The girls are beginning to learn our ways.   Manners is one thing I mind about.  I hate bad mannered animals.  They are getting better about this – like respecting my space, eating nicely and absolutely no barging or pushing. I have taught them the word “back, back” and, to some extent, they have learned I mean it.

They are absolutely not allowed in the feed shed.  Everyone must wait outside.  One foot on the door frame results in being growled at (by me) and two feet results in being flapped on the nose with my glove .  It is almost more than Edna (the old one) can do but she is learning.  However, she, and Madge, are obssessed with food.  It is their reason to live.  Nothing else. I guess if you have been starved, then it is inevitable and hopefully, as they realise there is food readily available if you don’t push, barge or nag, they will relax more into our routine.

This is patient waiting and this gets barley rings.

They are filling out nicely now.

Madge is still nervous but will walk towards me and take a biscuit.  She is thinking all the time and is a worrier.

I am hoping, as they get healthier and fatter, that the goob around their eyes, which is welded on (believe me, I have tried) will fall off.  It is a secretion from the infraorbital (preorbital) pouch.

The Boyzens are being nicer to them too. ‘Bert is best friends with the girls because he reckons where they are, food may also show up.  He also loves their mineral lick. Ever the blagger.

And as for names….. well at the moment they are Edna (as in Dame Edna Everage) and Madge (her silent sidekick, Madge Allsop), though this is not written in stone and all suggestions are appreciated and will be considered.

I am pleased with the girls. They are learning our ways and no longer walk into the house/feed shed (very little difference these days) unasked.

The power of the ginger biscuit is mighty!

It was the calm before the storm (Storm Dennis) today so I took my big camera out and about – well, mainly to photograph the Minions who were on top form.

Silver

Waffle

Storm

Tiddles

Albie

Newt

Vitamin

Fivla (asleep)

And then a few from the field.

Waffle thinking

Newt thinking

Waffle and Newt thinking

Albie looking for the place to cross the burn.

Newt on his way (I bet he was muttering).

Newt crossing the burn.

It was a slow process.  No one hurried.

I have been struggling to feed the ducks as certain sheep (‘Bert and ‘Ster) have discovered there is different food about and of course they want it.

So, I asked fellow sheep-owners if they had ducks and, if so, what was the best method of keeping them apart from sheep during feeding time.

And this is the answer – the ducks can come and go through the lower bars, that are wider, while sheep cannot. Happy days.

Frances: happy
Ducks = food
Boyzenberries = no duck food

After breakfast, I decided to make the ducky-wuckies a pond out of half an old mussel float.  There is water everywhere but they are not exploring yet.

I submerged it in the ditch that has grown over and built a little ramp of stones for getting on and off.

Edna came over for a drink.

And Madge supervised.

Once filled, I went and herded the ducks towards their new pond.

And they hated it, refusing to even look or give it the time of day.

They went back to sitting by their house – the favourite spot.

I tried a few more attempts at herding.

Look, look, look – I made you a pond.

They walked politely around it with one even managing to fly over it!  Why I bother.

Nope.

So I gave up, went away and did something more constructive.  A little while later I crept down to see Mr Wucky in the pond!!!!

He didn’t like me watching him bathe.

But he had a lovely time and later they all had a dip, one at a time, taking it in turns and queuing politely.

Frances: happy
Ducks: got a duck pond

So now the Ducky-Wuckes are beautiful and clean.

I could watch them for hours.

They are so pretty.

The colours, the patterns.

I am feeling very pleased with myself today. I have achieved.

Every day the Icelandic ladies – Hetja, Lilja and Sóley-the-Foalie – get food. Different diets for different needs.

And every day Lilja eats hers and then thinks she will move quickly onto Sóley’s for more.

Poor Sóley-the-Foalie – she gets agitated and cross and then all training we want to do afterwards goes out of the window as she is all het up and not listening. I can understand that.

So, while Floss goes down to the other field to check on the Minions,  I am left in charge of the Icelandic ladies and I have implemented a new feeding structure.

I stand between the two girls and when Lilja has finished her food (she eats very quickly), I throw one or two barley rings into her bowl, which she finds and wolfs down.  Thus leaving her little sister, Sóley, alone to get on with eating her fair share of food unhassled. I arrive with my right hand coat pocket with two handfuls of barley rings!

My system seems to be working very successfully – so far.  Lilja now understands that if she stays by her bowl magical barley rings will appear from heaven (or my pocket).  Hassle her sister, and she will feel my wrath (and it is Mighty with a capital M!)

Because of this, Sóley is much more approachable and listening to anything Flossie wants to talk to her about and that is all good. I am now guarding Hetja so she can finish her grub away from circling vultures.

I can completely understand that if your big sister is hassling for your food, all future conversation is not going to work.

Floss usually checks and hugs the Minions while I deal with the ladies next door – Hetja, Lilja and Sóley-the-Foalie.  She then walks back up the hill and reports back anything I need to know.

Today, I accompanied her because I have missed my nose-kisses and I wanted to see if anyone had lost an ounce of weight.

I checked and prodded looking for ribs and can happily report that everyone is absoluely 100%, there-is-no-doubt-about-it, doing very well this winter.

There are no ribs.  We don’t know what ribs are, do we Tiddles?

If anyone has lost a smidge of weight, it would be Fivla and, as she was on the fat-side coming out of summer, I am not sorry.  Floss gives her a special daily dose of TurmerAid as she is an old lady and this Shetland winter weather is harsh.  She loves it.  Her own private food.

Today Floss gave it to her in Lambie’s bowl to make it easier and less waste.

Newt got to clean the bowl.

It was good to hug and chat to the Minions.

Albie was doing his best to command all the attention.  He is like a kid in the school photograph – the same one that appears at both ends of the photo!

I think we could safely describe Tiddles as stout!

And Silver was a leg in each corner.

So despite their convincing protestations, this little lot are doing more than fine in their winter field.

Dear little ponies. ❤️ They never fail to make me smile.