I am wondering whether I should put the old folk on a diet.

Everyone is beginning to look very well covered.

Possibly a bit too well covered but then it doesn’t take much to lose it and, when winter comes, they will be very glad of their extra inches because they don’t like rugs and don’t want to go inside.

But the grass and gorgeous flowers are going bonkers now, almost growing while I watch.

The horses have access to all the land, bar the little bit with the Minions and they walk miles every day all around the place.  I never know where to find them in the morning.

The sheep are everywhere too for most of the day and night, coming home only for breakfast and then to be chucked back out again to roam.

So I spent part of my dog-walk marking out the field that is going to be the track so I can discuss it with the agricultural contractor next week.  Maybe I need two tracks?  Maybe they could all live together?

So, to diet or not to diet?  I dunno.  Maybe I will put them on the hill.

“We have become a grandmother” (M. Thatcher 1989).

Four of the dearest little bébé ducklings appeared this morning.  One egg didn’t hatch and I will take it away shortly, if it stays like that.

OH announced the ducklings’ arrival in the henhouse when he went to let everyone out (he is on poultry, not me).

I asked him to go back and shut the door, so there would be no escaping before we had a chance to get them to safety.  The henhouse is not ideal as crows and other shite-hawks go in raiding.

With OH carrying the ducklings, I managed to grab Mother Duck, who was furious and put up a huge fight – that beak can do damage and she is much stronger than I imagined too (ungrateful old bag, I thought to myself, as I carried her to the new home).

So apart from any potential feathered murderers, there are also others to consider.

Just sayin’.

I’ve popped back every few hours just to check and to count.

I’ve told Daddy the good news. He’s a very proud father.

And so we wait for the others…. Penthesilea is not committed to sitting. She has just started her laying her clutch (again).

Black-ducky should be next but I am not convinced that her eggs are fertilised.

Then it’s ducky-behind-the-boards’ turn.

She’s in there, only leaving her nest for food and washing.

And lastly, little-hen-house ducky.

Who is very comfortable.

So, hopefully there will be more on their way.

Lots and lots of little ducklings.

So exciting.

I have been scratching my head about what to do for the Minions – Waffle, Albie, Storm and Tiddles, especially.

So, like I said yesterday, I have an Agricultural Contractor coming by to discuss the possibilities of turning one of the fields into a track system.

Today I was at the thinking it all out stage so I Googled my property, found the field, printed a version off and sat at the kitchen table sucking my pen end thinking.

This is the field:-

• square = existing septic tank
• squiggles = existing gates
• ovals = rocky outcrops
• dog leg at top = existing hard standing
• black lines = perimeter fence
• squiggly line = occasional stream (but does dry up in summer)

And then I walked it with the dogs as part of their walk.

And then I briefly read the relevant part of a superb book, which was very kindly lent to me (Horse Track Systems by Amy Dell).

This is what I am aiming for, sort of, possibly minus the trees and shelter.  This will be the Shetland version.

While I am sad to be losing all the grass on the actual track, hopefully there will be small fields inside the track system for Vitamin and Fivla.

The track will look like this.  Boulder rock.  This is the track to the side of my shed so I know it is possible.

And these are my workings out, almost using “quotes to support my argument”.  As you can see, I have been thinking hard.  My brain hurts but if I can build something permanent for the boys, then they will spend spring, summer and autumn there avoiding the grass and then they will go to Leradale hill for the winter.  Well, that’s the latest plan.

I am also getting them all tested for Equine Metabolic Syndrome which should give us some answers too.

And then I am selling a kidney.

Well, I think we can all truthfully say that Storm has fitted right into this little herd.

Although he is not keen on the new slimming régime, the words “suck it up, Princess” spring to mind and he is managing to grudgingly choke down his meagre rations.

He has also made himself very at home in the little shed.  I am sure he and Waffle remember it as their first home when they came here half-starved all those years back.

They all take it in turns in the shed and do wonder whether they all squeeze in at night.

I will never know.  Probably better that I don’t.

Pepper is pleased everyone is home.  She makes a point of saying hello to everyone when I am outside doing chores – lugging hay, or clearing poo, cleaning water….. endlessly.

The other ponies stay close by because they have no choice (it is a small field) but they take an interest in each other and I think it is good they are neighbours.

I have just instructed an Agricultural Contractor to come and dig up a field and turn it into a track system.  I think this is the ponies’ future as laminitis is always around the corner.  We are at the planning stage.

And hopefully this will be the way forward.  Every time I think I have a plan, it is thwarted when laminitis appears….. again.  I can only think they must never eat green grass, except possibly in the winter.

The weather was closing in yesterday evening.

It all looked very ominous, if a little worrying.  I am not a fan of thunderstorms (luckily it didn’t – just rain).

But after supper, I went to my shed to make another sheep and I was followed.

I let Monster in quickly because a) it was raining and b) he was whining about it.

And so I set to work as usual watching tv while I made my sheep.

But Monster was having none of the watching my laptop scenario.

While I hoped he wasn’t wet underneath, …..

…. Monster made himself comfortable for the evening.

Yes, I could hear the programme (Murdock Mysteries) but I couldn’t see very much.

Once I reached the end of that episode, I wanted to play the next one.  This was not as easy as it could be.  There was cat belly on the track pad and some weirdly distributed weight on the keys.

In the end I gently shifted Monster sideways off the keyboard so he snoozed on my glasses instead….

…. while his bottom was where it landed.

But Monster seemed happy.

He had a nice little sleep and woke very refreshed.  How could I ask him to move?  You couldn’t move someone as gorgeous as this!