This morning, in persisting rain (60mm in one hour) and a fresh breeze (Force 5 gusting 7), we brought all the little ones into the shed for their breakfast, put out haynets and waited for the farrier to arrive.

We were very wet and some of us were very sandy too, having immediately rolled in the school. Gross. I hate wet sand on anything.

Pepper was thrilled, as ever, to see Stephen, who promptly put her on Iacs’ back for a little ride.  Of course, she is a natural.

Everyone behaved themselves and, surprisingly although 11 were booked in to see Stephen, only two needed trimming – Haakon and Iacs – so a cheap visit for us.

A huge thank you to Stephen for not being one of those people who can find something wrong for the sake of the money.

Haakon pulled faces at the Minions who were desperate to be his friend.

And then once finished we all took the Minions over to their new field where there is shelter and old grass, which will hopefully get them through the impending storm(s).  It is going to be disgusting for the next few days.

So the hatches are battened down and the chocolate is ready.  Bring it on.

Visitors arrived today and so this afternoon we went in search of some seals – which is on their wish list.  Of course, not one to be seen.

So we went to the beach to look for nice rocks because that is what you take home with you from Shetland. That, and knitwear.

As we drove around on our endless search for seals (we did see some swimming in the distance and on the way from the airport, basking on the rocks), the weather turned from a nice day to a dreich day so we gave up and drove home.

The Minions came over for a chat.  They do love a visitor.

And the sheep had come home from their field so it was nice to introduce them too.

We are going to batten down the hatches now to get ready for the mother of all storms.

Floss came home yesterday after an arduous flight – thank you LoganAir for the blatant lies, disregard for your passengers while you wasted everyone’s precious time – from Edinburgh.  She is home to kindly look after the animals while I go to London next week with friends.

Fivla was of course thrilled to see her owner had come home.

Floss and Fivla have been together since they were both 3 years old.

This morning Lambie et al came rushing up to Flossie.  That is Lambie’s typical “I love her more than you” face which he does at me.  Ingrate, I told him as I went to get everyone’s breakfasts.

Then it was Monster’s turn to show is his love and appreciation of Flossie.  I think we can safely say he is not a huge Flossie fan because he only loves OH and Daisy.

And parmesan!

He definitely loves parmesan.

We did not know this.

This afternoon, I made up the fold-out bed in my shed as the house will be full when my friends arrive. I asked Floss to give it a try for comfort and Pepper jumped on too.

Lots of helping.  Pepper is fan of everyone, especially unsuspecting victims of being jumped on.

Despite Monster’s bad manners, (I’m sorry he was sitting on the kitchen table), we are all very pleased to have Floss home.

Everyone was hanging around the gate unaware that I had made the track bigger while they were eating their breakfast.  They only watched me move all the fence posts and do some serious maths with the electric wire (err…. wind it round the posts!)

So I popped a headcollar on Vitamin because she is still the herd leader and I knew (hoped) the ponies would all follow her to their new-to-them pasture.  I also shouted at them to follow.

First Albie followed and then others got the message.  They didn’t want to miss out on anything that someone else might be having and, yes, we have mud but it is not very deep and worth battling through to get to the better grass.

Tail-end Charlie – or Newt – was trotting to keep up.  He suddenly looked up and saw everyone had vanished.

Once they realised where they were and what I had done, everyone was very pleased.

Even Fivla perked up and thought this was much better than a day in the shed.

I want the old ladies to get into the routine of going out during the day and they can come back inside at night. I send them out after a big breakfast to keep their guts ticking over all the time.  Colic is my enemy.

Vitamin tucked into the grass and looked perfectly normal.

Actually, they all did, though possibly not the normal bit.

I like seeing the herd all back together again.  Being with everyone, is what gives Vitamin and Fivla their purpose in life.

Eating on your own can be very dull.

This morning the weather deteriorated and I gave in and fed the little hobbitses a second breakfast.

No one was shivering, which cheered me up, as we are still in double digits temperature-wise, but it was a mean gale-force north wind, which never helps.

Everyone was sodden and they huddled around their haynet stuffing their faces.

The hay was warming them and cheering them up too.

Silver had his own haynet. He doesn’t like sharing very much. It’s not his thing.  He’s not mean, he just likes some solitude (read peace and quiet) when eating.  And, oh the mud. The horrid mud.  It really is too much and it’s not even November yet.  Around the edge of this part of the field is hard-standing with mud on top.

After a well-deserved lunch for myself at the church café, I returned to see the ponies had discovered the new eating area that I had created by pulling the electric fence back a good piece.

As it had stopped raining (but still blowing hard), I made the decision to put Fivla and Vitamin outside to join their friends.  I am determined their life will not just be in the shed if I can get the balance right.

Later on, when I went out to check on everyone, Fivla saw me and came running so I hid hoping she would stay with her friends and eat the newly released grass, rather than wait at the gate to go back inside again.

Yes, I now have to hide from my ponies!