Category Archives: Icelandic horses and Shetland Ponies

A Day of Two Halves

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It was chucking it down this morning and so the sheep, after their breakfast in the shed, went on strike refusing to go into their field for the day. In return I refused to give them haynets because it was raining.  There’s plenty of grass outside if they want food.  There will be haynets when it snows (and they are all very fat).

My morning was spent researching for the Diaries – going through old family photos, correspondence, making discoveries and looking for anything relevant to include.

Meanwhile, the weather slowly cleared up ….

….. and soon the sun was shining

The Shetland ponies got their haynets for tea.

And I found all the sheep had in fact gone outside, crawled under a fence and were happily eating the long grass in an ungrazed field.

This is a winter field which will be for the old horses and ponies – it offers plenty of natural shelter, and has a forever-running stream.  The sheep also love it here and can let themselves in and out when they want (by crawling under the fence).

That is everyone except for Ster who has to walk through the garden to get out, though he can get back on his own (phew!)

Apparently it is a rather heavenly field, according to Madge.   Funny to think that all the grass will be eaten down in just a few months’ time.  Winter is looming now. I’m dreading it.

Poor Gussie

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Poor Gussie.

Asking, Always Asking

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I took this photo on Sunday evening after we had finished supper.

Nothing is ever wasted here, and OH was busy stripping the roast chicken joint for any meat before the bones were made into stock, ready for another meal.

Monster had already stolen OH’s chair at the table and was hopeful, always hopeful.  Everyone got a piece(s) except for Pepper who has a bad reaction/intolerance to chicken.  She got a pile of her biccies, which she adores so didn’t really mind.  I think she now understands that chicken makes her miserable and ill.

Breakfast today was a windy affair.

And then very rainy so I spent some of my morning attacking the 1985 Diaries – tidying them up and making the format similar to the one I have at last settled on 75 years later!  It hasn’t helped either that WordPress changed their methods too.

I still can’t read some of the diary pages.  If you fancy a stab at it, let me know your results.  All help is most welcome.

Later in the day, waiting for me on my doorsteap were the ducks who were asking for their tea.  Everyone always asks for something around here.

And then ‘Ster appeared too.  He was asking for biscuits – obviously.

As was Gussie.  He does love a biccie.

Pepper was optimistic she might get something.

And Monster was asking to be let out.  My family are very communicative.

Shed Blocking

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Breakfast this morning involved all the big ones outside the wee shed…..

….. while Fivla and Vitamin had taken up residence so I put their buckets in with them and they shared their space nicely, like two best friends.

Collecting the empty buckets later, I could see no one intended to leave.  Fair enough, I thought. You’ve made your choices.

That was until Kolka barged in.  She wanted the salt-lick that hangs just beside the door frame.

And so Floss and I finished up the morning chores, put the sheep out and went inside to have our well-deserved breakfas.  Animals before people is the motto here.

We were on our way out to go to my Saturday morning volunteer job at Transition Turriefield, when I noticed Haakon and Iacs standing around by themselves looking unmotivated and directionless.

So their leader, Kolka, was still in the wee shed then.

And so were Fivla and Vitamin who were looking a bit unimpressed and blocked in.

I went into the shed and told Kolka to leave, there were two old men who needed her guidance and direction.

Kolka understood her mission and left.

She knew that if she didn’t then Haakon and Iacs would still be standing by the gate wondering what to do next for the rest of the day.  They really would.

Eventually Fivla and Vitamin left the wee shed too, now that their way wasn’t blocked.  So all good but honestly it is Kolka who is the boss here but sometimes she can’t decide who to boss first.

Summer Was Brief

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The rain clouds were coming in thick and fast this morning and by lunchtime it was pouring down.

Obviously there is the world’s smallest shed for everyone to pile into but of course this lot only live in there when the weather is lovely.  Haakon and Iacs rarely go in.  It is mostly the girls’ domain.  Today I found Fivla had ownership.  She strategically blocked the door while she ate her breakfast.

After making another white sheep – this year’s must-have-from-Lerwick apparently, I went out into the rain to feed ducks/hens and put out haynets.  I decided to split each haynet in half and hang out four in the container instead of the usual two in the hayboxes outsid)..

It is neither cold or windy, which is good.  The ponies will come and go and do what they want.  It’s not up to me to make their decisions.

I found the sheep all piled into the wee shed waiting to come home.  Apparently they melt in the rain, according to Lambie.  I was closing up when I turned around to find Dahlia with me pleading hunger.  I gave her a secret bowl of food because she asked so politely.

Lambie had already gone to bed.  Of course he had.

Some of the others joined him. So that’s us, listening to the rain outside and thinking summer was brief but nice.