Yesterday evening, I was just shutting the ducks/hens up in their house for the night, when I turned around and saw this – a blue moon, that was red due to the smoke particles from the US fires apparently.

I was amazed. I’ve never seen the moon so big and looking magical as it came over the horizon.  Propping my phone precariously between two rocks on a fence post and being bitten by unmerciless midges, I managed a few ok-ish photos.

I need to find out what the best settings are to achieve better.  But, still, I was pleased.

Today has been a good-ish day but it is deteriorating now with the end of Hurricane Ernesto hitting in the afternoon/evening.  I am not looking forward to that.  We have a flood warning which hopefully won’t affect us.

These two were together – Haakon, lying down and his younger cousin, Iacs.

Good old Haakon.  30 years old this year and still just the same.

Iacs, 28 years old this year, is also still just the same.

May they never change.

Kolka was a little way away, but she came over when she saw me.

She’s doing well and is just “one of the boys” really.

Apart from her daily kicking/reversing match that she has with Iacs every morning (and loses every morning) about wanting his bucket when she’s finished her own.

Off to batten down some hatches.  I put rugs on the old Minions who were fine about having them, except for Tiddles who decided half way through the process to do the Grand National around the track with all his friends. I can truthfully say no one has laminitis.  Well, I wouldn’t actually know if they can walk because they were too busy bucking and farting as they galloped like the wee turds they are.  Fivla and Vitamin watched.

If it could go wrong, it did go wrong.

That’s how I would sum up today, so I am fed up.

The morning was spent in Lerwick having my debit card randomly refused at my usual haunts, which resulted in me looking embarrassed and flustered while I tried to a) pay and get out of there quickly and b) find out why.  Everyone was very nice about it, mostly because I have been a customer for over 20 years.

Once home, I then spent the best part of my afternoon, trying to argue with my Bank’s AI bot about all the “declined transations”.  Eventually, I did get to speak to a hooman but said hooman just quoted the same AI Bot’s replies so I am now doubtful it was a hooman.

“The payment has been declined due to bank policy which is in place to protect you”.  When questioned, hooman could not tell me what the bank policy actually was.

“We cannot offer any more explanation on this due to this being a bank’s decision. Our apologies” – what does that even mean?  I gave up.

So now, I have left a message on my Bank Manager’s phone requesting a call back.  Failing that, I will take my overdraft elsewhere – bored of their “policy”.

I was in a foul mood but, on a plus side, while waiting for the AI bottage to type out the sporadic and occasional replies, I watched the “Penguin-cam” in Edinburgh Zoo, which I highly recommend.  It was very entertaining.  The penguins were arguing delightfully with their keepers who were trying to clean…… (and now they are being fed fish as a reward – they have such beautiful manners).

So poop to everyone. I’ve had enough of bureaucracy. And I wrenched my left shoulder.

(sorry for the total whinge)

It has not stopped raining all day.  As I type this, sitting with a large glass of white wine, I have just hung up my third totally drenched raincoat and woolly hat for the day in the hopes they will dry by tomorrow.

Not even the ducks are enjoying today.

And we turned the heating on to cheer ourselves up.

No one has done much, in the Sheep Department.  They just wander in and out of their two sheds deciding where to shelter.

There is green grass outside and, if anyone is hungry, they can go and find it. I am not putting out haynets for sheep this time of year.  I did tell them.

But there is always the possibility of the odd biccie in my pocket!

Especially for the lovely smiley sheeple.   Aww ‘Bert.  Be still my beating heart.

On the dogwalk, I opened up two pieces of old grassland for the Minions to graze.  I’m just back from leading Fivla, with Albie and Newt running behind, around the track to a place where the flooding burn (stream) was crossable, so they could get to the grass too.  They were very grateful.  I think they had taken one look at the flooding and decided against going over but I had taken one trekking pole with me and could find the best place to cross.  The rest had already found the grass.

Fivla was so happy she did a little buck and cantered off up the hill to the new grass.  I couldn’t photograph this as a) it was persisting with rain and b) I didn’t have any more hands but I did smile at the wee buck.  She’s still got it, I thought.

Storm was having a snooze this morning.

He wanted to get up but……

….. the sun was shining and, you know how it is, he was feeling more and more woozy…..

I love it when ponies lie out flat.

Can you hear the snoring?

Zzzzz…..

The others were about having eaten themselves to a standstill on their morning haynets.

Others were still determinedly eating.

I refuse to worry about their weight but am well aware we are now approaching the “Autumn flush” which is when the grass is highest in sugar/carbohydrates and at its most dangerous to fat little laminitic-prone ponios.

They will stay on the track until we are past this danger.

Having said that, I think Vitamoobag is looking spot on – really good, just right.  For 30 years old, she’s not doing bad.  Apparently that is the equivalent of 90 in human years.  Blimey!

The tables have turned and I’ve decided that, as Lambie refuses to eat in the shed, where he has gone for many months, he can eat in the poultry pen because then he can’t get out and steal everyone else’s food.

This system seems to be working quite well now.  Everyone can eat their breakfast in peace.

And even Lambie is not objecting.

But he has to stay in his pen until everyone has finished and walked away from the food bowl/bucket. Thems are the rules.

Later on, after some very successful flute duets, even if I say so myself, I went back outside to open the field gate, letting the sheep come home for the evening.

They were sitting around waiting.

And, as a treat, I took some animal crackers in my pocketses – possibly everyone’s most favourite food (the sheeps’). A lovely gift from a friend to Lambie et al.

It took me a while to spot the sheep.  Some were very well camouflaged.

Others less so.

And some were just sulking and I have no idea.  I did try to talk to him to find out but Lambie was having none of it.

Giving up, I walked home and everyone followed me.

Biccies for all and Lambie stopped sulking. I think he’s had a row with Barrel.  I sensed an atmosphere.