I know Spring has finally arrived when my wall of primroses appears on either side of our burn (stream).

A truly beautiful sight and one I adore, every year.

The wild primroses grow enthusiastically either side of the burn on almost cliff-like banks.

This is probably why they grow so well because no one can eat or tread on them.

It was a glorious day today and the last for a while, I think.

A gale is on its’ way, accompanied with plummeting temperatures.

Snow or sleet is forecast next week too……

We are all very unimpressed with this weather forecast.

(but it was lovely to see Ted being a “proper dog” …..

…. while Pepper investigated the burn.)

So I hope the primroses will cope.  It seems very unfair since they’ve made a gloriously beautiful effort.

“Maybe it will miss us” – that’s what I always say when I look at a bad weather forecast.

You know when you start something and it grows into a mammoth task?

Yup, well that was us today.

OH and I took up our old Persian carpet in the sitting room.   It has been a job pending.

The rug is huge – 3.5 x 4 metres and weighs a tonne.

But we folded it up (I know, I know, never fold a Persian rug, always roll it), possibly along with the cat and two dogs – who knows!

And then we saw just how filthy the wooden floorboards were underneath.  The rug hadn’t been lifted for 20 years, I am slightly ashamed to say.

So OH and I spent the afternoon, vacuuming, scrubbing (a hands-and-knees job done by OH), while I found my dusty steam mop and spent hours looking for the instructions!  It worked very well too.

Anyway, we are letting the sitting room floor dry properly and will put our new-to-us Persian Kashan rug down on Friday, which we had picked up earlier in the morning..

It is equally huge and very beautiful.  We rolled it up and it is in the back of the van for the time being.

My back hurts a lot now.

I spent the afternoon with Stephen, our farrier.

First up, the Big Ones.  Only Klaengur and Bibble needed a trim and Haakon had a small bit chopped off where the results of an old abscess have finally appeared.

So that was nice and easy.

Then we walked down the hill to the Minions’ field.

Under there is a farrier.  Newt had him in a headlock.  Stephen didn’t seem to mind so I didn’t interfere.

Lots of help and advice, of course.

Storm and Waffle entertained themselves with my spare headcollar.

It’s not quite the same now.

And neither is my coat. When I went to go home I found I had very spitty soggy pockets.

Hoof verdict – everyone who had laminitis is looking much, much better. Their hooves show no signs of inflammation, bruising or rotation so I am much relieved.  The plan is to put them all on a mineral balancer specific for laminitis in a couple of weeks and to keep everyone where they are, possibly forever.

I am hugely relieved.  Hopefully, we can manage them all like this and keep laminitis at bay.

We finished up (only 5 done in this field) and climbed back up the hill, while Bibble looked magnificent, like a cave painting horse.

So job done. Everyone behaved…. sort of!

Currently I hold the enviable position of being Bibble’s Best Friend.

Iacs = Bibble, for many reasons, but mostly because he could trot incredibly smoothly with some poor unfortunate soul learning to ride around the school.  We would call this effortless gait his bibble.

Also, Iacs stands for I Am Completely Stupid, so you know.

Anywho, back to the plot….. Bibble loves me. Every day when I walk up the hill from the Minions he follows me and my empty buckets.

I put out a salt-lick so the big ones don’t have to share with the little ones and showed Bibble where it was located. I hoped if the others saw him using it, they might too.

He liked it.

Recently, I’ve noticed that Bibble is probably bottom of the herd at the moment with Haakon not far off either.  Haakon keeps to himself so it is Bibble who gets the brunt of Mr and Mrs K’s bucket-searching wrath when everyone is finishing up.  They are not kind and hunt as a team.

When Klaengur thought I had given Bibble something lovely, he waded in and was not kind.

And this is the face of the two of them when I waded in back – I shouted at them both.  Icelandics hate enraged shouting.  I think they knew I was not happy with the arguing over a salt-lick.  Klaengur looked contrite and I think there is a hint of smugness from Bibble, my  current Best Friend.

Lambing has begun (dear God, please not with us), so dog walks are only at home on our land.  Never anywhere else.

My sheep are used to the dogs.

They are far too laid back to care about anything like two small terriers or even a cat.

Here is Harrel-the-Barrel’s most creepiest smile.

And then he went a bit “Dalai Lama” on us!

Anywho, moving swiftly on, here are Les Girls ……. Maggie with her gorgeous smile.

And Madge, trying hard to be tame but failing dismally.

As you can see Edna doesn’t care and Ted is now officially a croft dog.  Sheep mean nothing to him.

There is white and then there is WHITE!

When I sent this photo to Daisy, she wrote, and I quote, “I think this sums up our life”.  I have to agree with her.

But, in the next minute …..

Pepper: “Can you see anything worth chasing, digging up or eating?”
Monster: “I’m always looking.”

Pepper:  “Well?”
Monster: “Nope!”

Cat and dog work as a team and tend to forget (read lose) Ted as he barks a lot when he is hunting. Patterdale terriers are silent hunters.  Monster does his best.

And now this is where it gets weird.  Monster sat on a rock in the middle of the burn (stream).

And I looked at him and wondered – was his tail really floating on the top of the water?  And, yes, yes it was!  It was all wet on the under-side when I felt it.

Who does that?  Monster, that’s who because he is officially weird.  There, I’ve said it.