Today was a huge effort.  We moved everyone everywhere – well, it felt like it anyway.

First up were Lilja and Sóley who moved back in with their mother, Hetja and Brá, as well as another Icelandic mare and two tiny Shetland geldings.  They live over the road from us, at my neighbours’.

That is Brá in the background.  Hetja was furious about her daughters returning and is refusing to have anything to do with them.  Hopefully she will get over herself.

Lilja and Sóley are here for the summer to learn their herd manners and go back down to the bottom of the heap. Lilja was getting very up herself with the Minions.  Lilja will also start her training with Daisy and myself.

Then the Minions all went over to their summer field.  They went in 3 loads – with the help of our very kind neighbours (the ones with Hetja, etc) who offered their horsevan and selves and spare headcollars.  It cut down on a lot of driving and time too.  We each took 3 ponies and then went back for Fivla and Vitamin who had been left with a bucket of food to keep them going.

Then we took our neighbour’s gelding home so he could have some fun time with our lot.  We started him off, while we were moving everyone else, in the same field as Dreki and Efstur.  When we came home, we added Taktur, our stallion, and Kappi.

Yes, there was some loud screaming but they pretty soon settled.

Taktur is thrilled to have a new “friend” and the other three are being allowed to join in slowly.  It is all a matter of horse politics. We check on them all regularly and watch the relationships develop and statuses change.

Her Maj was thrilled when we came home.  Bouncy-bounce!

It is still very cold.  We had a brief moment when we all thought, sheep included, that Spring had arrived but no, Spring departed and we are back to a cruel north wind and some harsh rain.

Recently Harry has been looking “hunchy” and I spoke to my postie (a sheep expert) and was advised that he looked cold.

So, with the help of food, Maggie and Harry followed me into the little paddock behind the house that was Lambie’s original shed (the one with wifi and/or radio).

Harry has spent most of today asleep.  I also gave him the lick bucket as I reckoned sugar would give him energy.

Maggie is very unimpressed at this relocation and has not stopped complaining all day.

She misses the rest of the flock, who she always studiously ignores, though I did find her sharing a rock with ‘Bert the other evening.

I spent some time sitting in the shed with Maggie who frisked me for all the Animal Crackers I had about my person.

Harry pottered inside for a while.

Maggie is mostly outside and Harry is eating and drinking but he has spent most of his day asleep, using the shed as shelter from this miserable wind.

This is the view from my desk window.

The forecast tonight is rain, so I am glad Harry will have shelter.  I am almost considering getting him a wee coat or making one using BeAnne’s tankini as a pattern.

Meanwhile, Maggie is furious and glares balefully through the window while she chews her cud at me!

Tough, Maggie, look after your son.  Harry comes first.

Yesterday, Daisy rode Dreki. I was leading and Daisy was riding.

• “Thems is feets….. where do they come from, thems feets? Efstur said they would appear and they did!”
• (Who knows, Dreki, who knows!)

We stopped for they traditional family photo and then Daisy said “put the rope over his neck, walk alongside (just in case) and let’s see what happens.”

Nothing – zip, nada, diddly-squat.  Dreki was a good boy and he walked around the school, staying on the track (mostly), listening to his rider and trying to learn this new language we were teaching him.  We were all very pleased.

So, that’s the first solo flight achieved. Tick.

I love this photo. After the ride, while Daisy “did feet” (ground tied and picked them out), I was outside.  Here is Dreki noticing Harry for the first time, who was in the process of sitting down outside the indoor school.

“OMG, he is so small and teensy. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that before!”

And now, today, on my walk, I found Maggie had put Harry in a hole.  It is so cold at the moment (that ruddy north wind never stops) so she wanted him to be warm.

So sweet. He looked like a plant!

On my home (45 minutes later), Maggie had sat down next to her little flower.

Funny little chap. He fits right in.

Little Harry likes his grub.  He happily tries everything, from his Mother’s breakfast, biscuits, string, gates, anything really. He will try to eat it.

Today, when Maggie brought Harry up with her for her second breakfast (she is a little known hobbit breed of sheep), Harry discovered the sheepie lick bucket.

Oh yes!  In he went.  I watched him try to get both front legs in, while he was bouncing on the back end.

And that was it, head down and lick…..

He occasionally came up for air.

Maggie ignored this and continued to eat around him.

A little while later, she tried mentioning that maybe he had had enough.

And to be fair, Harry did lift his head and walk around the bucket.

But no, straight back in and off he went….

He looked like a naughty kid who has been caught with the cookie jar.

I left them for a little while longer.

And then, after a good 15 minutes, I thought maybe Harry might have had as much as any small lamb should have so I took the bucket away and hid it.

(From the shed door) – Harry was very unimpressed.

But Maggie had long since left Harry to his bucket and, as he refused to go with her, he sat down and refused to budge.  She refused to go back and collect him and she sat down too – the other side of the fence.  So I picked him up, still in his sitting position, and ceremoniously carried him to her! I got not thanks for that.

Small Harry is a strong-willed little chap and he likes his own way and if don’t get his own way, he ain’t budging for anyone (or unless he is carried)!  The lick bucket will be rationed!