So, I got the Ginger Ninja out of his field, tacked him up and got on ready to meet a friend at the end of my road.  She kindly offered to accompany me on this mammoth solo adventure.  Going out with just one horse is a new thing for Klængur and me but something I have done all my ridden life, so why is it a big deal now?

But we did it.

We got home with minimal fuss and it was fun so I am feeling we achieved. And now the only way is forward.  We’ve got this.

I just have to realise that I will never ride Haakon again and Klængur is my ridden horse now.  That is one of my mental blocks. All the rubbish Klængur throws at me is nothing compared with Haakon but somehow when it was him, it didn’t seem to matter.

Klængur is not a replacement but a horse in his own right. Just different.

Sorry to involve you in the workings of my brain.  I have no idea why I am like this.

Everyone has been moved down to the lower field mostly because of the bonfire and also mostly because, apart from Vitamin, everyone is a fattie!  The Spring grass is appearing. No one needs this.

But Vitamin still has to be fed and, therefore, so does Fivla because she will resent every calorie Vitamin has.  So Fivla gets the very definition of nothing in a bucket.

Flossie stands guard.

And I chuck carrots at everyone else.

And then they finish their carrots and come a-looking for more….

But the answer is no.

Always no.

Absolutely no.

And off they go to just quickly finish up anything they might’ve missed.

So this is our Minion routine at the moment.  The secret is to give Fivla enough of nothing to make her believe she’s had something!

I’m not really feeling the love for these two so I fed them and left them well alone.  Haakon is back on track again. He spent a lovely night eating the grass around the house, pooing as he went and then led happily back to his field for his breakfast and a long morning’s sleep in the sunshine.  I have stopped worrying about him for the time being.

Lambie and his friends were hysterical (not funny ha-ha hysterical, more the Oh-My-God-There-Are-Horses-Near-Our-Shed type) about having horses around so refused to eat any breakfast until I had taken all the horses away.  Normality was then vaguely resumed. Well, about as normal as it gets around here.

Then the plumber arrived.  OH, before he went off to work, emptied the small porch which houses the boiler (spewing water and black gunk). I was nervous Ted would disgrace himself so I kept everyone away but actually all was well.

Ted was behaved beautifully (he came with an ASBO from south for biting the postie so I have cause for concern. The police were called, and everything!)

And now Pepper wants to be a plumber’s little helper when she grows up.  She would’ve been down the pipes given any chance.

My sister sent me this photo that popped up on her phone.  This was Ted’s first meeting with my mother, which now begs the decision do we get our little hairy-fairy a haircut or leave him looking like something from the Muppets?

Thoughts please.  I am sorely tempted, to be honest.  The greasy whiskers are reason enough.

I am a fool. A stupid fool.

I thought Dreki and Taktur were looking lonely and obviously missing Kappi and Efstur.

So I put them in with the old men.

The last time, though, Taktur had bullied Haakon but I thought that, as a few years had passed and everyone was now a bit more adult, maybe things had changed and everyone could live happily together. It would be so much easier.

Haakon was a stallion in his youth and Taktur always seems to pick on him and takes the game too far.  Previously, it ended in tears.

Dreki was very pleased to meet Klængur again.  He is not a bully.

An hour or so later, I went out to check how everyone was getting on….. but they weren’t.  Taktur was picking on Haakon again so Floss and I quickly removed him, and Dreki.

Poor Haakon was in a muck-sweat, with heavy laboured breathing and very anxious.

I felt awful. It was all my fault.

But I had to go to work for the afternoon, so I quickly checked Haakon over for cuts and open wounds (I saw biting), and then dished out barley rings and hugs.  Haakon refused TurmerAid, which had me worried but he did eat an apple.

And then I left them to it.

I could not bring myself to give anything to these two, though it was all Taktur and not Dreki.

I finished my work and got home to find Floss feeding Haakon, et al their usual green sludge.  Only Haakon was pawing the ground, rolling and then walked away.  Total panic.

So I got him into the school – he was lame so of course I felt awful asking him to walk and quickly gave up.  Floss brought Iacs and Klængur over for company and now we are letting them eat around the house to a) keep an eye and b) there is green spring grass.

Plus some carrots I was given.

As long as Haakon is eating, then I am ok.  If he gets colic again, well then I am not…. and probably he is not either.  Oh, the worry.

Kappi and Efstur have gone. They loaded, unloaded fine and set off happily to their new destination. It is a fine calm night for sailing and they will be met the other end and taken to Daisy’s livery yard.  I must admit Floss and I are really going to miss them but it was good to see the boys excited about their new adventure and lives together with Daisy.

Meanwhile, we were feeling a little bleak.

So Floss and I visited the Minions, sat down and were very soon hugged.

We felt a whole lot happier.

There is possibly nothing better.

A kiss given.

And a kiss returned!

Hugging Minions is good for the soul.

I think they like it too.