see ducking – he hates hassle) and I topped them up with carrots and crackers ready to face the storm.

BeAnne has also spent her day in a total decline.  She hates this fierce weather and noise.  I loaned her my Christmas present, a silk bolster, for reclining and declining on.

Meanwhile, I went back to my felting and made this part sheep, possibly pig.

I was trying to make a very small sheep but its head was bigger than I intended.  I learned a lot today.

He is only two inches long.

Next time I will make the head and ears first, then the legs and lastly the body so I can get the scale right.

Live and learn.