Everyone was basking in the sunshine, when I went out this morning to give the dogs their run. It was very encouraging.  Summer is finally here, I thought to myself.  At last.

The horses have finally lost the last of their winter coats and are looking well-covered and happy.  The ponies need one last brush for theirs’ to go.  I will get round to it one day but always rather hope the wind will do my job.  I am not a great brusher if I am honest.  There is always something else to do.

The sheep followed behind me into the same field. They had refused to be helpful earlier when I had fed them and was trying to put them into a field for the day but now they wanted to be there, so I quickly shut the gate behind me telling them this was where they would spend the rest of their day. They come home at night as Lambie has to be in bed by 10 p.m. (and you think I’m joking).

After the walk, I found Monster snoozing outside the front door.

Everything is better when the sun shines.  I only hope it stays now for a while (rushes off to look at ten different weather forecasts in the hope that at least one says it will be be sunny).

The dog walk started badly for Monster.  He really wanted to come too, with the dogs and me over to Clothie – my 5 acre croft that is a little way over the open hill, where Lambie was having a bit of a sit and a morning cogitate.

That well known phrase or saying “The lights are on, but no one is home” – well, that’s Lambie.  He was looking pretty vacant.

But there were also hill sheep around and they were curious about in this whiney small white Panther.  There were words and hissing.

And even some swiping with a paw.  The sheep backed off and Monster made a hasty retreat to the safety of home.

Meanwhile, the rest of us had already reached Clothie and I could hear the whining even from there.

After a while, sheep being sheep, they got bored and gave up hassling Monster, so he made his “speedy” but careful way over to where we all were.

Yup, I could hear the whining getting closer, every step.

Once arrived, I had to make a fuss of Monster and tell him just how wonderfully brave and intrepid he had been.

We had a nice walk. The dogs galloped about, hunted and had fun and then we wended our way home again, whereupon Monster was followed again, but this time by one chicken and some rather hopeful ducks!

These days, I think he feels persecuted.

I like taking photos like this.  So dramatic and the track has two hills where it is perfect.

Tiddles on his ownsome

Silver and Tiddles

The scrunched up pink nose (don’t think like a pig), the belly, and the short little legs in the air …..❤️

An Abba moment – very Name of the Game!

Ditto.  Probably Verse two for the video.

Meanwhile, indoors, Monster made Pepper squeak for being too boisterous at tea-time.  They have this daily game where Pepper swings off Monster while he is asking for his tea/breakfast/supper/2nd breakfast, etc.  He tolerates her but today he didn’t and so he got her and then SQUEAK! 🐭  Someone said “Serves her right!” and no one was sorry.

And just when Pepper had recovered from her poorly paw too.  I have stopped the painkillers as all four feet where working equally and obviously the annoyingness is as good as new again.

I am not talking to Vitamin.

She has developed a terrible habit.

Not enjoying this enforced summer diet, Vitamin has taken to leaning over the fence to get more grass from the adjacent field.  I can see her from the house and it drives me mad.

She knows I know and she knows I don’t like it one bit.

I’ve given up having words with her about this as it does not good and falls on very deaf ears.

And the moment my back is turned she goes back to doing it.  The fence is slowly getting wrecked too.

So far….. the other ponies don’t do this.  Waffle would try if he could (I’ve watched him attempt to copy Vitamin) but he is just not tall enough.  The only other one would be Silver as he is the tallest but he has better manners for the time being…..

The only way to stop this heinous behaviour would be to run another electric fence on the other side of the track, almost all the way round, which I am very reluctant to do as I hate the idea of the ponies living with electric wire on either side of their track.  It seems mean but, watching Vitamin’s behaviour, I am almost tempted to do it.

And, to be honest, I don’t mind Vitamin having the extra grass (as long as she doesn’t get laminitis).  She is happy and doing well (aged 30 years old) and I would be being stingy to ruin what this fun she has in life.

I think I will hold off with the electric fence until the others start to do it and then all bets are off.  I have a fencer coming in August – I will see what suggestions he has too.

I’ve been busy making sheep, so many sheep and I possibly dream of sheep now.

But when OH’s friends-from-south said those magic words “is there anything we can help you with?”, my thoughts stopped thinking about sheep and went to all my hurdles stacked in the shed.

I quickly moved all the cars and vans outside and put everyone to work.  An offer of help is an offer of help – a wonderful gift indeed.

We built three large “stalls” for Kolka, Iacs and Haakon.  They are 10 x 15 feet each which should be ample for an over-night stay when the weather gets worrisome.  The gap between them and the Minions means no one can pull faces or get each other.  My Icelandics don’t jump either (famous last words).

Each stall has it’s own separate entrance and hopefully this will be a good thing for the Ancients. They can see each other and not be miserable that they are being inside.  And there is plenty of space for glaring at the opposition (Shetland ponies).

There are some nights, especially during winter, when the wind is howling, the wind-chill makes everything sub-Arctic, the rain/snow is pelting down and just I lie awake in bed and worry.  Now I can fire everyone into their respective pen, dish out plenty of hay and water, shut the door and then lie in bed and worry about them getting stuck, cast or colic in the shed.

Well, that’s the plan.  I am trying to make my life easier for winter.

Of course, we were supervised.

And checked.

So a huge thank you to the friends-from-south for helping me build my stalls.  These should be a game-changer this winter.