Everyone was fed and possibly in their correct(ish) fields and off I went to Lerwick.

There was a big boat in – AIDAsol, bringing 2,500 passengers to Lerwick.

The majority of whom were wandering up and down Commercial Street with a slightly bemused look on their faces.

My main mission was to fill up my field in Jamieson’s Knitwear on the Street.  I had been told it was looking a bit bleak.

And now it is less empty and I will be back to work tonight in my shed making more sheep for my little field.

Outside and I braved more people wandering around taking photos of anything that moved.

Or didnt.

I did a quick nip round with my supermarket trolley for provisions and I went home to my family.

Oh, and Pepper started eating last night and ran away again this morning while we all searched frantically, only to come home on her own refusing to say where she had been.  Wee turd!  OH thinks it is the lure of the bunny rabbitses.  Everyone else is keeping very quiet.

My little starling friend is still around.  I am pretty sure it is the food she wants, not me.  Particularly the sheep food. That’s her favourite.  She usually appears when I feed Gussie and Dahlia their breakfast.

The way I see it, is she’s just another mouth to feed.  I have many mouths.  They always want feeding.

Still, it’s nice to have company.

Meanwhile, Pepper is loathing her walks-on-a-lead-only though she is doing better on the not-pulling-so-much front.  We have better lead manners at last.

I feel so sorry for Pepper but them’s the rules. Having said that, she managed to bugger off first thing this morning and was found almost 1/2 a mile away at our next door neighbour’s.  Pepper departed when backs were turned and had only been put in the garden because she was spewing.  And now she’s not eating and slightly limping so that’s a new combo today.

**** sigh ****

So Pepper spent the rest of her day with the heat-pad on her shoulder as well as grounded possibly for the rest of her life.  I can’t give her pain-killers because she is spewing and not eating.  This is not a great situation.

But she only has herself to blame.  I still feel awful for her, though.

The ducklings are almost all grown up now.  They are still very sweet and not afraid of me at all, though they are not keen on being picked up and cuddled (their little legs go ten to a dozen and they hysterically shout for their mother, who has pretty much given up being protective of them when I’m around).

The ducklings like to try out everything and I found the little girl sitting in the drinking water bowl.  It’s a case of if it fits, I sits.  I laughed.

And it’s definitely a girl and a boy. I am almost 100% certain.  One is bigger, larger legs and is more masculine in shape.

And, when I am doing evening chores, I am diligently followed around. Nowhere is safe.  This is my porch to the house where I went to change into wellies before getting on with the evening work.

It is lovely to have such an enthusiastic fan club.  Sadly, I know it is not because anyone loves me but because I open the food buckets and distribute food twice a day.

Cupboard love  – affection that is feigned in order to obtain something.

And Monster has left the ducklings well alone which is kind of him and possibly sensible too.  My money would still be on Mother Duck even if she’s given up hating me.

When I was doing the sheep count, I lost Lambie. He had snuck out of his field, going under at least two fences, to spend time by himself.  I think it was the flies and midges.  It has been very still today and he hates weather like this.

The others were lying like beached whales in their field. I did ask them if they wanted to come in, but they all refused to move so I left them, hoping that Lambie wouldn’t mind his solitude.

He said he didn’t.  I think there was a nice through draught going down the side of the shed as well as the cooling shade.

We had a little chat and Lambie seemed fine with his decision.  The others will come home later tonight, when the sun sets and then he won’t be alone anymore.

There was no point trying to get Lambie to rejoin his friends.  He didn’t want to move.  Sometimes a chap likes his own company.

Meanwhile, Pepper has started her new physio regime.  Last night, I wrapped my TMJ heated wrap around her shoulders for heat treatment and it was a good fit for her.

She was very happy with this, never fussing and, when we are in my shed, she can have this on a regular basis.  I hope it helps her.

It’s been a grotty day for poor little Pepper.

Today was the day she went to the vets for light sedation and an -xray of her poorly front leg (which is mostly absolutely fine these days).

We shared the driving and OH took her in, nil by mouth since midnight, and I collected her 7 hours later.

My day was horrible – it felt very empty and meaningless. We’ve all missed Pepper’s smiley little face hugely.   I carried my phone everywhere with me just in case and, having heard nothing, phoned early afternoon to be told Pepper would ready to collect at 16.15.

I went to get her home, seeing the vet as well who said they found nothing, absolutely ruddy nothing on the x-ray.  They even x-rayed the other leg to see if it was any different.  So, the diagnosis is a possible soft tissue injury that will take forever to heal and Pepper is on lead-only walks, with no running, on flat ground for 6 weeks with regular analgesia with a view to sedating her if she doesn’t take kindly to this new regime.  For the time being we will hold off on the sedation front. I am not a huge fan but nothing is written in stone.  If Pepper is climbing off the ceiling, then we will see…….

Anyway, Pepper is pleased to be home now and I suppose we can work on our non-existent lead skills for the next six weeks.