This was my view first thing this morning.

The daily bucket consisting of interchangeable roughage for Iacs and Klængur. I leave them to bicker between themselves as they get the same diet.  Basically fresh air fibre.

As you can see, neither really need anything but they would hassle Haakon unmercifully who has to have a vehicle for his medication.

Haakon’s food is also the same plus the world’s smallest handful of mare/youngstock mix (using it up and it cheers him up as he hates the taste of one his meds) with a combination of Devil’s Claw and Turmeric which is working really well for him this winter.  I can see a huge difference.

As I stand with my old friend, deterring circling vultures if necessary, all I can think is “this time last year” and I am grateful for every day I have with him.

They all know my rules.  Absolutely no hassling, on pain of death or there will be words and leaping up and down!

This is their huge field – looking over to Stourborough Hill.  I almost think the Spring grass is thinking of appearing.  Only almost.

Because the grass is at its “almost” stage, we still put out hay.

There is enthusiasm for any calorific addition we make in their lives.

I love this photo of Iacs burying his nose in the hay!

Anywho, the weather will be vile for the next 48 hours so all food eaten is going to help stoke the very efficient Icelandic horse central heating.

This afternoon, having done all horse/pony/sheeple chores (feeding buckets, hay nets put up, checking, counting legs, feeding carrots, second breakfasts….), I took BeAnne to my shed for some peace and quiet.

Monster said he was already comfortable and wasn’t joining us.

Lambie was flouncing around outside so I invited him in too.

BeAnne took up her spot (my old Icelandic lopapeysa (gansey) on her comfy-wumfy bed)

Lambie was in a bit of a mood – I have no idea why but he spent most of his afternoon staring resentfully into the middle distance chewing his cud.

After a while, he sat down while I stabbed away.

(There was a faint, actually I lie, a strong smell of pee – it’s that time of year. Lambie has a thick fleece and he can’t help it.  He is not peeing in my shed just carrying the smell about with him. As his Muzzah, I forgive him totally).

Meanwhile I optimistically put on the aromatherapy essential oil diffuser and made my sheeple.

I used Blue-Faced Leicester for the fleece – smaller curls which are rather lovely and obviously Shetland wool for the rest. I liked him.

He happily joined the others. I wonder what they talk about when I’m not there?

Leradale consists of two fields – the nice green bit around the derelict house (I promise you it was green once) and the fenced in hill over on the other side of the wire fence that runs down the middle.  Usually the Minions spend their winter in the hill park but we opened it all up so they could live together when we weaned Sóley-the-Foalie.

Yesterday, they were mostly living in opposite fields.

It was a calm afternoon so I accompanied Floss down to see the chaps.

Tiddles looking so very gorgeous.

Waffle – as wide as he is not very tall

“What do you mean wide?”

Sóley-the-Foalie and Lilja were together and actually Vitamin was nearby too, which was good to see.  They are integrating.

Everyone was given their daily carrot.

And Fivla had her daily dose of TurmerAid which she loves. It has helped her hugely this winter.

She even whiffles when she sees Flossie and knows the bowl is especially for her.

Leradale is a big enough croft so that everyone can have the space they want.

Or not, if you’re Newt who is still determined to come home with me.

Though Albie might miss his best friend.

The boys (ie Storm) had a thorough search of Floss’ pocketses.  She was thoroughly frisked before leaving the field.

They are such funny little ponios and seldom fail to make me smile.  Good therapy.

We are trying to give BeAnne her normal daily life so that she can get her head and hopefully body back to her “normal” (a nebulous state at the best of times).

So today, as it was so nice and I had conveniently forgotten we had 16 bales of hay to shift, we went for a walk.

BeAnne has lost weight – yes, she has a lovely figure but it is a little bit too trim for my liking.

We didn’t go at any speed, preferring to let BeAnne have a good time sniffing and looking for pesky wabbits.

The view was good.

Lambie trailed along at the back.  He likes to do that. He thinks it makes him interesting.

He does, however, come running if I call him.

The Boyzens are very good with BeAnne.

Today, she was “one of the team” and they all happily went off together.

As you can see I took lots of photos.

I even found the last of the melting ice.

Higher and higher we climbed up the hill and the view got better.  The furthest point is Fitful Head, down the south end of the island.

Once we were at the “top of the hill”, the Boyzens left me to go on and BeAnne and I turned for home.

Her Maj is asleep on the sofa now behind a cushion.  She has eaten some tea – the eating is much improved but still has her pills syringed into her twice a day.  On Tuesday, we have a vet appointment – bloods and possible ultrasound scan.  Even if we are just buying a little time, we are doing our best to enjoy it together.

I needed to go to town to get some more hay. We are getting through it very quickly this time of year.  One day when the grass grows, we can stop but until then everyone just eats and eats and eats……

It was a lovely day in town and the place was empty – could be the threat of Coronavirus (6 people so far with it) or the norm.  Floss and I went in our usual animal-mucking-out clothes looking fairly filthy with the theory that no one would come near us as we probably smelled of horses!  We were given a wide berth which was good.  Mission achieved.

We did, however, pop into Jamieson’s of Shetland to see if my field of sheeple needed refreshing.  There is a cruise ship in tomorrow.

Their lovely wall of colour. I could almost knit.  Almost – actually let’s be honest, that’s never going to happen.

Beautiful Fair Isle sweaters and cardigans.

Their rugs are lovely too.

Then off to “the chocolate shop” (Mirrie Dancers) – where displayed was an amazing chocolate Viking longship in the window left over from Up Helly Aa.

We had lunch in our usual spot looking at a pretty good view.

Lerwick in winter is very atmospheric – it was just about to pour with rain.

And lastly on our list, we went to Tesco to be greeted with empty shelves though the staff were absolutely trying their very best and stocking up the loo roll as fast as it left the shelves.  We stocked up on gin, tonic, lemon – really the essentials!