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.

This lot are doing well.

They are exploring more, now we’ve moved their bowls further into their field, and hanging around the fence less.  The Old Ladies occasionally shout for them but they are learning friends doesn’t necessarily mean food.  Food can be found if you go look for it.

The Longest Forelock Award goes to Waffle.

Albie was not in the running.

When it stops raining (so that would be possibly next week or June/July/August), I may have a go at brushing them.

May, as in I am hopeful that the Gods will provide and do the job for me first!

I know, I know, I am a lazy Shetland pony owner.

However, I promise to brush Newt as he is always prone to a claggy armpit problem.  Never fun for either of us.

So this lot do their own thing, find their own food and, with all my determination, laminitis will not rear its ugly head again.  I am doing my absolute best.

And so one 40 acre field of bugger-all=-nothing.  Enjoy chaps.

Tiddles took to eating his actual bowl.

As well as the contents therein – minerals and vitamins, nothing else.  Sorry.

And meanwhile the girls have the lovely grass.

First thing this morning, I was mugged for the buckets I was carrying.

And I thought to myself that it was only Haakon and Iacs who could eat side-by-side without playing “musical buckets”, arguing or minding about the other one.  This is something the Minions are incapable of.

But Haakon and Iacs are not that kind of horse.

They have always been the best of friends – even immediately recognised each other when they met again after Iacs joined our herd a couple of years on from when I bought Haakon.

These two are cousins and Haakon is the oldest, which means he is of course entitled to dribble his food onto Iacs’ mane.  Their mothers were sisters.

They both came up for air eventually.  You can tell they are cousins.  You really can.

And yesterday Daisy spent her morning grooming them all.

They all look so much better – gorgeous and less floofy.

Kolka loved it too. Daisy said she followed her round getting in the queue waiting for her turn to be brushed.

Not looking bad, I think, either.

Note-to-self, I must do the Minions next.

Daisy’s last day and she joined us on our regular cat/dog walk.

Look at him go!

We don’t actually go very far because everyone just wants to mooch around playing in the stream….

…. or finding an island to make their own.

And then we laughed and laughed when we noticed Monster was in hunting-mode.  He obviously thought ‘Bert was smaller than he actually is and could be possible quarry.

But as ‘Bert wandered along, totally oblivious to his potential fate, …..

…. Monster realised he had made an embarrassing mistake and we promised never to mention it again.

I set off to look for Ted’s coat (he had previously lost it on another walk).

One yellow coat amongst yellow flowers in the field – I had no chance.  When I returned coatless, I found these three together.  Not something I expected.

Funny lot.

(I love Monster’s expression!)

I crossed the burn and left them to their whatever-that-was.