An early dog walk in my 5 acre field that has been left to grow grass for the winter months.  It is a lovely walk and all the wild flowers are growing like Topsy.

This time of year I keep my Shetland plant book on my desk. For reference purposes, it’s easier.

Bogbean – which has never grown in this field before.  Strange, it has decided to appear now.

Tormentil

Common Butterwort

Common Spotted Orchid – appearing everywhere now.

The dogs were suitably exhausted after their walk, as well as Monster who didn’t attend because he preferred to lounge around on the garden table and wait for us to come home.

So I packed up all my felted sheep, ready to go town and then had a huge pang of guilt.  I really wanted to take Pepper, for lead-practice, seeing new things and it’s always nice to have company, but then I remembered just how ghastly she was at the vet’s so I left her behind to keep Ted company instead.

Anyway, on to town to get my messages (Scottish for shopping). I popped into Jamieson’s Knitwear to refill the field and the shop was busy.

Two boats were in and, as usual, the street was full of folk, milling and generally looking lost.

I contented myself taking photos of the Lerwick Lanes, the side streets of Lerwick that lead to the residential areas.

Messages done and, when I finally arrived home, two small dogs and a large white cat were very pleased to see me possibly because I had bought lovely toys and food to assuage my guilt at not taking Pepper with me. Another time. She and I will do this, I told her.

This might be my next album cover.  I came across the Ancients having a mid-morning siesta in the lovely sunshine while I was walking the dogs (Monster didn’t come).

They seemed very settled, so I didn’t bother them.  This is their space. I am just a visitor.

Everywhere there were little patches of spring squill in the field…..

and possibly some Lousewort, but I am not sure.  The ones in my Shetland plant book look different.

Another orchid.  There are orchids beginning to appear everywhere.

It was a beautiful morning.  Really special and the dogs and I walked around the 30 acre field.

And here is another contender for the latest album cover (not that I am recording any music ever again – that ship has well and truly sailed).

When Shetland is beautiful, it’s very beautiful.

They are a funny bunch.  The Minions, that is.  When they get a notion, that’s it, they’re off.  There is no stopping a notion.

Bored of the hay I had lovingly put out for them (possibly because I am not actually that loving and it was in small-hole haynets), the ponies left their food paddock for the dream of real grass on the track.

(look at Vitamin go – aged 30 and she goes in a determined fashion fast).

And Colonel Hathi’s Army-like, the rest cantered around their track trying to find their friends, who had run past earlier.

Even Fivla, which warmed my heart.  She may be old, but she can still shift when she needs to, just not at full speed.

Waffle was the one at the lead.

Storm, Silver and Newt were all the other side of the track and obviously eating lush green grass – but they weren’t.  The track is proving very successful.  Lots of moving around and lots of not getting laminitis.  I tell myself “this time last year” and grit my teeth as they are living like this for the next five months.

And the orchids keep coming too.

This is a good time of year for everyone apart from my starving Shetland ponies who don’t have laminitis…… yet.

These past few months, I have been thinking about whether to sell my iPhone and get a better one.

My photos are my blog, I tell myself.  The drivellings are just extra.

And since I bought my iPhone (13 pro), there is now a much better one out there (15 pro).

But do I actually need it?

That is the question.

Is my iPhone camera good enough for the photos I take?

(obviously asking Lambie yielded little response – at the time, he was in a mood)

Later, a friend popped over for a cuppa and he has an iPhone 15 pro, and also takes excellent photos so we did a compare and contrast scenario.  We both took the same photo and then looked at it.

Not that I have his photos, but basically the outcome was that his had more colour saturation, which he said was not a true representation of the actual scene.

Obviously Lambie had to be in the picture.  It’s his job along with his Winning Smile.

And all things my camera can do, my friend’s could too.

There really was very little difference in both iPhone cameras so now I am not sure except that I do love new shiny Appley things very much.

Despite our best efforts, and believe me, we tried, three Mrs Ducks are sitting on nests.  This was not the plan.  Previously, we just took the eggs away and everyone conveniently forgot about little ducklings, never mentioning them ever again.  This method of contraception worked very well.

But this year, we were caught out.

Ducky #1

This little lady is sitting in a favourite nesting spot – behind the boards in the big shed.

She would nip inside when anyone was filling up water buckets, build a nest and lay an egg.  The slightest opening of the door, and she was in.  OH even taped up the gap so she couldn’t get back in but I was forced to take it down as she was desperate to get back to her eggs.  I think she was born here last year.  Dammit.

Ducky #2 and 3

And under the feed shed (container) is another spot, although a dreadful one.  There are two ducks under there sitting determinedly on separate nests. I shall now worry about their safety as this is prime murdering polecat territory.  Hopefully it is too early for them to appear and I shall set some traps nearby too but I am not optimistic.

So OH and I spent the morning putting together three duck houses with attached nurseries.

To be honest, we will have more than enough ducks and I am going to have to toughen up and  find homes for most of them as we are already full with 12 Muscovy Ducks and 9 hens.  If we go over 20 in number, that’s too many but they are so tame and nice to have around.