It’s been a grotty day for poor little Pepper.

Today was the day she went to the vets for light sedation and an -xray of her poorly front leg (which is mostly absolutely fine these days).

We shared the driving and OH took her in, nil by mouth since midnight, and I collected her 7 hours later.

My day was horrible – it felt very empty and meaningless. We’ve all missed Pepper’s smiley little face hugely.   I carried my phone everywhere with me just in case and, having heard nothing, phoned early afternoon to be told Pepper would ready to collect at 16.15.

I went to get her home, seeing the vet as well who said they found nothing, absolutely ruddy nothing on the x-ray.  They even x-rayed the other leg to see if it was any different.  So, the diagnosis is a possible soft tissue injury that will take forever to heal and Pepper is on lead-only walks, with no running, on flat ground for 6 weeks with regular analgesia with a view to sedating her if she doesn’t take kindly to this new regime.  For the time being we will hold off on the sedation front. I am not a huge fan but nothing is written in stone.  If Pepper is climbing off the ceiling, then we will see…….

Anyway, Pepper is pleased to be home now and I suppose we can work on our non-existent lead skills for the next six weeks.

I wanted a quiet morning working in my shed typing out a journal for a friend.  Well, that was the plan anyway.

And then Monster arrived, whined and scratched at the door to be let in so, as my desk was rather full of monitors, scanner, cd-player, etc, I dug out my piano stool and plonked him on it.

Apparently that wasn’t good enough and Monster wandered around my desk for a while getting in the way and being annoying.  There wasn’t room for everything.

Eventually, I made a space behind my main laptop and told him to “jolly well go and sit there” – that’s the polite version!

Pepper, annoyed with all the attention Monster was receiving, then put herself on the piano stool and wobbled for a while.  It rotates very easily. She didn’t like that.

So she clambered onto my lap and at that stage, all work stopped.  I had no chance of trying to type, scan or read anything.

Eventually, I shifted Pepper back to her chaise longue telling her I was going to work until 12 and then we would go for our cat/dog/whoever-walk.

I went back to my work surrounded by animals and I felt a bit watched.

Honestly, it’s a wonder I got anything done – I managed ten pages in two hours, which was a good chunk into this journal. And yes, Monster came part of the way on the dog walk whingeing all the way.

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!)