Lots of Lying Down

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The two cousins ate their breakfast together today (I love seeing them like this – never an argument, just two old friends eating together).

When I went back later on my dog-walk, I found Haakon lying down, resting so I opened the field gate for them and continued with my walk.

The dogs and I went over to our favourite spot, Clothie – a five acre croft with a derelict house (it was a school once).

While the dogs did their own thing – bunny hunting with no success, mostly – I went looking to see what flowers were now appearing.

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) – “Gulsa girse”.

Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis),  “mayflooer“.

Dandelion, Taraxacum palmeri -“eksis girse”.

Heath Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) – “curly Dodies”.

Red Campion (Silene dioica) – “clockie-flooers” –

After wandering around Clothie looking for more orchids – it is early days though, I went back to the horses’ field only to find they hadn’t moved so I showed one the open gate and the rest followed.  As Fivla and Vitamin weren’t around, I decided to shut the gate as those two don’t really need the extra.

After making my customary sheep, I came outside to poo-pick around the place only to find Haakon and Iacs lying down again.

I hope it was just the nice weather and the feeling of being full of grass rather than anything more sinister.

I told myself that the fact that Iacs was also having a snooze hopefully confirmed my original theory.

I don’t want sinister. I really don’t.

Something Special Today

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I shouted and they all came over, like the elephants in the Jungle Book.  Haakon, Iacs, and then Kolka. Vitamin and Fivla were not going to be left behind and trotted through too.

Mr and Mrs – Kolka and Haakon.  They are a couple now.

Vitamin was very happy shovelling.

Monster was watching.

As was Fivla – at different times of the day, someone was always waiting for me.

I don’t worry about the parked cars/vans .  Everyone knows very well how to behave around them.  Living around the house is nothing new.

When I was in my shed, I opened a packet of shortbread (I know, no Tunnocks – I’d eaten them), and in an instant Iacs was there, whippet-like!  He has the hearing of a bat.

Pepper was very happy to have everyone around.  More folk to chat to during the day.

As was Monster – I actually laughed out loud when I saw this!

There was something very special about today.

The Green Green Grass of Home

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Little Fivla was unexpectedly standing by the gate this morning when I went back in to collect the buckets.

The others were hanging around too.

I just thought they were full and couldn’t be bothered to go and find anything more to eat.

After my breakfast, I came back to clean out their big water bucket and refill them only to find the lurkers still a-lurking.

So, being the nice kind person that I am, I opened the gate and told the old folk they could spend their day eating the green grass around the house.  We have a lot and needs eating down.  This is cheaper than mowing and less effort too.

No one needed asking twice.  Zoom through the gate, they went.

After cleaning and refilling all the water buckets in the fields, I found Fivla and thought I would give her a little brush.  That winter fur is just not coming out on its own.  In the end I brushed everyone and collected up the fur in a bag.

I ended up sitting on the bag full of fur to keep my bottom dry and Fivla and I had a lovely chat and brush.  Fivla was grooming me back and listening to the classical music (Purcell) that was also playing on my phone in my back pocket.  Such a peaceful time.

Pepper was jealous of Fivla’s attention, obviously.

Fivla is a very gentle soul.  We’ve known each other for 30 years and she is the perfect pony.

There has been much stuffing of faces with grass all day.

Everywhere I look, there is someone outside to look at.

Even when Pepper and I went to my shed…..

I only had to look outside my window and smile.

There were also the creepy neighbour moments too.  Always Bibble.

Need a Rest

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I was going along quite well this morning.

Everyone was fed, put in fields where they should be, most home chores done (pickled some eggs and vacuumed) before I drove into town for a physiotherapy appointment.

As I was early, I popped into Jamiesons’s Knitwear to see if they needed more sheep.

I like to have spare with me just in case because a sale is a sale and I hate an empty field.

My field was already well-stocked but no matter my new bag of sheep will keep for another day.

Then my physio appointment which was very helpful, a quick run around with a trolley at Tesco’s trying to remember everything on my shopping list and I finally drove home.

And now I feel absolutely “cream-crackered” and have taken to my bed along with various animals who are hopeful I will get up and feed them their tea.

No chance – it’s an hour early and I need a rest.  So that’s my diary appointments for this week all done and I have absolutely nothing ahead – my idea of heaven.  I shall concentrate on my physio exercises.

A Bit of Colour

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It was a wet foggy start to the day.

The kind of day where you need waterproofs but then you’re too hot because it’s also warm outside.  Basically dreich (such a good word – a classic Scots adjective used to describe weather that is dull, damp, bleak, and miserable.)

No one felt very inspired to do anything.

(I love how Monster has the bed and Pepper doesn’t and yes, she does mind hugely.)

And a photo of Ted, just in case you think he has been forgotten.

Anyway, after cooking all morning and making my usual hand-felted Shetland sheep this afternoon, I was in dire need of some fresh air – the weather had cleared at lunch time which made everything much brighter.  So I went outside with the dogs for a walk around the ungrazed fields to see if I could find any evidence of our summer flowers.

A happy sight – my first heath spotted orchid.

Some Spring Squill – this was my first sighting in the field.

The marsh marigolds now in full abundance – great swathes of deep yellow flowers everywhere.

The “mayflooer” or Cuckoo Flower or Lady’s Smock – I am ashamed to say I had to look up the name of this as I always forget but it is a favourite in its own quiet way.

So that was me today.  A nice peaceful Sunday.  All we need is the sun to shine and everything will be perfect.