I took these photos yesterday after Daisy said “Mum, quick, look in the paddock – Haakon and Lilja are grooming each other”.  We had brought them all in for the farrier, even though it has been tense these past few days so this was a major breakthrough.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Sóley was trying to attract Iacs’ attention.

“Good luck with that” we all said.

Iacs was shocked at the mere suggestion of anything “sexual” (please say this in a creepy voice!)

But I must admit, Sóley was fairly insistent.  Full marks for pushiness.

She had fallen in lerve…. again, good luck with that!

But Iacs was having none of it.

He tried his hardest to ignore Sóley’s “come hither” looks.

He ignored her, preferring grass to anything else.  Poor Sóley, she was very disappointed.  Walking backwards into Iacs achieved nothing.

Meanwhile, Haakon and Lilja were busy booking a room!

At least this lot are settled and happy.

Farrier day today – we had a few.  First up were the girls, Lilja and Sóley who were ok, not brilliant, but it was their first time in the shed for a few years and also first time using the hoof stand.

Sóley learned how to be tied up and behave.  Always a useful skill.

Then it was Taktur and, while Kappi was being shod, I drove over to check on the Minions and give Fivla her TurmerAid.

Back home, I found it was Klængur ‘s turn. He has been off work with shoes off too due to a “brushing” injury.  It has healed well (and now it has grown down a bit, we can see the damage – poor boy).

I led my boy back to his field where he met Harry for the first time – Harry and Maggie were in a separate paddock as I don’t trust the young boys (Dreki and Efstur) with a small lamb.

Maggie had been complaining all day about her incarceration so I gave in and they had some lunch to make up for their grotty day.

Harry met a chicken.

(note the food on his nosey!)

Meanwhile, our farrier, Stephen Gardiner, was shoeing Efstur.

Harry has just learned independence, much to Maggie’s horror.

He ignores her pleading to follow her and investigates everything.

He is a determined little chap.

Last up was a trim for Dreki.

So that’s everyone shod or trimmed who needed it.  A good job well done and now I will be back in the saddle.  Yay!

It was  “One of Those Days” today.

They say trouble comes in threes

• I managed to leave my Bank card at home – you know when you see yourself putting your essential Bank card in your handbag but actually it just falls onto the sofa without you realising and you set off happy in the knowledge you have it (or not!)  I limped along all day with an old credit card.
• I lost my Tesco clubcard – I saw it briefly at the chip shop as it dropped onto the floor, picked it up and then immediately vanished never to be seen again
• I threw away fish and chip lunch leftovers (thinking they were just my empty paper wrapping) which Floss had saved to take home for the cat – I hate waste. There is always someone who will eat leftover food.

I spent the day perhaps not in the best of humours.

Town was not busy.

It was Wednesday, many shops don’t open and it is also half-day closing for some of the other’s.

One good thing, however, I ordered myself a new camera and it should arrive in a few days (hurry, hurry – fly on the gilded wings of unicorns!) I am very excited. I have spent many recent evenings researching, asking advice, writing out lists of pros and cons of each camera and eventually made my final decision today, having talked to a Shetlander who has this model. I even got to handle it and the minute I picked it up, I knew that this could be my kind of camera.

I shopped local. These days especially, I feel it is important.

A quick visit to see my woollies in their field.

The colour of the town…..

And the colour of the country….

Exciting times ahead with a new camera!!!!

Harry is not a fan of our Shetland weather.  He loves his little shed and possibly any shed he can hide from Maggie in, while she shouts her head off for him looking for him.

But he is a sheep and he has to live in a field, at least during the daytime.

So, my neighbour and friend, Monika, knowing that the weather is going to be nastier in the next few days, came round with a beautiful hand-knitted lopapeysa (an Icelandic wool sweater that are water-resistant) for Harry!

It is stunning and I will admit we both had our doubts as to whether it would fit or not – I thought it looked enormous, but once on, we both immediately could see that the sweater was a perfect fit and Harry looked wonderful.

Maggie was suspicious. She knew her little boy smelled all wrong.

Harry, on the other hoof, told his Mum that he loved his sweater and it was perfect for him!

While Maggie knew Harry was her’s, she wouldn’t let him drink, so we caught and held her while Harry had a proper drink.  Then I took off his coat, and wiped it all over Maggie so that it stopped smelling of new jersey and became something she was familiar with.

And that did the trick.

Harry has worn his wee gansey all day and he is very happy in it.  Being an only lamb he has no one to run about with and keeping warm. He tends to get cold, and hunchy, very quickly which is not good for him.

The call for tea-time!

I have been checking on Harry all day. He doesn’t notice his coat or mind it one bit.

And this is the final proof.  Harry is happy and Maggie is happy as well.  A huge thank you to Monika.  What a perfect present for Harry.

(The sweater is only for day-wear. At night, they both come in to the small paddock and Harry takes to his shed while Maggie starts shouting for her breakfast at about 3 a.m!)

This morning we took Lilja and Sóley home.  We were hoping that things would settle overnight but it was very apparent they were not making friends in their new field.

Once home, we gave the young ladies a good brush (got rid of their winter coats) and put them into a paddock to rest – so then they shouted endlessly for any friends.  Dammit!

We decided Haakon, Iacs and Klængur might fill this role.  How wrong we were.  Klængur started attacking the girls so I evicted him.  He is now living with the Taktur and his friends (Efstur, Kappi and Dreki).

He hates me.

Lilja and Sóley (asleep behind Lilja) seemed more settled with the old men.

Well, so I thought. I was hopeful until I saw Haakon chasing the two girls away. I now hate everyone except for Iacs who is the only well-behaved horse in our herd.  For the moment, as it is a big field, I am leaving the old men with Lilja and Sóley in the hope that a) Haakon is too old to chase the girls away and will give up and b) things might calm down.  If not, we will have to think of something else.

Floss and I went over to “be Minioned” in their new field as a distraction from all the politics at home.  I am so bored of it.

Another delight was Harry this morning who made an old tyre his home – he was very happy there.

I wish everyone would sort themselves out. I have had enough and I hate seeing Lilja and Sóley being bullied. They don’t deserve this.  Bloody horses.