Today has been all about wind and rain, and I refuse to give up my weather obsession.

I hurriedly fed everyone equine and ovine, but spent my spare time collecting the windblown buckets from their fields.  I generously opened up the small haypark for the oldies. Kolka trotted in followed by the rest of them.  The Minions looked on in shock.  I am sure they thought they were saving that for their own rainy day.

This afternoon saw me in my shed making sheep while watching Schitt’s Creek, which is my latest addiction.  It is brilliant. I highly recommend.

The dogs slept while I worked.

Yes, they slept and they didn’t annoy.

There has been intense training for this – I bribe them first with a hefty chew of some part of a dead animal and then, in thanks, they shut up for the afternoon.

They have the chaise longue to themselves.

Ted doing his best, but tasteful,  “Burt Reynolds”!

Monster is back to his usual self. This is from the kitchen window, hence the blur.

He is sitting by the bird table ever hopeful.  He has a nil success record possibly because he is just too shouty and visible.

Fed the zoo at Leradale and came home, knowing a dog-walk was next on the agenda.

Or cat, depending on your perspective.

I laughed at the running.  So sweet.

I looked behind and saw just how the sheep get under the fence, despite the gate being open.  Everyone but Ster who can’t.

The seggies – yellow flag irises – are starting to appear.  Woohoo, there’s no denying it, Spring is finally making a proper effort.

A Ted action shot.

Slightly less action, but trundling along nicely, nonetheless.

Pepper covered twice as much ground, at least, than everyone else.

I love this photo.  Sums us up – mud and sheep.

“What’s that coming over the hill
Is it a monster? Is it a monster?”

There are little spots of colour everywhere now.

A little known fact, I did a project on celandine in primary school.  There is possibly nothing I don’t know about celandine, from aged 8. I remember it well.

My wild primrose wall is gathering strength.

The dogs were hunting for something. I have no idea what or who it was.

Pepper was not quite prepared to commit to swimming.  I think we will work on this special skill this summer.  I have a feeling she might love it.

Sitting, thinking…..

Feline Rampant?

And then Monster was very weird, or possibly weirder than usual….. the bar is pretty low.

Both front paws are in the water.

Meanwhile the hunt continued.

So that was our walk. It was lovely.  I really enjoyed it and I think the others did too.

This morning was chaos.

Utter chaos.

It started well. I gave out the four buckets to Kolka, Iacs, Klaengur and Haakon and left them to it.

Then I took my other buckets downhill to the Minions’ part of the field.  I put out their buckets in a row, Storm flipped them over one at a time behind me.  I put them back the right way and then dished out the food.

Then I heard thundering and Iacs was galloping down the hill for a second breakfast, followed by his team-mates.

Iacs intimidated Fivla who squealed like a stuck pig and gave up eating her bucket.  So there might’ve been a low-flying feed scoop that smacked one large hairy Iacs-shaped bottom.

I moved Fivla and her bucket away from the fence.

By now everyone else was finishing up so there was not much I could do except good luck if you want to try and get Vitamin’s bucket off her.

Iacs was unrepentant, possibly triumphant.

It was good to see Kolka being nice.

You can see what’s on her mind…… more food, please.

I absolutely hate horses that lean over fences.  Hate.  I might bring the electric fence down with me and set it up if this continues.

But they are sharing the salt-lick.

Mr and Mrs K.

Poor Fivla. She did not deserve Iacs’ horrid ‘haviour (Albie was not helpful, either – he was planning on stealing Fivla’s bucket so I put a stop to that).

Awww…..

Feeling slightly calmer, I cleaned teeth, sprayed hooves, gathered up my buckets, put the rubber feed ones back over the fence, collected more buckets, gave Haakon his special secret biccie and climbed up the hill.

Iacs followed me up probably to see if he could wash up.

I got home and texted Daisy to take her horse away next time she visits.  I will happily pack his red spotted hanky.

A few photos from way back – 2015 to be precise.

When Lambie was a cute little fluff ball….

…. who loved me.

It was good re-discovering these photos again.  Lambie had the best eye-lashes and I had forgotten that.

And luckily eating the bluebells didn’t kill him either.  This was in the days before Lambie was banished from the garden by OH for nibbling the trees and also before Bert arrived on the scene.

So Happy Easter from everyone at Thordale.

Day 2 and living in the new field is going well.

Obviously I spent all night wide awake worrying whether all my horses were rolling with agonising colic and of course I knew I would turn up today with my buckets to find corpses lying everywhere and it would be ALL MY FAULT!

But, no, I found four happy Icelandic horses stuffing their fat faces with the lovely green grass.  They were very settled and relaxed.

So I was mightily relieved at that.

My imagination runs riot at night with all the terrible what-if’s that might occur.

I think it is because, apart from Klaengur, everyone is so old – 27, 28 and 29.  But then I tell myself that Fivla and Vitamin have managed perfectly well and they are the same age and it is only for a few weeks and it will do the Thordale fields nothing but good and perhaps I need to calm down a bit.

But I worry.

Kolka is busy making friends with the neighbours.  She quite like the little ones, which is good.

But I doubt she could eat a whole one, though!