Harry and his Mum, Maggie, spend most of their time by the fence looking into the hill.  I don’t think they actually want to live there but that’s their spot during the daytime. At night, Harry takes himself firmly off to bed, despite his mother’s protestations.  He loves his bedroom.  The other night, Maggie had lost him and I found him fast asleep in bed. She hadn’t thought to look there!

Both are very good about coming when they are called.

Maggie is still nursing Harry although he eats everything else in sight.  He has a voracious appetite and is, well, rotund.

I am always followed.

…. with or without Maggie. She has to run to keep up with her little lad.

Harry is growing fast now.  He has reached the no-longer-a-cute-little-lamb or thuglet stage.

You only have to look into his eyes to see The Determination.

Nothing gets in the way of Harry.

It wouldn’t dare!

No, is not a word he likes very much.

Remember this photo? – I took it on January 30th 2020.  It is from the first day I met (and fed) Edna and Madge.

I found it when I was sorting through all my photos while deciding what to keep and not keep.

I had forgotten how awful they looked, particularly Madge.

She was so young.  In fact, now I think, she must have been much younger than we all thought.

These photos were taken a month on from when they first arrived. Still that bleak look in her eyes.

And this is Madge today.  Eighteen months on.  What a massive difference.

As you can see, she is quite the heft!

And she has a thick deep fleece.  It is massive and must weigh a lot.

I took these photos today because hopefully everyone will be sheared shortly and I wanted a record of how they are.

Even Edna, who is old and losing her teeth, looks very good.

She is a nice weight now and has filled out properly. It has taken until this Spring to really get the weight on.

Her fleece, for an old lady, is also very good.

The sheep are desperate to be sheared.  The sooner the better, I say, except for Maggie who will be done later in case Harry doesn’t recognise her!

(Lambie was busy ignoring me – hence no photo).

The other day, I gave Vitamin a prod and could feel ribs.  Not good.  So I asked Daisy to have a look, as I value her opinion too.  She agreed that Vitamin was looking a bit thin and could do with a daily feed.  She devised a feeding plan and also mentioned that Delia was being fed daily when she was the same age.

Vitamin did not need asking twice!

She spied the bucket and cantered up leaving everyone else way behind.

In the field is a little passage-way fenced off (probably created for catching sheep in by the previous owner) so it is an ideal area to let Vitamin eat in peace.

Fivla was insensed.

I have never seen her so outraged. She could not believe this.

The others were fairly laid back about this obvious favouritism.

A nose-kissey was sufficient, and of course a carrot!

But poor Fivla.  She could not get her head around this blatant unfair preferential treatment.

Vitamin ignored her.

I did talk to Fivla, and even tried to feel for a rib (she is two years younger than Vitamin) but she is keeping her weight on and tends to balloon in Summer anyway.  Sorry Fivla.

Vitamin is 27 years old, and if she needs feeding, then she will get food.  End of.

From now on, I think Vitamin will be waiting in her little area every morning for us.  She will get into her feeding routine very quickly.

Fivla will just have to remain enraged.  I might find an extra carrot for her, though.  It won’t make amends but it might shut her up.

A day away from home for me.

My job was to take my horse-van to be MOT’ed.

While the van and I were waiting, I had a stroll about, camera in hand, and went off to find another strange Shetland sight.

A beautiful old wooden boat parked in the grass, like you do.

While the garage, which is fairly new, was being built, they first began by setting this boat into a small hill. I used to often drive past it and was intrigued and a bit envious.  It looks great there.  Behind it is also one of our small airports.

Having first asked permission, it was good to see the boat close-up.

My van passed it’s MOT – Huzzah!

They also took the spare wheel from under the van (who puts them there?  Why?) and it is now living usefully and accessibly in the back of the van.  Thank you.

I went on into town, got some horse food, saw friends for a bacon sarnie and came home.  BeAnne was pleased to see me and Daisy gave me this photo that she had taken.

I needed some time out.

A grotty day.

I have been putting off and then putting off again, ad infinitum, the miserable task of going through my photos to slim them down. I take so many and want to keep very few.  Apart from taking up too much space on my Hard Drive, most of them just need to go.

One of the reasons I have been procrastinating was because it would involve Missy’s short life.  And the other was Her Maj. Still with us, but only just and it is breaking my heart.

So I gave myself a good talking to, found a bottle of Rescue Remedy and set myself the task over the next few days of sitting at my computer going through over a year’s worth of photos, deciding what to keep and what not to knowing that when BeAnne goes, I will never do this.

The Rescue Remedy is down to the last dregs and I will admit there have been many tears. In fact I am struggling to type this without crying.

When it was all too much (this was after lunch) and I needed a change of scenery, I took myself off for a walk.  Suddenly I had a little friend – Harold. He had squozed himself under the gate, much to his mother’s horror, and happily walked with me for about 1/2 an hour. I turned for home when we had gone up the road a bit, and I reckoned he should go back to his Mum (though he would’ve kept going).

Anyway, here are a few photos from around and about – more diversions. Any excuse.

4 a.m. the other morning.

Bogbean

My first orchid.

Clothie – you can see how I am currently feeling.

Squill by the roadside.  I hope the Council don’t start mowing.

Efstur.  Like Harold, always there!