This morning everyone worked out how to get out of the field, which was very encouraging.  Storm was almost first out too.  Yay, go Storm!  Yes, please go.

The old ladies stayed behind to eat their bucket of food.

Once they had finished, and I’d swilled out Vitamin’s mouth for debris and put her back, then cleaned Fivla’s eyes and told her she was special, I clambered up the hill to tell everyone to go back down to the field again.

So they cantered downhill, all enthusiastically, and missed the gate totally.

I followed them down (not cantering) and told them they were a bunch of idiots. Silver lead the charge and off they went again.

I was hopeful…..

And bingo!  They did it.

Albie and Waffle brought up the rear and still my hope remained…..

Nearly there…..

Almost in (and I am holding my breath now)…..

But no. Waffle went in and Albie did a massive swerve and ran back.

Oh, Albie.  *** sigh ***.  Why, just why?

So I caught him and led him back through the gate.

And he cantered off to join Fivla.  Let’s see what tomorrow brings.  Let’s hope it’s Albie’s turn to have the one brain cell they are all currently sharing.

A certain small dog knows there are baby rabbits out there and, yesterday, Pepper spent a few hours, unbeknowngst to us, digging up a rabbit’s nest.

Not good.  She brought a baby rabbit home in her mouth and dropped it so, as it was still moving and looked relative unharmed, I picked it up and popped it back in what-I-thought was it’s nest.

But I was not sure if it was The Nest because there are so many rabbit holes about….. and what if it wasn’t and what if it’s mother didn’t know where it was and it just stayed there and died and it would be all my (Pepper’s) fault?

So I phoned my wonderful rabbit-rescuing neighbour and asked her if she could help.  She said she would so I went back to the nest, now with a small cardboard box, took all the fur and hay around the baby rabbit and took it to my neighbour.

Things are not hopeful because baby-rabbit is very young (a few days old at most) and these things never go well but we have to try.

And my neighbour does have previous.  Meet Bugsy, who I rescued last year from Pepper’s hunt in the muck-heap.

Bugsy was a few weeks older when I handed him over to my neighbour asking her if there was anything she could do to help, but here he is as a very happy house rabbit who is totally wonderful and much loved by the whole family, including the dog and cats.

So thoughts and prayers for wee bun.  We can only hope (Day 2 – eating plus a pee and poo but it is early days).

While I was waiting for a friend to get back home, I sat on a rock with the sheep and we had a lovely chat.

Mostly I talked to Harrel-the-Barrel and his friend ‘Ster.  And then Lambie came up for a scratch and so did Maggie.  They were brief as there was something going on with them two.

Harrel was practising his best photographic pose.

He was trying to convince me that he would be this year’s Easter card.

He even gave me his best Winning Smile, which is good but not as good as some.

(Lambie from yesterday)

But I have to admit Harrel’s is not too shoddy.

So I gave in and said, ok, you’re it!  Happy Easter everyone! xx

As it was such a lovely morning, I walked down the hill to the ponies’ field where I found Lambie had snuck in by himself.

We had a bit of a special moment together (I got to hug him) – which, of course, no one will believe as they weren’t there. He was in an especially good mood.

And then I moved on to talk to the Minions who were very happy eating and enjoying the wonderful, if rarely seen, sunshine.

Waffle

Magnificent Silver, who was surprisingly friendly too. It must be the sunshine.

And Tiddles’ nose.

Newt was standing uphill on the other side of the valley and, for once in his life, he was taller than me.  He liked that idea and kindly helped me climb up the hill with me hanging onto his tail.

Albie was in pensive mood.

And Storm *** sigh *** – yes, you guessed right, I did spend the first part of my morning trying to catch him so he could eat some breakfast and then try and catch him again, to put him back with his friends.  He is not learning the routine. Not even slightly.

I don’t think he intends to while I am there to run after him.

Every morning the Shetland ponies leave their field and walk up the hill to where their breakfast bowls are located.

Every morning. Nothing has changed.

The old ladies don’t want to climb the hill, so they get their buckets at the bottom of the hill, by the gateway to their field.  They know this.

Everyone except, that is, Storm who apparently has no brain.

He just gallops around the field hysterically refusing to listen to me, follow all his friends or use his brain.  I have decided this is because he probably doesn’t have one.

So I eventually caught him when he came trotting up to me, out of breath, miserable and obviously starving.  I led him through the gateway and he galloped up to his breakfast, or what was left of it as he had spent so much time pratting about.

Afterwards, I went up and caught him, put a headcollar on and led him down the hill to the gateway, where he, again went all stupid and ripped the rope out of my hand, missing going through the gate and then couldn’t work out how to follow all his friends, yes all, who knew how to walk through a gateway and were now happily back in their field.

So I walked around to where Storm was and, when he had stopped galloping about hysterically, getting himself caught on the rope, and generally being a tit, I caught him again and led him back to the gateway, making him listen to me and not to his own voices.

Once I let him go, I could see he realised he had been a bit stupid.  He was now embarrassed.  Yesterday was the same behaviour.  I hope he learns quickly. I am sorely tempted to leave him outside the fence, but I know he would trash it.