Yesterday I came home from checking/feeding the Minions and decided to press on with my stable tidy-up, which like everything else in my life, is work-in-progress.

But this job I actually finished and feel proud of. The rugs on the right are for a friend to collect. I swept up all the old hay from last winter and shoved it into the sheep shed as bedding.  I even vacuumed (I actually don’t know myself now!)

This morning, Edna came in to eat her yummy breakfast cereal and I stood with her admiring my hard work while daring her to make a mess. Being Edna, she didn’t.

Other chores these days consist of trying to do at least 30 minutes daily (the most my back can take) of pulling ragwort in the fields that are going to be cut for silage.

A few months’ back, I was talking to our feed-merchant. He was sucking his teeth about whether there would be hay or not this winter in Shetland due to the rising price of fertiliser.  Most of our hay is imported from Scotland and costs a kidney or your first-born anyway.

Knowing we would need some kind of food for the horses this winter, I decided to set aside my usual summer pasture for silage.  I can’t put the Minions here anyway as the grass is too rich, so it makes sense to use it as winter food.  Hence the ragworting then.

So much to do, so little time.

Ted and Pepper had a visitor today.  The totally and utterly gorgeous Harley!

We haven’t had many visitors recently as I have been trying to get Ted into a happy routine where he would feel secure and less anxious about life and anyone popping by.  In his past life, Ted already has an ASBO (anti-social behaviour order) for biting Mum’s postman.  That was then. This is now and he hasn’t to date bitten anyone.

Anywho, Harvey was wonderful. Pepper instantly fell in love and Ted was jealous so there was totally supervised playtime.

To be honest, Ted was not brilliant.  There were words.

But Pepper knew where her heart lay.

And then Monster arrived – we had booted him out earlier as he was one too many.

Harley knows about cats but Monster is not quite in that category.

I ❤️ Pepper for talking to Monster.

A small spat but nothing serious. Some new pups need to be told, is Monster’s view.

And Ted kept making everything weird because that’s what he does.

I hope we can working on this relationship. Pepper suddenly grew up and wasn’t a puppy anymore.  I found that odd.

Our loading skills are coming along swimmingly now.

So for these two (father and son) – I would definitely say HELPFUL!

However, I am not sure if Monster was particularly helpful.  He had to be moved prior to loading.

These two thought they were being helpful, but actually I didn’t want them standing there as the sheep feel intimidated and won’t walk past.

So, Iacs + Haakon = UNHELPFUL

I shoo’ed them away – you can see Maggie waiting.

She was waiting for Lambie. All the rest of the sheep had walked off to their usual spot, way up the hill and Maggie was desperate for Lambie to come too (the Gods alone know what she sees in him!)

Poor Maggie, she was shouting to Lambie telling him to just run through the open gate, while I kept Iacs back who was trying to work out his best route for escape.  Yesterday, when this happened, I grabbed him and shoved him through. Today, he knew!

Maggie = HELPFUL
Lambie = forever UNHELPFUL
Iacs = an annoying idiot who was definitely not HELPING.

And then next to us was Penthesilea on the roof = not particularly HELPFUL but that’s quite an achievement.

Meanwhile, Lambie maintained his obstinate stance and I left him to it. Maggie also gave up and left to join her friends.  To this day, Lambie is probably still standing there or he has spent the whole day by himself. Tomorrow hopefully he will run through the gate with the rest. He only really learns through experience.

My darling little Pepper-Pot is exactly one year old today!

After spending many wee small hours (mostly awake at night) deliberating whether I could ever face getting another dog, this one has burrowed her way into my heart.

She is very persistent, going through her life shouting “You Must Love Me”!

So we do. Because we have no choice and Pepper is such a happy little dog, making me laugh (most of the time even after her latest heinous crime – and believe me, there are many).

Still, Pepper hasn’t killed any chickens or ducks (*** cough *** BeAnne was a enthusiastic little murderer given half a chance) and she can also herd sheep with the best of ’em, instantly knowing what to do.  She spots the hill-sheep in my field, sends them out while being best-friends with my woolly lot.

And her tail never stops wagging!

(Ted has helped hugely)

For her birthday, I have just ordered her a large box of chewy things from Hairy Pop-Ins! She does love a chewy thing.  Ted is less keen. He takes one politely and then hides it in the clean washing!

I suddenly thought that Dreki and Taktur hadn’t loaded into the van for a while and, as it is a useful (neigh, necessary) skill to have, it wasn’t one that should be lost or forgotten.

I brought inspiration.

Dreki first.

He was a very good boy. The pea-sized brain cell whirred and clicked into life and in he walked.

His reward was a nice little visible bucket of mix and carrots.

A quick “worry” about the flappy door thing but Dreki had a good look and decided it wouldn’t kill him.

Oh, those ears!  Click, click, whirr, whirr – you can almost hear the pea rattling around.

I put Dreki back in the field and caught Taktur who said he had never ever been in the horsevan, don’t even ask him, nope…. “oooh, is that a bucket?” and walked in.

I think we will keep practising this speshul skill.  It can do no harm.