I think it’s good to have a hobby. It keeps the mind occupied.

The incarcerated Minions’ hobbies include tipping up the water buckets, despite my best efforts, as well as sticking their noseys through the gate and then successfully untying, to throw around, any haynet I anchor down in their hayboxes with knots worth of Houdini.

They are settled in their wee paddock and shed.

The shed has been a god-send.  It is lovely and cool in this hot weather with very few midges or flies.  However, for me, outside the midges have been hellish today.

Anywho, back to new hobbies.  This is Iacs’ latest.

On the pretext of wanting to chat, he likes to hang over the fence and play face biting with anyone who is up for it.

Today it was Waffle and Tiddles’ turn.  I think they gave as good as they got and it is an endless source of amusement for both teams.

Albie is less keen as he is not very good at interaction with others.  He is not that type of chap. Never has been. I think it is because he was an orphan.  He lacks essential social skills, despite Fivla’s best teaching.

My role is waitress. I turn up with food and drink about five times a day, while mucking out as I go.  OH kindly mucks out every morning for me, which is another god-send.  Everyone is very into their soaked fibre-block, which is their afternoon meal.  Iacs obviously has to have a bowl too.

As does anyone else who turns up.

Iacs basically wants anything anyone else is having. That’s one of his new hobbies – wanting – that and biting Minions in a playful and non-damaging way.

The Old Ladies are a nice healthy weight now so I opened the gate and put them in with the remaining Minions.

And with that, Vitamin got her raison d’être back.

While she was living with just Fivla, Vitamin was not very active.

She just tended to mooch about with Fivla with nothing much to do or think about.

But now she is back in with the whippersnappers, Vitamin remembered why she was put on this planet.

….. to tell Storm off!

And, yes, being Storm he got the bucket but only when Vitamin had finished, walked away and said he could have her permission because there was nothing left in it anyway!

So you know.  There ain’t no flies on Vitamin. They wouldn’t dare.

Storm is doing ok but I am watching him like a hawk for any signs of being miserable, lame or stiff. He also gets a daily blob of sunscreen on his nosey.

Newt’s lookin’ good.

As as Silver.

Fivla, of course, is perfect.  While she is happy to be with the others, she does miss Albie very much.

Poor old Bibble had his operation today.  I have been spoiling him pre-op, like giving him leftover soaked fibre-block as a treat. He basically wants everything the Minions have despite having access to 50 acres of lush grazing.

Today, I put Bibble by himself into the wee paddock before the vet and vet nurse arrived for his operation.

Moral support then appeared too and Bibble seemed calm and happy with his lot.

I had scrubbed the small stable as much as I could and, as Bibble was being operated on standing up, so it didn’t have to be too perfect.

Bibble was heavily sedated and “relaxed” so that he would “let down” and was a total jewel about the whole procedure.  There were midges everywhere so we wiped him and sprayed ourselves with anti-midge.

The offending bit was ligatured and promptly fell off onto the floor. It will be sent for histology, etc and hopefully that will be that.  Bibble will be kept in for a while and then back out into his wee paddock.  Just now, I left him eating the Minion’s fibre-block, which he adores so fingers and toes crossed for Bibble.  Antibiotics and painkillers/anti-inflammatories for the weekend.  He was such a good boy.  Everyone said so.  Fingers and toes, folks, please. x

Shearing for all today.  They needed it.  The weather is very hot.

Madge, of course, was awarded “Fattest Sheep I (my shearer) Have Ever Sheared” Award.  She is large.

And Lambie gazed adoringly.

There were the usual arguments afterwards as they then couldn’t identify each other.

But I am glad everyone is now sheared.  Boy, it’s hot.

Lambie is even more spotty underneath all his fleece.

And Barrel is very, very black.

As is his mother, Maggie (who is looking furiously at Pepper out of shot).

‘Bert is getting paler and looking old.

And ‘Ster was much happier.  The girls, Edna and Madge, vanished into the back hill field.  They did this last year and hopefully will come home in a few days.  They obviously need some alone time.

The day became hotter and hotter – seriously sweltering by Shetland standards – and Lambie appeared at the door of my shed in distress.

He was breathing fast and heavily, almost panting.  I was worried.

But he wasn’t letting Harrel in.  Nope, this is Lambie’s territory.

Pepper and Ted were tolerant, though Ted left later on to sit outside staring at Lambie.

To calm Lambie down, I gave him a good scratch with my back scratcher (an old fork from a carving set) and spritzed him with my plant spritzer.

He loved it and I am sure it helped his misery.

No, sorry, Harrel.

So, I made a sheeple while Lambie calmed down and came back down to earth.

Harrel went and found himself a shady spot to sit in.

Yup, I sucked my teeth again and brought home Tiddles (who was on his own so a sure sign) and Albie (who is suddenly fat, there’s no denying it – did this explosion happen overnight?)

Again, the Welcoming Committee were out in force.

Most of them.

Upon expert advice, I am not going to increase the size of the wee paddock/dust bath.  It is sufficient.

Storm is, for the time-being, staying where he is at Leradale. He is showing no signs but with this sudden onset, especially with Tiddles, I am not holding my breath. And while Storm continues to chase me down the hill for his food, I can see he is fine.

Bibble, of course, is staying put. Well, you just never know when you might need a Bibble, obviously.  Such a “help”.

The little shed is much loved too.

And Pepper is putting in the hours too.

In a small way, I am glad Waffle has company his own age and size.

But I am sad they had to come home with laminitis again.

I have tried to explain to Tiddles that this miserable starvation is for his own good and please don’t get colic.

I am not the most popular person around here, though.

I might have to provide toys.  It will of course be supervised playtime only.