The pipes are frozen and every morning there is more and more ice, so we jump up and down on troughs and streams to break through.  Today we lugged water to every field that didn’t have a free-flowing burn (stream) close by.  I worry about water (amongst all the other things I worry about like colic, not getting enough fibre, choke, colic again, etc – my list is endless).

Some are more grateful than others.  Haakon et al looked at me as if I was offering them poison.  Edna, of course, is always grateful for anything. She has obviously been well brought up.

Even so, everyone is doing well in the snow – probably because we offer field-service 24/7 in this establishment (room service but in a field).

Their extra hairy coats keep them all warm and insulated….

….. and, surprisingly, very dry.  Any water just drips off the tips of the fur leaving a dry coat underneath.

I am trying very hard not to rug Haakon up.  He is doing fine without one.

Klængur

Iacs

In the afternoon, I take Her Maj for her walk

and then go into my shed with BeAnne and make sheep.

…. with an occasional, if smelly, Lambie.

You can keep your Aspen, Gstaad, Kitzbühel, St Moritz….

Why would you need that when you could have this?

Ok, the skiing might be nice if you like sliding down a slope but for me, nothing beat sitting outside in the snow, with a cup of coffee and the sheep (oh yes, and my daughters) having done all the morning chores.  The sun was shining and there was nothing more to do until later.  We gave ourselves a well-earned break.

Of course there was the ever-present Monster who was busy explaining to Daisy what he had done to my car!

It was glorious.  Everyone was around.

Madge was even brave and forced herself to make a huge effort.

Lambie couldn’t be arsed.

BeAnne ran up and down the track trying to entice us back into the house to feed her ham (which has her lunchtime drugs hidden – she doesn’t know).

After lunch, we were back outside with our duties.  While I took Her Maj out for a potter up the hill, Daisy and Floss gave out the last-of-the-day haynets.

Everyone knows the drill now and waits with happy expectation.

This snow-break is not such a hardship if the weather is beautiful too.

If it has four legs and belongs to us, it gets fed.  Thems are the rules when it snows.

The car (my poor mother would be shocked) has become the “croft car” with the promise that I will vaccuum out all the hay bits come Spring (yer, right!)  Still, it does the job fine and gets around in the snow.  Brakes seem to be a bit random at times but we are still alive so that’s all that matters these days.

Floss and I go on our travels daily to check everyone in Leradale. Although I could see evidence of digging through the snow for grass, Floss and I took three stuffed haynets over as well as the mandatory carrot.

We put down little piles of hay all around the “hay park” and everyone had at least one to eat so there could be no fighting.

Some even shared.

Some didn’t.

And some most definitely wouldn’t!

Newt’s whizzy little bottom has become a bit of a legend this winter.  He is like the rotating turret on top of a tank.  We have had words.  He chooses to forget them and his behaviour is shocking!

They have water close by – the streams through the field are thawed and flowing. I check.  Water is so important.

Everyone seems very content for us to lug their hay to them.  It’s our job. It’s what we do.

Jolly good.  I am not worried about this lot.

We have snow, possibly not huge by some’s standards, but good enough for us.

I took this photo two days ago and since then, we’ve had a bit more.

Last night saw a bit of covering.

After feeding every animal, at least twice, possibly more, we took BeAnne up the hill for a little potter.  She loves it when it snows.

And, like Monster, she can be pretty invisible too!

It was a truly beautiful day.  No wind, just snow and silence (ok, the odd bird).

Very special.

Her Maj was enthusiastic too.

Her ears were everywhere as was her fur (she has a frilléd around her face, like a mane which has grown to huge lengths this winter).

Her Maj motored along “looking for the bunny rabbitses”.

She was a joy to watch.

I love days like these. Shetland is perfect and life, despite the extra work, is good.

Our smattering snow has one family member very happy.

We are regularly playing the game of “Spot the Cat”.

Obviously Monster never shuts up so we can hear him (he wails constantly bemoaning the fact he is now invisible to us) all the time.

And he is always there if anyone wants a chat……apparently. I see no cat.

Monster likes to lie in wait for Her Maj who wanders around the croft in her usual doitin’ way.

He has moments of not being very nice to our little old lady (rugby tackles, grabbing her around the neck).  Her revenge, however, is to pretend she doesn’t’ see him and to steal his food. All fair here.  There are no actual fights, just indifference and some weird sniffing.

This is a Monster on the prowl.  The black smudge on his back is possibly from where he has been under my car trying to cut the brakes.

Behold, our white panther.

Although he walks amongst us, he is rarely seen (but only on days when there is snow).

He never shuts up, though!