Today, an old friend, Andrew, came to visit the Minions.  He has been our stalwart this winter, bringing and lugging water, feeding carrots, brushing endlessly, helping with clearing and burning the crofthouse roof at Leradale – the list is endless and none of the tasks were easy or much fun.

Under there is an Andrew!

He was very pleased to see his little friends again and amazed at how they had lost most of their long hairy winter coats.  We gave them all a bit of a brush and tomorrow I will put on some a long lasting insecticide and fly repellent which should help with the endless itching on my poor fences.

And I know the ponies were glad to see Andrew again.

He agreed with me that Vitamin, although looking old, had put on weight (phew!)

Everyone was pretty well behaved.

Even Newt!

(Tiddles was keeping well away in case I brushed him!)

Despite the menacing sky, I found the old men all resting in their field (apparently it had been raining on my OH at work all day so he gave up and went into town – sucks to be him!)

I love this photo. I feel that Haakon is telling Klængur how to take over The Mantel of Responsibility.

Haakon: “Now, what you do, young(ish) Klængur, is you lull her into a false sense of security and then you spook about a blade of grass that looked at you in a funny way!  Do you understand?”
Klængur: “Yer, yer, yer. I’m good at that!”

Haakon (to himself): “I don’t think he’s listening to me for a second”.
Klængur (to himself): “I wish the old fogey would realise I’ve got this!”

Meanwhile in Iacs-land, he is doing his unexpectedly handsome face.

With added Good Looks! I do not know this horse.

And so I left them all to it, happily chatting away.

Dog grooming – that’s the title – well, we don’t bother with some people. There is just no point. She would only eat the ruddy brush.

So, this afternoon, Ted and I set off to Scalloway to see Sharon at The Foxy Dog.  Our aim was to come home with just that – a Foxy Dog.

This is a Before photo.

I think you will agree, more left-over Muppet than Foxy.

But I came home with this….  seriously Foxy and gorgeous.

Ted looks so much better. Much younger, much happier and much cleaner.

I have booked Ted in for a twice-yearly dog groom.  I think it makes sense.  Lighten Ted’s load and make him happy. We all love it.  He looks so different.

Meanwhile Pepper is now sulking because she has no need of pampering and is the scruffiest dog around here.

And Monster swiftly went on a diet!

So much to do, so little time….

I start a job, then get distracted, wander off and do something else.  I am annoying myself.  I need to finish one thing and then move on.  I can’t seem to do this.

Meanwhile, I am trying to ride Klængur, train Dreki, make lots of sheeple to sell (I can’t keep up with the demand), move furniture around to fit in the new arrivals (it is now three chest-of-drawers deep in one room!), put stuff  on Fleabay or post, Minions to check, Vitamin to feed …… and the diaries to transcribe in the evening.

I need more time and energy.  I meet myself coming home.

Today, I managed everything (I write the diaries after supper).

This is our first step of something faster than walk!

And my happy face afterwards.

Dreki is coming along very nicely.

After making another sheeple to add to the pile I am taking to town tomorrow, I went for a ride on Klængur who had one mahoosive spook at a pheasant (I hate them so much).

The rest of the ride was lovely and calm.  I reckon if I can sit that spook, then I can sit most things.

Another silly grin from me.

The hill sheep mostly have all had their lambs now.  They always give birth a few weeks later than the sheep kept “inbye”, ie on the croft.

These hill lambs will all be related to my lot, especially Harrel-the-Barrel.  I definitely see the family resemblance.

Hill lambs can be an elusive lot when they want to be.

I drive very slowly and carefully on the road through the hill on my way to the Minions as the lambs are particularly suicidal at this age.  Last year was very depressing as folk drove far too fast with no idea who was waiting to hurl itself across the road to get to its mother.  There were far too many unnecessary and sad deaths.  I hate that.

This time of year is torture for me.  I just want to scoop up all the little Harrel’s and bring them home for safety.

Meanwhile, when I got home Lambie was waiting for me.  He had been sitting at the top of the hill because the flies were annoying him (it rained last night, the wind changed and got warmer = flies).  I let him in, gave him a biccie and ordered him a fly-collar for the rest of the summer.