Oh, what a night…… it was awful.

Monster didn’t come home.  He left at around 6.00 p.m. while I was cooking supper last night and was never seen again.  OH and I were very worried.  This was absolutely not normal behaviour for Monster whose tummy is akin to the atomic clock.  He has never knowingly missed a meal – ever.  And he missed his crunchy-munchies (Ted’s snack time for his eye-drops before bed), his ten o’clocks, his 3-a.m. o’clocks, and then his 7.30 a.m. breakfast.

I was awake all night praying that the cat flap would go and I would hear the noise of a hungry cat coming home.  But nothing. There was a eerie hush all night and I know, because I did not sleep much. I had terrible dreams that involved Monster – one was him walking towards the light, and one was him coming home covered in blood, the vet passed out, came round and shaved him only to find that Monster had stripes under the white fur!!!

Anyway, back to reality…… I got up early, fed up of not sleeping and went outside to feed the sheep.  While I was flipping their bowls over in the stable, I heard a plaintive mewing coming from somewhere so I quickly distributed the food and went in search of Monster.

I eventually found him in an upturned empty old kitchen cupboard that I was going to use to store rugs in, which must’ve flipped over somehow.  He was very happy to be free and appeared completely unharmed after his 12 hour experience.  I was crying with relief.

(I don’t think he lost any weight from his ordeal).

And Monster has steadily been making up for missing his meals throughout the day.

He has had a few quiet naps in his Fortress of Solitude.

I thank the Gods Monster is home again.  Me and my imagination were working over-time.

A calm and easy breakfast for everyone equine (I am loving the new “dining area”) and off I went to Turriefield, a community vegetable growing project 7miles away where I have volunteered for years.  Their core aim is for “as many folk as possible in Shetland to be able to access healthy, fresh, chemical free produce.”

And I have a new job!  I am learning how to sow seeds, which I find very interesting.

I learn best by being told what to do with the reason for it and then off I hopefully go doing it correctly.

I filled seed pots with compost.

Today I planted broadbeans, leeks, kohlrabi and possibly celery (so many tiny tiddly seeds and one or two (depending on instructions) in each pot which was very fiddly).

Then we took all our hard work down in wheelbarrows to the polytunnel where the heated mats and light enclosures are.

“Here’s one I made earlier”.  Well, actually lots and look, look, they’re growing!

I was ridiculously excited about this.

So that was the morning and in the afternoon, I made the middle sheep, while chatting on the phone.  The dark wool is Harrel-the-Barrel’s.  Such a cutey.

FInishing early, as a lamb is easier to make than a sheep (fewer legs), I took a portrait photo of Pepperpot looking very noble.

Bored of the mud (jeezo, it is everywhere), I sectioned off a bit of the next-door field with electric fencing so I can I just dish out the food into six bowls (without being hassled by Storm), open the gate and call everyone in to eat.

This has resulted in breakfast being quite a calm occurrence now rather than the usual bun-fight with added falling-over (that would be me) or getting stuck in the mud (me, again).

Vitamin gets herself a separate bucket because she needs more calories.

As does Fivla who can’t eat with the others because she hates being hassled.  Vitamin just thumps anyone who looks at her food if she hasn’t finished or moved onto their food.  It’s dog-eat-dog in this world or more like Vitamin-eat-Storm/Waffle/Tiddles/Newt. Albie and SIlver are not that stupid.

And, when they’ve all finished, mooched around clearing up, tested the new fence (note-to-self, I must lug a battery plus separate energiser out and make it happen) and been chased out of their private dining area, they all go back to their sea of mud.

It is only muddy at the top of the hill, so it is not everywhere.

Though I can see they are working on this.

Enough, already.  We are all very bored of the mud now.  Please make it stop.

Yesterday was lovely.  Today was dreich (dreary, bleak).

And very windy.  Windy enough to be annoying but not windy enough to be termed an actual gale.

After making a sheep in my shed, I stretched my legs and walked over to check on the Ancients (I can see the Shetland ponies from the house). I took an apple to see if they were ok.  I worry hugely about colic in this field.

All well there and they were drinking the water I lug over in the Eggbox, which is good.

I stood and watched these two cousins “chat”.

Aged 30 and 28 years old, Haakon and Iacs have lived together for over 25 years now, which is I think is lovely.

And yet they still bicker!

And these are the faces of sheep that found out that we have run out of all things biscuit in this house (possibly to town tomorrow).  Oh, the disappointment.

Daisy was asking for more Monster content so here goes.

These photos are all from today.

I had just walked up the hill from mending the electric fence on the track in two places, having this morning found four escapees stuffing their fat little faces (that would be Newt, Tiddles, Storm and Albie – surprisingly, Waffle and Silver didn’t bother).  Anyway the fence is all shored up and the energiser is now happily zapping away and I will admit there absolutely nothing more satisfying than watching a wicked Shetland pony testing to see if it’s on!  Oh, it’s on. It’s Junior rodeo on! And off they sniggered not even trying to look ashamed.

Anyway, back with Monster and his inherent weirdness, one job I wanted to do was to vacuum my shed which needed doing badly.  Obviously he came too, walking along the path with great care.

And helpfully sat on the table so I phoned Daisy and we had a conversation.

And she got to see and possibly talk to her cat too.

While we were chatting, I noticed Pepper was by the door and so were Huey and Dewey.

It felt like a version of the Fox-Chicken-Grain puzzle only I had substituted with dog-duck-cat instead.

This is not quite normal, is it?

There were flute duets later and we were, again, accompanied.  It’s been an interesting day.