Every day the Icelandic ladies – Hetja, Lilja and Sóley-the-Foalie – get food. Different diets for different needs.

And every day Lilja eats hers and then thinks she will move quickly onto Sóley’s for more.

Poor Sóley-the-Foalie – she gets agitated and cross and then all training we want to do afterwards goes out of the window as she is all het up and not listening. I can understand that.

So, while Floss goes down to the other field to check on the Minions,  I am left in charge of the Icelandic ladies and I have implemented a new feeding structure.

I stand between the two girls and when Lilja has finished her food (she eats very quickly), I throw one or two barley rings into her bowl, which she finds and wolfs down.  Thus leaving her little sister, Sóley, alone to get on with eating her fair share of food unhassled. I arrive with my right hand coat pocket with two handfuls of barley rings!

My system seems to be working very successfully – so far.  Lilja now understands that if she stays by her bowl magical barley rings will appear from heaven (or my pocket).  Hassle her sister, and she will feel my wrath (and it is Mighty with a capital M!)

Because of this, Sóley is much more approachable and listening to anything Flossie wants to talk to her about and that is all good. I am now guarding Hetja so she can finish her grub away from circling vultures.

I can completely understand that if your big sister is hassling for your food, all future conversation is not going to work.