A windy day today and I’m not going to lie, I think everyone is fed up now.

Everything feels like hard work.  Even the regular stuff.

I worry about everyone and the situation we are in.

Having old animals around is heart-breaking.

And there really is no answer but to ride it out.

I tell myself, and everyone else, that it is the time of year, things will be better when Spring arrives, everyone feels like this….. yada yada.

And I am beginning to bore myself…..

… as well as everyone else around me.

But then I tell myself I have Haakon and I have BeAnne – both of whom I never thought would make it this far, considering, so I should count myself more than lucky. I have my world still with me.  It is truly wonderful and a ruddy miracle.

I think I just feel meh because I haven’t ridden for ages.  That will be it.

Anyway, sorry for the whinge. It’s always good to talk and writing it down has helped.

The snow and ice vanished overnight, which is wonderful. I feel so much less stressed.

We fed those that needed buckets – Lilja, Sóley (who kicked their’s around) as well as Fivla and Vitamin (who inhaled their’s) – and then we gave the washing up to the little ones.

They were on very good form too. Happy, happy, happy.  Lots of little noses in my pocketses.

We could tell they were relieved the snow had gone but disappointed that we refused to bring them any hay/silage/haylage to eat.

When we arrived with only 4 buckets and some carrots, they were in fact quite cross.

But I explained that fat little Shetland ponies do not need extra food in a 50 acre field that has grass if they go and look for it.

There was much looking once we took the buckets away.

As well as some begging!  They don’t give up.

A little film.  I like my little films.  I hope you do too.

After a night of rising temperatures, we are now living in a sultry 6 degrees something and the snow is finally melting.

So we have the sheet ice to contend with.

Plus a Force 9 gale going on. This morning was “interesting” trying to feed horses with buckets and haynets.  We were caught in the wind, and off we skidded along the track.

When it got scary, I turned off the anti-lamb electric fence and we scrambled over that instead to get to the Old Men with their food.  Driving up our track to get to Leradale was also “interesting” but I drove up the side and we got there.  Minions checked and fed, I made the decision to reverse up the Leradale track because there was nowhere safe to turn the car around.  But we got home safely after sliding down our track.  Phew!

Intrepid BeAnne insisted on her walk, and was all over the place.  Silly girl could’ve gone on the green bits, like me.  But no, that’s Patterdale terriers for you. They know best.

And this afternoon, I made a very small film.  Enjoy.

Hot chocolate all round. We deserve it.

Despite Shetland now twinning with Siberia, my game little soldier and I struggled up our track and back again.  This so-called promised thaw has just turned everything to sheet ice.  There is a gale forecast next. Nice.

After our walk, BeAnne had a lovely long sleep all afternoon in my shed, while I made a Sheeple to add to all the other sheeple.

They have a Facebook page now – HeartFelt Sheeple

(⬇︎⬇︎ today’s creation! ⬇︎⬇︎)

The Boyzens, (and the Girlzens) spend their time loafing around the croft and I managed to take some nice photos of them while the sun shone a few days ago.

Lambie’s lecherous face – it’s not pretty. He thinks he is irresistable! Yer, right.

‘Bert with a sideburn of snow.

‘Ster looking magnificent. Very Monarch of the Glen.

Lambie again – Oh well.  He appears to have curtains now!

Lambie’s thinking face.  Pahahahah!

Now this is an irresistible handsome chap.

‘Bert has an honest face.

And ‘Ster again.  So noble.

The Boyzens are very handsome Boyzens, but as their Muzzah, I may be slightly biased.  Nah, they’re gawgeous!

The snow is, at last, thinking about thawing.  While it is gradually getting warmer, there is a storm heading our way, so we are trying to stuff food into as many horses, ponies, sheep, etc as possible to get them through the grim weekend ahead.  We are all exhausted – people and animals.

Anywho, in between lugging haynets, buckets of food and water (not enough thaw to defrost any outside pipes, however), BeAnne told me she wanted to go for a walk and set off, with or without me.

This is her enthusiastic start.

And then her determined little bottom, going home. Like I said with, or without me!  A terrier wants what a terrier wants.

I wanted to take some photos of Clothie in the snow as I thought they would look rather good in black and white so I followed the sheep tracks in the hill ……

It is all still very beautiful.

And then I popped by to gaze in admiration at Taktur’s beauty and Efstur came up for a chat.

Now off to learn how to make jiaozi (dumplings) now for a belated Chinese New Year.  Exhausting, I tell you.