Category Archives: Sheep

I’ve Done Too Much

I think I’ve done too much today. My fault, of course. I never learn so now I am resting on my bed with a heat pad hoping tomorrow will be better.

In other news, Pepper’s bloods came back normal (one slightly elevated something, but nothing worthy of note), so that rules out any nasties going on and I am relieved. I think we will stick to a dietary intolerance diagnosis. Luckily Pepperlikes her Royal Canin diet and I am trying hard not to let her trawl any other outside food, like bird grain, duck poo, spilled sheep feed, anything she can find really.

I am having to be tough on Pepper, which I find extremely difficult.

I have never been tough with her, which may have been the problem – but that little face……. I always give in but have to think, no, this is hurting her little tummy despite what she says.

Skippy has been diagnosed now – apparently it is the throttle switch and cable so I need to find someone who speaks/reads German and order a new one.

I did my daily put-something-on-Ebay/Etsy listing – I can’t decide which is the better platform so am dividing the jewellery between both of them to see which one has the greater range. Ebay is winning so far just in views and interest.

I made the chap on the left today too.

Maybe there’s a potential untapped market for Muscovy Duck photography.

Goodbye Flossie

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We knew the weather would be very bad at 8.00 when we usually go out to feed everyone, so Floss and I got up an hour early (plus the clocks went forward last night) before it all revved up. We wanted to get everything done while it was safe to be outside.

Floss is going back to her home, having helped me enormously over a hard winter. Later on, when there was lull in the weather, we went outside so she could say goodbye to everyone.

(we also put a hand under everyone’s rugs to find them totally dry and warm, which was good, as some quantity of rain had fallen).

And then Floss went to say goodbye to the sheep and we decided to have a sit in the sheep shed, mostly because it was dry.

This is one of my favourite past-times.

While the weather was raging outside, we were dry, calm and peaceful.

And ‘Bert was very cuddly – there was a brief minute when Flossie imagined taking ‘Bert back with her but he’s not great on a dog-lead so that would be the difficulty.

(I ❤️ this photo so much!)

However, Lambie is great on a dog-lead but not half as cuddly.

And then inside to try and put a few things on Ebay – the job that is always waiting for the rainy day.

It was not made easy but I achieved and put a few things on. We’ll see what happens. I feel quite inspired.

So farewell to Flossie. Both she and Daisy have been an immense help and support when I needed it most. I think I can do this on my own now. I just need a system.

A Day Between Weathers

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Today has been a day between weathers or “atween wadder”, as they say in Shetland dialect – calm, warmer and even blue sky. It was very spring-like but of course we will all be thrown back into constant wind and rain tonight. Everyone was making the most of the calmness and I watched Vitamin having a deep snooze lying down in her rug in the sunshine.

And thank you for all your comments about my failed minimalistic dreams. I took all the “family jewels” out of their casket, laid them out on the kitchen table, tried to value some with Google image, messaged our local jewellers to see if they had a gemologist (they don’t and my mothers spelling made me laugh), made a decision about what I wanted to sell, laid it out to photograph, decided I liked everything, and finally put it all back in the casket thinking that, at present, I don’t want to part with anything because they used to mean something to someone in my family and therefore they should mean something to me. So I failed again, today. I feel rather hopeless at this.

Later, I went out with a few not-very-nice carrots to give to the Shetland ponies, who, apart from Tiddles, have had a very rough few days weather-wise. They were grateful and hungry and told me all about it while I tried to feel for ribs. Ha-bloody-ha – if I have a very good imagination, I like to think I felt some but honestly, it was a struggle with Albie who is a very fat little pony. How they can get fat in winter on pretty much nothing is an absolute mystery to me but they do. The track beckons for them but not quite yet.

And I made this little chap.

Oh yes, and I saw my first celandine of the year which is another flower milestone in my constantly looking for signs of Spring journey. For me, it is the little things.

Fierce Weather

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I can only described today’s weather as fierce.

Trying to get to the feed shed this morning proved nearly impossible in the gale force winds. At one stage, Flossie and I just couldn’t move forward but in the end, we managed. The shelter from the lee of the big shed was helpful. I worked out that if I could reach there and hung onto the side of the corner, I could cope with the full force of the wind as I had to walk into it.

We finished feeding everyone in record time, possibly because we were blown everywhere!

This time, i found it tough both mentally and physically, which then made me anxious so have been drinking chamomile tea to try and calm myself down all day. I should be used to this by now.

The horses and ponies are fine, which is the main thing. The rugs are doing their jobs and those without are plenty fat.

I also saw the sheep in the far distance of their field later this afternoon – I had left their field gate open and told them to make their own decisions.

I spent my morning adding another page to this blog for the handmade felted sheep. Please give it a look.

And I also joined Substack and have absolutely no idea what it is for or does – a bit like Linkedin – that’s another website I don’t have a clue about but am on.

Tomorrow’s weather is not much better. I think we are just now in a never-ending round of storms for the rest of our lives. Snow apparently tonight. Yay (not). Winter has not gone.