Author Archives: Frances

W = Wednesday = Water

W = Wednesday = Water Day = this is the only way I remember what I am supposed to be doing in the week.  I have the brain of a hen, otherwise.

Despite the drizzly weather, as today began with a W, I knew I had to empty, clean and renew all the water buckets.

Including the “swimming pool” by the shed.

The dogs waited patiently while I did all this.  They went for their walk later.

I scrubbed and washed the Minions’ food bowls first.

Then I cleaned the water buckets and refilled them. It’s a long heavy hose a long way from the tap hence why it is only done once a week.

Then I did the same for the Old Ladies’ water supply too.

No one was grateful or even noticing, which made my life easier.

Next, I returned everything to its rightful place.

And no doubt, it will all be rearranged by tomorrow morning!

Once done, I rolled up the massive and heavy hose and put it back in its home.

All the ducks had clean water too – though, they have that daily.

“Luke, I am your father!”

And Mr Ducky is now father to three more ducklings who have not come out of their nest yet so off we go again on trying to catch them and their mother to relocate them to a safer, less worrying place.

It never stops.

Slightly Duck Obsessed

Yesterday I decided that the time had come to move Mrs Ducky #2 and her one duckling so they could feel grass under their webbed feet.  Little duckling was obviously bored in the shed and needed to learn about the Big Outdoors, albeit in the safety of a duck-run.

I got everything ready first, making them some shelter so they could have a little bedroom and a swimming pool too.

Obviously they weren’t easy to catch, but OH wearing gauntlets (I jest you not) grabbed Mummy duck while I faffed around trying to catch the little-one. We walked sedately to their new home and left them to settle in.

Over night, I sort of shut up their wee green box house (I put the top flap down and worried all night).  It was the best I could bodge.

The other “nursery” run is going well too. The three ducklings (names = Eins, Zwei, Drei) are all fine.

They are beginning to get their feathers now and I am sort of thinking about letting them out.  I can’t make up my mind.

Maybe a bit longer incarcerated but Mum Duck is ferocious!

Pepper thinks the duck runs are better than tv and would spend many an hour watching the bebbies, if I didn’t know what she was thinking.

Yes, Pepper I know exactly what you are thinking!

She does love them, but not in a good way.

Let Sleeping Hippos Lie

Newt is a solid little gentleman who has always has been a-leg-at-each-corner type of Shetland pony.  There is nothing wafty and fragile about him.  He wouldn’t blow over in a storm.

Now 7 years old, Newt was 24″ when he first arrived with us all those years back (aged 5months – his arrival is worth a read, just to see how pathetic he looked in the photos).

Newt is possibly a good 27″ now, I reckon though I should probably measure him, if someone hadn’t nicked my measuring stick. Luckily I have just inherited another so I will maybe one day have a measurement day. It would be interesting to know how tall everyone is.

Anywho, I found little Newt snoozing in the sunshine this morning. There was a brisk wind but it didn’t seem to put him off his forty winks.

Albie and Waffle were close by in attendance too.

And so Albie annoyed Newt enough for him to give up the idea of sleeping, get up and go and ask Silver for a scratch.

You can see how small Newt is compared to Silver who is about 39″ tall.

Despite his lack of size, Newt is the boss and we all do what Newt says.

Apart from Vitamin. She is the boss of Newt and we all must do what Vitamin says.

*** goes off to locate measuring stick ***

Snow in Summer

My mother visited me in Shetland many moons ago (around 1997/8?). I wouldn’t call it a success really as travelling here was her very definition of Hell – the plane was cancelled due to fog and I think she ended up on the floor of the ferry trying to sleep that night.  Not ideal and it rather coloured her view of my new home and visiting me forever.

But, I remember that Mum loved the cotton-grass that grows everywhere.  She was very taken with it and so when it “flowers”, I always think of Mum.  I think she even gathered handfuls to take home in her suitcase, along with stones off the beach for her garden, as you do.

The cotton-grass sort of looks like occasional snow drifts in our Shetland summer.  A wonderful, if strange, sight.

Meanwhile, in other news, Mr Ducky has been looking for one of his many wives and has finally found her.

He has been sitting there all afternoon.

I hope he knows the children are his responsibility.

And in other, other news, the Minions are down minimum grass on their track.

I am holding firm as they all need to lose weight.  Sorry, guys, I am not opening up the other half yet.

I must not give in, I must not give in, I must not give in……..

Where’s My Book?

This is an exceptionally good year for growing things, especially the wild flowers which are truly beautiful.  I shall attempt to name them all but forgive me if I get any wrong, which is probably inevitable.

These photos are all from Leradale which has a lovely diverse range.

Even though there is no one living there, I still like to take the dogs for a good run there.  They love it.

So here goes (reaches for her copy of Shetland Flowers):-

Yarrow

Grass-of-parnassus

Bog Asphodel

Heather

Heather (close-up)

Bell Heather

Bell Heather (close-up)

Cross-leaved Heath

Tormentil

Round-leaved Sundew

Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil

Eyebright

And, lastly, these two flowers!  Iacs (L) and Haakon (R).