This is a mini-blog. I am on my way out of the door – we’re going to supper with friends tonight and I have totally misjudged the time.

Anywho, here are some photos of the sheeples from the other day (apologies if I have repeated any but my brain has been working far too hard recently).

As you can see everyone is fat and happy, the grass is growing and they seem like a proper flock now.

Bert

Ster

Edna and Madge

Edna

Maggie

Lambie

Depressed Lambie – it was the flies

A-wandering Minstrel, Lambie!

And not-so-little Harrel the Barrel, who is very cute, very annoying and has absolutely no boundaries.

I took these just now.  Harrel infuriated Ster and already given a Edna a bloody nose (poor girl).

The ducky-wuckes are all fine and growing fast.

So that’s it. Sorry for the short blog. Off out the door as I am typing this, hoping I look relatively clean and tidy!

This afternoon, I drove Daisy and Kappi over to have a riding lesson from Hamish Cameron, who has come up to for a long weekend.

Daisy deliberated for ages about who to take. In the end, she decided on Kappi. Efstur is not ready to see the outside world yet and Taktur is going very nicely.  However, Kappi has some little niggles that need ironing out so was the one who would benefit most from a lesson.

They warmed up in walk, trot, tölt and canter, had a chat with Hamish and then off they both went.

This is Kappi’s “you want me to do what?” face!  He was listening too.

He went very nicely and they both worked hard.  Both concentrating hard.

Walking on a long rein …..

And off they went again on the other.

From the side-lines, we could see an improvement in Kappi as the lesson progressed with Hamish giving Daisy exercises to help him to engage his inside hind leg and gain better control of his shoulders.

They were both knackered after 45 minutes so we loaded up and I drove them home.

It is always good to have a riding lesson from Hamish.

Floss and I did “crofting” things all morning. We dismantled Lambie’s private dining room (a square of hurdles) and rebuilt it as the hen run. The hens have taken to laying their eggs in unknown places and OH had to buy eggs yesterday (oh, the shame!). Then off to the Minions’ field with our old coal and feed bags to pull more ragwort.  The gift that keeps on giving.

I now ache.

We each filled two large bags and then lugged them back to the car.  It was hot work. The flies were vile sticking to my sweat. Ugh. I cooled down in the stream!

Back home for a quick lunch and out again to weigh and pack vegetables.  I am very tired now.

When we got home, Taktur was around looking gorgeous.

But he always does.

I less so. More hot and sweaty.

After checking all things small and hairy and Shetland pony, spreading Sudocream on the relevant noseys, I took my empty plastic sacks and started the arduous task of pulling up ragwort.

I thought I was all by myself, until I turned around. I had been secretly followed by a small hairy hippo.

Newt had left everyone else behind (you can see them on the right of this picture) to follow his Mum and “help”.

While I attacked the odious weed, Newt supervised.

There is a particular patch of ragowrt in their huge field that needs to be dealt with.

Horses and small ponies will only eat ragwort if there is nothing else in their field to eat but I don’t’ want to take any chances. It has to go.

Ragwort poisoning leads to irreversible liver damage (cirrhosis).  Cattle and sheep are also affected – they just get slaughtered before they have long enough to eat it enough to become affected.  Eating it does not destroy the toxic plant in any way.  A loathesome plant with no merits.  I have waged my war on ragwort for many years. 

Luckily, this field only has a small patch in one corner.  The girls and I are in the fields most days pulling it up.  OH takes our full sacks to the dump where it is burned, I hope.

Here they are, all lined up ready for me and my camera.

Tall ones at the back please.

Dear old Haakon.  He always looks the same.  This is his “What have you brought me face?”

And ditto with Klængur who is still on sick-leave.

The old men are enjoying their baby-sitting duties, which are basically to eat and ignore everyone else.

Haakon’s speciality is keeping out of girl trouble.  He knows what to do.

Meanwhile, the mares gossip a lot.

They are such typical girls (full sisters).  Give them a handbag and they would probably dance around it, following each other to the loo together afterwards and swap lipsticks!

Sóley is growing up quickly.  She looks just like her Mum.

It is a set-up that seems to be working. The girls have their “stallion”, Klængur while the old men are good at the education and manners bit.  Sóley and Lilja have learned so much since their arrival and are good nice all-round horses.  Daisy works with them slowly too.  Lilja is happy to leave Sóley and to go into the school by herself while Sóley stays with the men.

It is all little steps. We don’t rush anything here.

Anyone know what these are called?  They’re very pretty and grow in large clumps.