Lovely sunshine this morning, then snow and hail but that was later.

One of us has to stand guard while Vitamin eats her now massive bucket of food and tomorrow the equine dentist will visit (huzzah!)

Fivla gets an absolute smigeon of food as she would complain bitterly if she didn’t and, once she has finished, anyone around gets to clean up.

Today’s clean-up crew, aka Storm and Newt.

They took it in turns.

And Newt was actually not that awful.

He managed not to declare war on his cousin, Storm.

And I told him I was very proud of his self control.

I decided that Newt is actually a miniature yak.  We just didn’t know.

Silver waited patiently because he is a good boy.

As was Waffle.  They were my two stars today.

Albie was lurking.

The optimism is always immense.

Meanwhile, Vitamin finally finished her bucket so I caught her, and led her out to wash her mouth out.

And the optimism dwindled – there was nothing left in her bucket!

And someone has just arrived home after three weeks away working ……. ready to mend the Rayburn (Arctic conditions in the kitchen this past week), mend the zip on my coat, mend the light, mend the …. well, everything really!  And, yes, there is a list.

I howled with laughter.  A brilliant card!

Someone is horrible at the moment.

Small and beastly, Newt is going around attacking unsuspecting well-meaning citizens.

Most of them are ready for his teeth.

Some even give as good as they get.

Sadly it does not deter him.

And it is not very nice.

I am ashamed but I get the feeling Newt doesn’t really care.  He is never sorry.

Not even slightly.  If it isn’t his teeth, it is his bouncing bum.  He is not dissimilar to a turret on a tank, rotating to fire out shots.  He is a lethal weapon.

Tiddles was having none of it and got kicked in the teeth for his efforts.

So, I took matters in hand and we had words. I told Newt exactly what I thought of him, what I expected of him and what would happen if he continued his despotic rule.

And then I told everyone else just how much I loved them.

More!

Bloody Newt. I wonder if it is the spring grass coming in or he is just bloody-minded.

And lastly we have the two Buckskin Duns – or “Duckskin Bums” as they often end up being called.

Haakon and Iacs. They are cousins with two years between them.

Haakon is slightly lighter in colour, and has a white crescent “star” on his forehead.  He also has blonde highlights in his mane and tail and beautiful black tipped ears.

Iacs has a smaller insignificant star and is darker. He has “zebra” stripes on his withers and legs. They are most visible in the summer when he has a shorter coat.  Both have a strong dorsal stripe.

These two are very similar in many ways.

Except Iacs has a silly frilly.  No one else has a frilly quite as silly.