As most of you might be aware, I am not a huge fan of brushing.  I am a very lazy owner but today I took myself to task and brushed the Old Ladies, Fivla and Vitamin. They’ve been on my To-Do List.

Vitamin (before) with her give-me-my-bucket, you, you person, you!

And then after bucket and brushing.  There is more hair to come off but I don’t pull out anything that is not actually falling out as temperatures are just out of cold with the hint of occasional warmth.  Some days we are double digits (and that’s Celsius!)

And Fivla poofed up a treat.

She is such a pretty girl and looks as the same as she ever did.  Our fairy pony.

And, again, I only did the bits that needed to come off.

Next will be the little boys but rain is forecast so that will have to wait until they are dry.  Brushing wet ponies is not for me. Hair sticks to everything.  They can go on being grubby, but probably happy, though Albie and Waffle are always first in the queue when they see the brush.

Why, what is that I think I see?

Is it?

Could it possibly be?

Do my eyes deceive me?

Surely not!

I think it is a beautiful, but rare, Shetland pony waistline!

And I am nervously optimistic we are now on the right track because I have no other options after this.  No more fields with less than nothing short of digging up and concreting an entire field for them.

Silver remains, however, work-in-progress.

He is a little chunky but unaffected by laminitis, so far, touch wood, please God, no more.

I’m not going to lie, it has been a long time since I’ve seen a waistline (mine included!)

I am frozen and have come inside to write the blog and warm up a bit (I currently have my feet on a hot water bottle trying to thaw).

And the reason? I am having an “Open Weekend” selling all my and Kolka’s stuff to raise funds for well, everyone, I guess.  Daisy helped me last weekend to go through every shed sorting out what she wanted, what I might want and all the rest can go.

There was a lot more equipment, rugs, etc when we started but folk have been popping by all week and buying things. No one has left empty handied, which is good.

So, I rushed my chores and then made myself a place to sit/work while waiting for folk to turn up.

I took my felting kit and made two sheep during the day.

This was my view all day.   I needed to keep the shed doors open so I could see anyone coming down the track.

Obviously I had company.

Monster popped by too ….. a few times.

And Pepper Pot.

It has definitely been worth doing. As well as Kolka, I had far too much stuff that I never used.  Time for it to go and money will be helpful.

And, apart from the cold, I am enjoying seeing folk and making some space while getting rid of things I never use.

The little ones are happy in their field of nothing.  They look like proper little “wild” Shetland ponies in their native environment.

And Tiddles just looks like a filth monster in his pit.

Mostly the little boys can be found in the far corners of their 40 acre field, which is good.   They are exploring more and ignoring the shouts of Fivla and Vitamin.

Today I took the dogs with me in the car with the intention of going for a walk around the field after dishing out the food.  But Ted refused to come and ran back to the car. Pepper was very pleased to see everyone again and ran happily around, even coming back when she was called. When I got back to the car, I couldn’t find Ted so I drove around a bit and then he appeared by the old crofthouse in the field.  He knows I am disappointed in him.  After he was doing so well too.

I hadn’t been taking the dogs to Leradale recently because a few fields away are new born lambs and their mums.  I guess Ted has forgotten this dog walk. He is a bear of very little brain.

Once I had located Ted again, we went home and the big ones told me of their carrot hunger and possible starvation.

I swear Haakon can sniff a carrot from miles away.

Everything is growing now but I am trying not let everyone stuff their faces too much.  It is lovely to finally see flowers and greenery.  It’s been far too long.

I needed to get to Lerwick to deliver many sheeple as they are selling fast.

But first things first.  Food.

(I would like to say there are seven buckets for six of them but there is no point, they have to share or annoy each other on purpose).

Is that a waistline I see?  Surely not!

And this is Newt’s grot-bag face.

He tries to win me round but it isn’t working.  Nope. I know him too well.

Meanwhile, Vitamin was not happy that everyone else had discovered they have 40 acres to explore.  She tries to get them to come back to her but they won’t and I won’t lie, I am pleased they are looking for grass now.

And so afterwards, I went to Lerwick to drop off the sheeple at Jamiesons Knitwear.

There were two cruise ships in and Lerwick was swarming with folk.  I have never seen it so busy.

I know this because I was walking up and down the street popping into shops to see if I had left my handbag, only to find it was sitting at home beside Monster’s bed!  I should not actually be allowed to go outside.

So Welcome to Shetland and have a nice day!  I was so relieved to find my handbag was at home.