I am just feeling a bit meh at the moment.  I can’t ride. I watch Daisy and I want to go out riding with her on my horse.  Klængur’s hoof is growing out and he is resting. Saturday brings the equine physio and then later on in the month, our farrier.  I don’t want to rush Klængur’s recovery at all but it would be nice to know whether it is hoof that hurts him or something else.  I would completely understand if it was his hoof. It looks nasty.  My poor boy.  We miss our fun together.  I don’t even want to take him out for walks like this.

However, Klængur is enjoying his rest (photo from yesterday).

So I spent this morning putting books on Ebay to sell that need a new home and I need the cash.  Nothing spectacular – all about wine. In fact, every known book about French wine.  I have piles of them to flog.

Anyway, I still love my wee shed. It is a perfect refuge.

I adore everything in here and I love the fact that it is my space, just for me (and anyone else who pitches up!)

The view is pretty spectacular too.

The ducklings are now almost ducks – all 11 of them.

They are feeling pretty meh too.  I think tomorrow is Duck Day. We will open the gates and they can explore the outside world and let’s all pray they don’t get eaten, can find their way into a shed at bedtime and leave peacefully with their relations.

My reason for feeling meh – I read the news today, oh boy. It was awful. I cried and thought there seems to be nothing good in the world.  It was all a bit too much.

I was on my way out the door off to see the Minions when I saw this lot fast asleep in the never-ending fog we seem to be plagued with.

As I approached, Haakon stood up and I was greeted with even less forelock than last time I looked properly.

He doesn’t look like Haakon anymore.

I can’t get my head around my de-forelocked horse that is meant to be my beloved old boy.

Especially when he makes these kinds of faces.

A feeble forelock makes Haakon’s ears look much bigger too.  A too bit donkey-like.

Meanwhile, everyone else is flashing their magnificent hair at us.

And Haakon has this miserable little affair.

Poor old lad. He has never looked so bad.

He used to be so beautiful.  I shall now scan the internet for forelock growth products.

I left them all to it and walked back over the field to clamber over the fence.

Obviously I was followed by the girls, while Haakon grumbled about his male-pattern baldness problems.

Edited to add if you can recommend any product you have used successfully on your horse, please let me know. x

These three were waiting for me at the gate – from left to right, Newt, Vitamin and Fivla.

Every step I took was being watched.  Sadly, minimal carrots (we’re running very low until someone goes to town) were dished out.

Meanwhile, the other 5 were fast a-bye-byes at the far end of this field.  They now have two fields to play in.

As I walked nearer, Waffle spied me and immediately got up.

Silver was flat out.  Dead to the world.  Dreaming his dreams oblivious of the world.

I didn’t want to disturb him but he soon realised I was around. I gave him his carrot while he sat like this. He happily accepted.

Storm woke up as well.  I got the feeling of the Kraken wakes!

He was like a toddler who has just been in a very deep sleep – boggly-eyed and disorientated but possibly in a filthy mood.

He did his “Tang horse” stretch and yawned.  I shoved his carrot in.

Dear old Waffle. So cool and very endearing.

And then I walked back leaving the “sleeping beauties” behind and back at the gate little Newt was waiting for me.  Always waiting.  And yes, I took his nosey in both hands and gave him a big kiss, which was all he really wanted, apart from the hopeful expectation of more carrots if he smiled hard enough!

I’ll just leave this here. ❤️

A bit of my family history now.

Robert Faraday was the younger brother of Michael Faraday (you may have heard of him – a renowned English physicist and chemist).

His younger brother, Robert was a brass founder and gas engineer.  He is my Great Great Great  Grandfather.

Since working on my Great Great Aunt Kate’s diaries, I have been having a lovely time catching glimpses of their lives. It is all fascinating.  I have reached 1925 now.

Harold Faraday (son of Robert) was my Great Great Grandmother’s brother.  He worked at Faraday & Son, his grandfather’s firm – Faraday & Son – in the 1900’s

I have been watching Ebay and recently purchased two Pullman lights (apparently patented by Faraday & Son) – they were used on train tables in the Pullman coaches – a mainline luxury railway service.

I approached a friend, a qualified and obviously very talented electrician, and asked him if he could rewire them up to modern safety standards and, if I bought a lampshade, could he fit that as well. He said he could so off I shopped…..

And the results are well, quite frankly, awesome (and I don’t use that word lightly).

The first lamp is brass and has a beautiful “Liberty print” lampshade keeping in date with the era.

The second is silver metal and very different.

The lampshade was off Ebay. I asked the seller to show me a picture of it lit up from inside, so he refused and blocked me!  Seriously. As I wanted the lampshade more than I needed a friend, I asked Daisy to buy it on my behalf.  It was worth it.  Stuff the seller, he learnt nothing!

Lit up, the lamp is spectacular.  Like the moon.

I am utterly in love with both of my lamps and it is wonderful that once upon a time they were in the shop of my great great great uncle whose shop my great great aunt frequently visited.

And huge thanks to my electrician who made this dream a reality with his sympathetic choices of cable, switches and plugs.  Utterly perfect.