I woke up this morning to this…. I was quite surprised. I hadn’t been expecting snow, possibly because I hadn’t looked at the weather forecast recently. My weather addiction these past few weeks has been pushed to the limit looking at all the storms coming for us.

So I opened the bedroom window to see who/what was waiting for me.  Short wheel-base and orange? I think that’s Efstur.

Floss was in the kitchen cutting up carrots for everyone and we went outside to do our separate way. I make up haynets in the stable while Floss makes up the different buckets of hard feed. We are The Catering Department. She has her system. I have mine.

Floss kindly carries the haynets and I take the bucket.  I stand with Taktur while he eats his breakfast. Meanwhile Floss puts out four piles of hay somewhere where the wind won’t blow it away. She has various sheltered spots, depending on direction and strength.

While I stand with Taktur, who chews every mouthful 50 times, Floss takes her empty haynets, throws them into the stable, collects the other 4 buckets and the heavy haynet, lugging it over to Clothie (my croft across the hill) where the old men and the girls are.

Then when Taktur has finished his bucket, I take it to the stable and pick up the last haynet to carry over to Clothie to join Flossie.

She has already distributed the feed buckets according to who has what and her one haynet.  I throw her mine, grab the empty buckets and take them to the stream to wash, humming the theme from the Jungle Book – the song the girl sings at the end of the film.

Go back, clean buckets, vaccum puddles, make haynets for the sheep and then in for our breakfast!

Here he is with his best Winning Smile……

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you……. Lambie!

Be still my beating heart.  So handsome.  Such magnificence and great teeth.

I would give him every biccie in the world when he gazes into my eyes but too many are bad for him.

And then No 2 in the Winning Smile Competition…… is Maggie. Such a sweetie. Always.  She comes running if I shout her name and is ever (and rightfully) hopeful.

How can I be sad, if I have such lovely smiles around me.

The snowdrops are thinking about coming out. We are about one month behind everyone else on mainland UK but, for us, this is progress and I love it.

I even noticed the rosa rugosa is making an effort….. the ground is possibly warming up. Spring might be thinking of maybe perhaps being on its’ way, eventually ……  let’s not rush anything.

In celebration of the chance of the hint of spring, I hung my knackered old hi-viz coat out to dry (steady on, let’s not go mad!)

Today the wind has dropped down.

I only mention the wind because Floss and I decided we have at least three weather apps that are set to only talk about wind speed and direction.  This time of year, it is all we are interested in.

Ok, life is hard here in Shetland this time of year but when the sun shines and the wind drops, all is good and everything seems possible.  We have had a very rough couple of weeks recently. We deserve this.

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Here he is.  Every morning I stand guard for Taktur against marauders (*** cough *** Dreki got telled for his efforts)

And he’s very appreciative while he chomps his brekkie bucket.  He even politely asks me to do a sweep around with my hand (we call it “a scrushle”) to get the last bits before he wander off.

My reward is a good sunrise, weather permitting.  Today was pretty.

And of course I get to see his Handsomeness, if slightly damp, for ages. He eats very slowly.  Chewing and thinking about every mouthful.

The others are duly resentful so I ignore that.  They have hay.  Get on with it.

Meanwhile, in a field across the hill, everyone else is getting on well through this winter – Iacs and Klaengur ran over to their hay.  Lovely to see.

The old men are doing very well.  Fat, happy and very hairy.

Winter seems very long.