Category Archives: Sheep

What Colour is Gussie?

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Just a quickie, because I am going out tonight (I know, get me. I have a social life!)

My question is what colour, in Shetland terminology for Shetland wool, is Gussie?

His mother, Dahlia, is “sholmet” – “In Shetland sheep, sholmet means a sheep of any colour other than white that has a distinct white face” (The Shetland Sheep Society).  That sums up Dahlia fairly well then.

Last year, Gussie was 100% black, even when he was sheared under all that wool but this year some greyish sides have appeared (ignore katmoget ‘Ster in the background looking hopeless).

Anyway, I have no idea. I know Lambie is flecket, and ‘Bert is moorit, Barrel and Maggie are Shetland black, Madge is natural white, ‘Ster is katmoget, etc  but it would be nice to have a name for Gussie’s colour. He is very handsome, after all.

? Bersugget  – Having irregular patches of differing colours.
? Blaeget – Having a lighter shade on the outer part of the wool fibre, especially in moorit and dark brown sheep.
? Iset – Black or shaela with many white fibres, giving a bluish hue from a distance.

Or Shaela – a dark steely-grey sheep colour, often described as looking like “black frost”.

All suggestions welcome. Thank you x

A New Trick

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I learned a new photographic trick today and I tried it out on the Shetland ponies (and even Lambie), who were around alternating between eating their afternoon haynets and sheltering from the sudden and  heavy rain showers.

It was a rather good trick.

It worked on almost everyone, though Albie was unhelpful following me around trying to mug me so I couldn’t get him to stand still.

This is my most favourite photograph of the day.

I like all my photos of horses and ponies to have ears forward.  Ears back always looks so miserable.

Like I said, the trick mostly worked except for Newt who was having none of it.  Of course, he wouldn’t.

Waffle, again, so handsome.

This trick even worked on Lambie who was busy guarding his bedroom/shed because of the heavy rain.

And he even left his bedroom to show me his ever-Winning Smile and bat his beautiful eyelashes at me. I was, of course, smitten.

And the trick?  Always carry in one hand a brand new crunchy packet of Vetwrap (stretchy, self-adherent bandage) while you’re taking photos of disobliging animals. I had to fetch a new one from my stores in the shed for Pepper’s poorly paw and was carrying it around in my coat pocket to get it to the house.

Albie and Tiddles heard the crinkly noise and instantly pricked up their ears!

“Follow me for more tips!”

A Few Odd Ones

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Nothing much to say today as in absolutely nothing has happened except for the weird photos I found that I took throughout the day.

This was Monster first thing in the morning telling me all about his night out and how he worked hard protecting the homestead. Those borders don’t repel themselves, you know.

So he went to sleep.

The old Icelandic horses were all lined up.  A lesson in perspective.

And back inside with me trying to eat my breakfast while catching up on stuff or not. Monster had finished his morning nap.

There was no moving him now. He was settled for the rest of his morning.

Tiddles and Albie.

Silver with glorious windy hair.

Lambie’s rather gruesome Winning Smile.

Lambie told me he wanted to go inside the house now, thank you, please.  I followed him.

And I honestly think he would’ve gone straight in and made himself at home if it wasn’t for the dastardly (but prettily painted) door.

But there was absolutely no way, no how that Lambie was going to let Gussie inside.  If it is anyone’s house, it is Lambie’s (apparently).

A Funny Old Day

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Winter seems to have returned today and we are all grumbling.  It was 12°C with a mean F7 westerly so about 8°C.  Brrrr.

I spent my morning productively taking the internet to bits.  Our whole network had ground to a halt so I repositioned the router upstairs (for better signal), reset all the extenders and re-attached them to the network.  So far, I have tripled the signal strength around the house, and am praying it stays like this.  Our internet signal is my bête noire and in Shetland, without fibre, 22 Mbps is jolly well racing along.

In need of a break from argumentative, yet invisible, technology, I took to my shed after lunch to admire my one sweet pea flower that I have successfully grown from last year’s seeds.

I made another sheep – the white one on the right – to add to my latest bag of stock.

And then it was the turn of the real sheep.  They had spent their day in a field with deep thick grass – everyone’s winter grazing for when it snows.

The grass has really taken off this year.

I could barely find Lambie.

Rattling a packet of ginger biccies, they all agreed to come inside which means all my outside animal chores are done for the day and I need not go outside again.

Even Lambie cooperated.

This is always the tense bit as I can’t double back to close the field gate and the ponies are just around the corner eating their haynets.  They could so easily run into the field.

Once through the main gate, I ran back to shut the field gate so the ponies couldn’t go in.

And then there was my follower. Today it was Barrel doing his best for an extra biscuit but the packet was finished so I had nothing to give him.  Sorry Barrel.

Go Fivvie!

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This morning Fivla had claimed all rights to the wee shed so I gave her bucket in there too.

And Fivla was not letting anyone else in.  Nope. Not for no one. It was Her Shed. End of.

I had already let most of the sheep out into the field but Lambie, ‘Ster and ‘Bert was refusing to go out on the grounds there were too many horses and ponies around the gateway.

Gussie had gone out with the rest but came back when he realised the others weren’t with him.  It’s funny how they like their friends around and mind very much when they’re not. He was shouting a lot.

And then something rather odd happened.

I watched on while Kolka and Gussie had a little chat.

Normally Kolka is not really a fan of other types of animal being around.

Maybe she liked the smell of real wool on a real sheep – you know, like when you sniff a clean jersey and know it is made of pure wool.  There is a distinct smell.

And Gussie, who is very like Pepper in that he has to make friends with everyone, was very happy with this gentle velvety nose snuffling him.

Meanwhile, Fivla was not budging.

And I secretly thought to myself “Go Fivla.  Don’t be shoved around by the others”.

She wouldn’t even let Vitamin inside either, which was unusual.

And then there started to be a queue forming.  I sent this photo to Daisy and she texted back “You are on hold to stand in the shed. You are currently number 5 in the queue. Estimated waiting time 2h“.  That made me laugh.