A few photos from last night and today.

Ever feel you are being watched…… like, all the time?

Dear old Bibble still maintaining his Bibbleness.  A job is a job.  Someone has to be Bibble.

This afternoon, after all my hard work – packing veg, stripping and trimming garlic, making felted sheep, poo-picking the track, I thought I deserved a treat so I sat down on a rock in the sheep’s field.

Maggie came up to talk.

When I think of Maggie being a miserable thin hill but pregnant sheep and now she is full of character and looking very well.  Dear Maggie.  How her life has changed.

Barrel (L) and Gussie are about the same size now.  Gussie is probably bigger and a bit of a galumphing galoot.  He can’t work out if he is wild or very tame.  It depends on the day.  Barrel is tame when he wants something.  They were busy watching my neighbour’s tractor at work.  They were hypnotised by the action.

I left their field to come inside to write this blog.  Monster was happily relaxing on the table that lives outside our house while OH was mucking out his van.

I was talking to Monster, when Pepper jumped on the table too and I could see that Monster was cross with Pepper for getting in his way and stealing the attention so he grabbed her leg fully intending to bite it.  I could see him hatching his cunning plan.

So I told Pepper to “Sit” and for once she did and wagged her tail in Monster’s face instead.

I quickly took this sweet family portrait before Monster left in a huff and Pepper jumped down to go inside with me.  Funny little furry family.

A morning in my shed working hard trying not to stab this huge bottom!

And then in the afternoon, I brushed everyone as visitors from a cruise ship were coming to see us.

Once I was finished brushing, I sat waiting in the sunshine and Tiddles came up to talk to me.

We had a lovely chat.

And Tiddles is now sporting the hair-do of someone whose Mother brushes his hair!

So pretty in the sunshine.

As I had shut the Shetland ponies into the little paddock, I gave them one haynet to keep them entertained while we waited for our visitors to arrive.

It was a nice distraction and they stayed away from the fences.

Newt also sported a superb hair style.

Handsome boy.

So our visitors arrived and I introduced them to everyone around and on our way to my shed, we saw that the ducklings were swimming in the Belfast sink.  This is another first.  They can swim!  There was difficulty in getting out, so I put a rock in the sink as a jump-off point for next time.

It was nice to have visitors. I haven’t had folk to meet the ponies/horses/everyone for a little while.

I was washing out a field water bucket and, as it takes ages to refill with clean water, I thought I would try and take a nice photo of each of the Icelandic horses.

So here is Kolka, looking very matronly.

Haakon, obviously he is in charge.

And then Iacs, or Bibble, as he is fondly known.  He was not helpful. Of course he wasn’t.

But, at last I achieved something resembling a sensible horse.

Not much has happened here – I have spent my day staying out of the house as we’ve had a new hot water tank fitted.  We realised the time had come when the old one was dripping rusty water through the kitchen ceiling. Not great.

So, me and the dogs, have lived in my shed all day – I was transcribing a journal in the morning and making sheep in the afternoon..

And the ducklings are now eating adult food, which is good.  They are growing up while I watch.

(I just got a quick whiff of the Egg of Doom – it is still around – a gift that keeps on giving despite my best efforts!)

Currently, I am feeling very sick sitting here surrounded by a scented oil diffuser on full blast, covered in perfume trying to get over Ted’s latest behaviour.

He found a bad egg somewhere in the garden, rolled in it, ate it, came inside and has spread it all around the house.

I have no words.  I want to die. I want to burn the house down, and/or move to another country.  The smell.  It will live with me possibly forever.  I can taste it, smell it, and remember it.

OH and I gave Ted a shower and we have disinfected the house but every so often I get another whiff and I just want to leave home all over again.  We weren’t cross with him.  OH muttered “for once it wasn’t Pepper” as if that made anything better.  But he’s right.  Pepper is more famed for all her awful things.

For once, going outside to poo-pick for an hour was a blessed and welcome relief.

I dreaded going back into the house.  The smell is near where I sit. I know it.  I keep getting whiffs but am very nervous to find out where it’s coming from.  Someone kill me now and put me out of my misery before I choke to death on air freshener or Ted’s bad egg.

I gave Family Duck a new “paddling pool” – ok, it’s a washing-up bowl but I thought it might be a good introduction to water for the little ones.  I put strategically placed rocks both inside and around so that no one would get stuck and then drown/die.

They were suspicious.

And then investigated a bit, but no one got in, despite my best Health & Safety efforts.

Later in the afternoon, I put out food for everyone and found Family Duck had left their home to join in too.  This is a first and a good sign.

There was lots of socialising and also duck politics which was fascinating to watch. The boys sensibly stayed well away, but another female wanted to investigate the ducklings further.

So Mother Duck waded in and they had a row.

The inquisitive duck was seen off by very ferocious Mother D.

Meanwhile the babies just plonked themselves down and watched everything going on around them with puzzled bemusement.

They are very tame now and come running up if food is mentioned.

Pepper is possibly considered family too.

I wouldn’t be surprised if she is on the babysitting roster!

There was no sign of Monster. He was busy enjoying the sun in the garden.  Probably wise.  Mother duck means business.