This morning it was rugs off and Vitamin even trotted up to her bucket.  This is her, having finished, trying to clean up everyone else’s breakfast.

A good sign, I can only hope.

I am trying to shovel in as many calories as possible.

Meanwhile, in other worlds, I managed to lock Monster into OH’s shed all day.  In my defence, I admit to seeing a small someone sneaking in while I was getting supper out of the freezer but I thought it was Pepper and, when I saw her in the garden after, I thought she had come out with me.

I would love to say Monster is barely speaking to me but sadly, he follows me everywhere demanding food to make up for his six hour stay amongst the potatoes and paint!  I am ignoring him.

And then Lambie and his friends said they wanted to go into the hill.  So I let them out.  Then, later in the morning, three of them came home but not Lambie.  So I left him there and so he came home.

But every time I opened the little gate, he wouldn’t actually come inside.

I tried to entice him but no. Lambie was being unhelpful.  If you know Lambie, you will know he does this.  God, it’s annoying!

Eventually he came home.  *** sigh, Lambie ***.

Later on, rugs and supper-time for Vitamin consisted of Waffle and Iacs having, what I hope, was a nice game.

Despite Waffle’s small stature, he gave as good as he got.

So, we have arrived at a daily routine and I am just clinging on to it with my fingernails hoping things are getting back to our normal, whatever that is.

The Minion field has become increasingly grotty and is, in parts, at saturation level so I opened the gate into another field, while leading Waffle. Everyone dutifully followed and they haven’t looked back.  I also added Fivla and Vitamin, minus their rugs, as it has been a nice day, albeit very windy.  I think they will be better off with their herd.

The dog-walk later consisted of moving food bowls into the new field and then walking down to the Ancients’ field.

All well there and they were very chatty – possibly it had something to do with the carrots in my pocketses.  Who knew?

Later on, after tea, as the sun was setting, I went down to the field armed with my rugs, bucket, injections and mouth-swilling stuff.

Vitamin had a small bucket of high-calorie food, which she ate most of (Iacs polished off the remainder much to his delight).  I also gave her the injections and cleaned out her mouth afterwards.  Rugs on too for her and Fivla – it’s going to be a coarse night. This field is situated in the valley so they have lots more shelter and a bit more green grass too.

Iacs and his friends came to lurk around the fence in a hopeful give-me-a-bucket-too way and Iacs enjoyed a game of bite-yer-face with Silver.

It was nice to see him play.  I wish I could let them all be together but the thought of breakfast-time buckets makes me realise this would not work.

I cannot tell you how awful today has been – but I will try.

It started with me going out with the brekkie buckets only to meet a very depressed non-eating and disinterested Vitamin.

My heart sank into my boots. Here we go again, I thought.

I gave her 10ml of Inflacam (painkiller and anti-inflammatory) and then waited.  The rainbow was pretty but unhelpful.  No pot of gold here.

At this stage I was selling my soul to passing Gods or anyone else interested and I went into the field to take Vitamin and Fivla out so they could live around the house (just outside, though).  It would be easier to keep an eye on Vitamin.  Less mud.

Then I spent the majority of my day on the phone to the vet surgery trying to catch the vet.  I felt so sorry for the lady answering the phone – she must hate me by now.  Anyway, I drove over later and got to talk to the vet while getting some intra-muscular painkillers.

When I got back, later in the afternoon, I found Vitamin cheerfully picking at the grass so I quickly got a bucket of food and shoved it under her nose AND SHE ATE!

Fivla now thinks every day is her birthday as she is happily finishing up all uneaten food buckets. She didn’t get this one, though.

But a bucket is a bucket and I don’t care.  Drugs given, another bucket (I strike while the iron is hot) and I will look at the weather forecast and decide whether to put them in for the night or not later on.  I am currently thinking rugs on, and leave them where they are but the weather is deterioriating tonight.  What to do?

My new stamp has arrived and  I am thrilled with it. Just awaiting now the round 1″ brown labels to arrive and then it will be all systems go on sales this year of the sheeple.

(I also splurged and added a self-address stamp for parcels, etc. which will come in handy.)

And back with Vitamin.  She trotted up to me this morning for her breakfast so “the b***h is back” and I could not be happier.

She has two meals a day while she is on the antibiotics, rug off weather-permitting during the day and she is full-on hating all her so-called friends who diligently waited for her by the gate while the vet visited.

When I saw Vitamin tell-off Storm, I knew the antibiotics are doing their job (poor boy had done nothing to deserve that).

So I am much relieved.

Meanwhile, the Minions were into everything while I was busy trying to give Vitamin her afternoon bucket (Rowen Barbary Ready Mash Extra), her antibiotic injection (that mare has the hide of a rhino) plus put her rug on for the night.

Thank you, Newt!

I was dreading this morning, I really was.  I felt sick as I walked with my buckets to the field and Vitamin was far away at the back, which usually means the ill ones are on the outside of the herd for the tigers to eat first.

But, when I put her bucket in front of her, she put her head down, sniffed and then started eating.

I cried.  Yes, in the middle of the field, I howled my eyes out with relief.

I didn’t give Vitamin a huge amount, as I didn’t want to over-face her, but she made a clean bucket.

And as it was a nice morning, I took her rug off for a breather.

I was also nicely surprised that the rug wasn’t all ripped up like last time.

Later in the morning a friend came round and kindly did some acupressure on Vitamin.

Lots of bright interest in the whole process.

Afterwards, I gave Vitamin another small bucket of food, which she ate. She is not back to normal by any means, but she is certainly happier.  I think the antibiotics are kicking in and making a difference.

Another vet came out this afternoon, and worked on Vitamin’s teeth. He gave her more antibiotics (left me with a course) and painkillers.  Another bucket of food and she told me she also liked apples very much, thank you.  We agreed Vitamin probably had a low-grade tooth infection going on (she had a nose-bleed yesterday after the first vet left) which is very probably related.

So a way forward.  I am so relieved.  Thank you for all your prayers and messages of support. They mean the world to me – *** sniff *** and off I go again, looking for the tissue in my pocket.  I know I had one somewhere.