After buckets, I decided that I wanted the Shetland ponies to explore their field more. I could see they just mostly stay in the same places not realising they have a whole 40 acres at their disposal.  This time I kept Vitamin’s headcollar on and took her for a walk to try and get the others to follow.  She is the herd leader.

Storm came trotting along behind us. He knew what I wanted and was very enthusiastic, happily keeping up.

Eventually the others got the plot and decided to follow, if slowly.

But when they cantered past, giggling, I knew the herd were going to stay in the hill part of the field for the rest of the day and that was exactly what I wanted.  No more hanging around the gate looking wistfully at a field of grass they can’t have.  There is plenty of grass in their field if they just go and look for it.

I had let Vitamin go, and she stopped, looked back and was waiting for Fivla to catch up, which I thought was very kind of her.

And off they all went further up the hill to the very top…..

….nwhich is where I left them and got on with my dog-walk instead.  Mission accomplised!

To town today for my annual eye test but, en route, I stopped off to feed Vitamin and Fivla.

Dressed in my clean clothes, I was freezing to near-death as I had ditched my usual uniform of Norwegian sweater and revolting hi-viz padded jacket, going with tidier but thinner clothes.  A rookie mistake.

Obviously, I had to go into the minion field, rather than stand on the other side of the fence, to dish out my carrot collection as well as spraying hooves and swilling mouths.

I was so clean and tidy.  I couldn’t be “minioned”.  I didn’t want to go to town covered in the usual mud smelling of ponies….

I don’t know why I was particularly bothered about what I looked or smelled like even – the place was deserted.

I delivered a flock of sheep to Jamieson’s Knitwear, chatted to some friends, had my eye test (all fine there) …

And then lunch (chips)  sat in my car with a good view and a hungry seagull.  Sorry, mate, chips are sacred.

Tomorrow I will be back to normal but it was a change to be clean and tidy even just for a few hours!

Rain, rain and more rain. I am on coat/hat combo No 4 now, with wellies and over-trousers waiting in the porch on standby like the lifeboat crew.

No one is enjoying this weather but everything was, as ever, done.  I didn’t even skimp on Vitamin’s mouthwash and hoof spray.  I will admit I thought about it, as it means lugging another bucket down the field to her, but then I remembered what it is like to have something stuck in your teeth and I turned around and went back for her kit!

My view for the afternoon. I was in my shed.

And I put out at all the sheep I have made recently ready for selling …..

Quite the collection but I have to take some into town tomorrow as the shop is running low.

Selling is a bit of a trickle and I am surprised they have run out, but I will have plenty ready for when the cruise-ships arrive.

My little fire-hogging companion came too (always).  I swear she was a salamander in a former life.  She enjoys the crumbs that fall from my table – I may have biscuits!

While feeding this lot…..

Well, actually not this one…

Or this one….

definitely not this one…..

Nope, not him either.

Just Fivla and Vitamin – the old ladies – as per usual.

And snouts out, Newt!

Anywho, I decided that the herd/flock/parliament/whatever needed to get out more in the field, so I put a headcollar on Storm and took him for a walk, with the dogs, while the others watched on from afar.

I thought they would follow…. they did not.

But Storm enjoyed his walk around the field.

He is a great walking companion.  A lovely little chap.  Just trots happily behind me, occasionally stopping to look at the view.

When it became very clear that absolutely no one else was going to take the lead and come too, I let Storm go.

And, after some thought, he rejoined his friends.

The Sloth Brigade, as they are now known and they can rot on that rock, for all I care. I tried. I honestly did.

So, waving my now-empty headcollar, Itold them to all go and get a job!

I left them all eating far, far away up the hill.  Mission accomplished, though it took some effort on my part.