Yesterday it rained and rained and rained and …… well, you get the picture. It rained a lot.  Torrential at times and I ran out of coats and almost clothes.

And with the rain came the mud.  It was revolting and I couldn’t keep the Waffle, Storm, Tiddles and Albie like that.  They were cowering in their little shed as it was the only hard-standing available.  Tiddles was shaking.  I had to lug their buckets into the shed for them to eat during the day.  It wasn’t fair on them.  They were miserable and I felt awful.

So I opened the gates.

There isn’t much grass, if any to be perfectly honest now, in the surrounding field. The others did a very good job.

And they didn’t need asking twice and were so happy to rejoin the herd.

No one should live like this. I would’ve reported myself to the “cruelty man”.  It is hard work to walk through.  One day of rain too, albeit a lot.

And they are so happy.

Lots of whizzing around, giggling and annoying their friends.

Vitamin and Fivla are in the next door field as there is more grass there and I don’t want them on a diet.  Vitamin pushed passed me when I had the gate very slightly open so I just added Fivla for company.

I’ve lugged the wooden hayboxes into the field too and, as there is actually very little grass-grazing, they are eating from them too.

I’m glad the ponies are moved.  I worried so much when they were incarcerated and, if laminitis occurs again (seriously, on this?), then I will shove them back into the hopefully dried out bare earth, though sometimes mud, bit.  Fingers crossed I won’t have to.

We still have four Muscovy ducklings, so I am very proud of Mummy-Duck. She is doing a great job.  It’s just a pity she is such baggage to me.

She even flew me from one end of the shed to say stay away, but get on with bringing the food and water that I change twice a day, including a small very shallow swimming pool.  Not even a thank you.

But it is lovely to see the ducklings walking around now, getting braver by the day.

I took the unhatched egg away (probably why Mother Duck hates me so much), using a “grabby hand” leftover from my foot in plaster days.  We keep everything.  It might be useful and it was.

I don’t mind the ingratitude but I do mind being attacked.  Hopefully Mother Duck will see that I am only interested in a brief head-count and to exchange the food and water for fresh.

I haven’t mentioned Family Duck are sharing their shed with an old cooker.  Maybe I should and she might be a bit nicer to me (not that I would ever eat one of my ducks but she doesn’t know that).

I am wondering whether I should put the old folk on a diet.

Everyone is beginning to look very well covered.

Possibly a bit too well covered but then it doesn’t take much to lose it and, when winter comes, they will be very glad of their extra inches because they don’t like rugs and don’t want to go inside.

But the grass and gorgeous flowers are going bonkers now, almost growing while I watch.

The horses have access to all the land, bar the little bit with the Minions and they walk miles every day all around the place.  I never know where to find them in the morning.

The sheep are everywhere too for most of the day and night, coming home only for breakfast and then to be chucked back out again to roam.

So I spent part of my dog-walk marking out the field that is going to be the track so I can discuss it with the agricultural contractor next week.  Maybe I need two tracks?  Maybe they could all live together?

So, to diet or not to diet?  I dunno.  Maybe I will put them on the hill.

“We have become a grandmother” (M. Thatcher 1989).

Four of the dearest little bébé ducklings appeared this morning.  One egg didn’t hatch and I will take it away shortly, if it stays like that.

OH announced the ducklings’ arrival in the henhouse when he went to let everyone out (he is on poultry, not me).

I asked him to go back and shut the door, so there would be no escaping before we had a chance to get them to safety.  The henhouse is not ideal as crows and other shite-hawks go in raiding.

With OH carrying the ducklings, I managed to grab Mother Duck, who was furious and put up a huge fight – that beak can do damage and she is much stronger than I imagined too (ungrateful old bag, I thought to myself, as I carried her to the new home).

So apart from any potential feathered murderers, there are also others to consider.

Just sayin’.

I’ve popped back every few hours just to check and to count.

I’ve told Daddy the good news. He’s a very proud father.

And so we wait for the others…. Penthesilea is not committed to sitting. She has just started her laying her clutch (again).

Black-ducky should be next but I am not convinced that her eggs are fertilised.

Then it’s ducky-behind-the-boards’ turn.

She’s in there, only leaving her nest for food and washing.

And lastly, little-hen-house ducky.

Who is very comfortable.

So, hopefully there will be more on their way.

Lots and lots of little ducklings.

So exciting.

I have been scratching my head about what to do for the Minions – Waffle, Albie, Storm and Tiddles, especially.

So, like I said yesterday, I have an Agricultural Contractor coming by to discuss the possibilities of turning one of the fields into a track system.

Today I was at the thinking it all out stage so I Googled my property, found the field, printed a version off and sat at the kitchen table sucking my pen end thinking.

This is the field:-

• square = existing septic tank
• squiggles = existing gates
• ovals = rocky outcrops
• dog leg at top = existing hard standing
• black lines = perimeter fence
• squiggly line = occasional stream (but does dry up in summer)

And then I walked it with the dogs as part of their walk.

And then I briefly read the relevant part of a superb book, which was very kindly lent to me (Horse Track Systems by Amy Dell).

This is what I am aiming for, sort of, possibly minus the trees and shelter.  This will be the Shetland version.

While I am sad to be losing all the grass on the actual track, hopefully there will be small fields inside the track system for Vitamin and Fivla.

The track will look like this.  Boulder rock.  This is the track to the side of my shed so I know it is possible.

And these are my workings out, almost using “quotes to support my argument”.  As you can see, I have been thinking hard.  My brain hurts but if I can build something permanent for the boys, then they will spend spring, summer and autumn there avoiding the grass and then they will go to Leradale hill for the winter.  Well, that’s the latest plan.

I am also getting them all tested for Equine Metabolic Syndrome which should give us some answers too.

And then I am selling a kidney.