We’ve had some rough weather recently and I’ve been busy these past few days looking after a little sheep.

Short story long (see what I did there?) – I had a neighbourly message a few nights back about a little sheep that was on it’s own by the road.  So, when I was going over to feed my lot, I checked him out and, sure enough, there he was sitting by himself not looking good.

I went over and he did that running-away-but-falling-over-thing but I couldn’t get near him so I left him a pile of sheep food that happened about my person (ok, yes, I carry it with me because you never know).

On my way home, I found little sheep sitting beside the food, untouched.  That spoke volumes.  So I crept up with the hope of photographing his tags to identify his owner (so I could phone them and tell them) but he never moved.

What could I do?  I picked him up and put him in my car. I hate rustling sheep. Never good or approved of.

Home and I identified little sheep’s owner and I immediately contacted him. He asked me to look after him until he got to me in a few days.  Fine, absolutely no bother, I said.  The red colour on his bottom is “raddle”, a sheep marker, and not blood.

It took a few days to establish our relationship. He was not very keen on eating so I tempted him with porridge and honey/glucose, or some beet shreds and bruised oats, or fibre block, or hay, or just about anything……

Pepper was also trying her hardest to make a new friend and I was trying my hardest to keep her away.

But, no, they met (never under-estimate the tenacity of a Patterdale terrier) and, by then, Little Sheep was happy to make friends.

Today Little Sheep’s owner has taken him home, which is just what I wanted. I have done my best for him (I treated him for pneumonia) and I will wonder forever whether he will remember us.

My turn yesterday to take the dogs for a walk, so I thought I would pop over to Clothie to check out the grass situation.  Snow is forecast and I want to know my options.

There was a loud wailing and I turned around to see Monster following.  I couldn’t really miss him in the hill. He is the only animal I have that stands out.  Everyone else blends in nicely to almost total invisibility.

Clothie is a lovely field – exactly five acres and very useful.  It is situated a short walk across the scattald (open hill).

There is an old croft house which was once used as a Free Church School, possibly around the 19th century. It is mentioned in our Parish Records.

Anyway, the cat, two dogs and I all walked the perimeter fence with made a nice walk.

As Daisy would say (and I bet she does when she reads this) “aww, look at him go!”

Ted and Pepper had a fine time too.

There was hunting.

And even some sitting and thinking.

Probably best not to ask what Monster was thinking about.  He never stopped shouting, though.

As the sun rises, Floss and I are out feeding the Icelandic horses –  three oldies and one not-so-oldie (20 yo).  Floss is on guard duty and I have the carrots for afterwards. No one is allowed to steal someone else’s bucket.

The buckets are sort of colour-coded so I know who is getting what.

Pepper obviously comes too because she is a girl on a mission.

The vacuum cleaner!

We don’t encourage Ted into the field. He is not brilliant around the horses but happy enough to be where we can keep an eye on him.  He potters about knowing the rules.

Pepper is obviously very busy.

I must admit Floss and I both held our breath when we saw Pepper approach Kolka. We didn’t know how she would react so, of course, she did nothing.

Like I said, girl on a mission but easily distracted by the voices in the wall!

They talks to her!

Pepper’s sometimes nickname is Potty, which in English slang means silly or slightly crazy.  (The Gods alone know what it means in Urban Dictionary and I refuse to go and look it up!)

As in Pepperpot.

Pepper is nearly 18 months old now.

A hairy little clown (though never as hairy as Her Maj) and still just as bouncy as ever with lots of big Patterdale teeth too.  My shoes get moved regularly. Never bitten up, just travel to a different room. One shoe.

Everywhere I go, I have my helper whether I ask for help or not and she is mostly obedient now, even visiting our neighbours less.  Now I’ve written that no doubt she will be off like a shot tomorrow!

And today’s wonderful view, just because.

This winter I said I wouldn’t lug hay.

So I lug buckets instead!

Ten to be precise.  All different too, depending on the individual dietary requirements.

The only two not to be fed in my flock/herd/whatever are Newt and Silver.

It’s not for the lack of trying, though!

It’s good to write these things down, so here we go….

Haakon, Kolka and Iacs = fattening food for the oldies including TurmerAid and boswellia
Klaengur = food that makes him think he’s had something including TurmerAid and boswellia.

Laminitic Minions:
Tiddles, Waffle, Albie and Storm = food that makes them think they had something including TurmerAid and dried nettle.  They also have soaked hay too.

Vitamin and Fivla:
Fattening food including TurmerAid and linseed.

Plus all the sheep have breakfast and Edna has an extra breakfast because she has no teeth now!