Outside hurt.  Serious owie.  This afternoon when Floss and I were on our way out to drive around feeding and checking on everyone outwith Thordale, we were caught in a barrage of hail being blown (Force 11) at us.

It was like being viciously attacked with many, many needles that were not giving up.  I have not known such horrid sharp evil pain. We couldn’t run anywhere because we were laden down with necessities and the wind was blowing us back with the hail/needles into us.

So forgive me if there are no photos of animals or weather or anything really.  The best I can manage is BeAnne in the sofa this evening.

I made her a nest for her with a lid.

And she has made it her home, while she wears her thundershirt which, although is doing good is really no match for what is going on outside.

Apparently the next two days are looking much better – a brief respite but, still, I will take what I can.  Lots to do then while the wind blows slightly less.

On the good side, however, all the animals are doing well and seem happy with our Storm routine.

I finally did it and I realise now (hindsight is such an accurate science) that I should’ve done this years ago.  I bought BeAnne Duvet a Thundershirt.

We are currently living through 3 days of storms (a feisty Force 11) and the house is shaking and rattling while outside buckets of water are being hurled at us.  It is also very noisy.

But life is good!  For the first time ever, BeAnne has not spent her day under the towel rail in the bathroom shaking.

Obviously Monster is intrigued at this new fashion and, having never suffered a day’s anxiety in his life (apart from when his battery-operated food bowl failed to open at 3am – WORST DAY EVER and yes he has five meals a day, so shoot me! You don’t have to live with him), he is not getting one.

BeAnne even managed to scrounge at lunchtime and that is how I know she is feeling fine while Hell continues to erupts outside.

After feeding horses, feeding horses again, checking ponies, feeding more horses and throwing horses out into fields where horses belong, I went to my she-shed/shudio to make a sheep and Her Maj happily came along too.

Meanwhile, Monster’s anxiety has reached fever-pitch.

So all is good.  I am glad we have this amazing invention and I just wish I had bought a Thundershirt sooner.

Just so you know, BeAnne is not wearing it 24/7, though to be honest in this weather I think she should but the instructions say she must have a break to see if it fits ok and there is no skin irritation.

Edit: The Thundershirt back on now!  She loves it. Monster is so jealous!

Another edit: A little known fact – a Thundershirt is a f***er to put on when you’ve had a gin, or two, or three……

So you know – here to help!

Floss and I are always up and out at first light which today was 08.35.

The horses are usually, though not always, waiting to come in.

BeAnne is told to go to her “bed” – her safe place.

Haakon, Iacs and Klaengur are fed first.  Haakon has calorific food and his supplements, while the other two have calorie-free fibre (just don’t tell them) to keep them occupied.

Haakon likes to eat his food peacefully and without hassle.  Hassle comes in the form of Klaengur and/or Iacs who are like vultures.  Haakon just fires filthy looks at them.

Once the hard food has been eaten, the buckets are taken away and three haynets of varying degrees of difficulty are hung in the smaller stable.  Klaengur and Iacs go and join Haakon and they then get on fine.

BeAnne of course has disregarded my order and has found herself a better bed.

A Patterdale terrier always knows best!

Then Floss and I go and call the other Icelandics – Taktur, Kappi, Dreki and Efstur – up to eat their hay in the bigger bit of the stable.

And so we leave them all to it for the morning so they can rest, dry off and generally regroup.

The sun was almost appearing as we left.

But actual daylight is more and I noticed the Boyzens had come home and were wanting in for their breakfast here at “Hotel Thordale”.

It really is a very beautiful time of year despite the three days worth of gales were are currently living through.

And this was the moment the sun actually arrived – 09.07.

Sunset tonight was at 15.16.  Again, stunning and magical. I had just come home from checking the horses! It never stops.

I have a headache (the leftovers of a migraine that I woke up with) so I am not going to bore on today.

I am also not in the best of moods as I have been fighting with iCloud and trying to back up all Aunt Kate’s diaries/notes/photos as my ‘puter has funny strange lines across it.  All the work is already backed up on an external hard disk so, if it dies, I don’t actually lose (please God) anything.

Anywho, here are some photos of the Minions from yesterday, instead.  The weather is vile – and will be for a few more days – so I am trying to make the most of the nice photos I took.

Enjoy!

Newt annoying the ever-suffering Albie, who is possibly a Saint.

Dear Tiddles looking like he is “smiling” – he was yawning.

Dr. Henry Jekyll

Mr. Edward Hyde

“Do NOT sniff there, Newt – no good will come of it!”  He must’ve been in a funny (peculiar, not ha-ha) mood.

Our beautiful Vitamin.

She is doing so well this winter.

Little Albert-Potato (that’s what I call him – I have no idea why).

The ever-expanding Waffle. He is as wide as he is tall.

Lovely Leradale.  One of my favourite places.

My two good little boys – Silver and Tiddles.

Albie with his “mother” – Fivla

Swallowed-a-button Silver.  Aloof but special.  We are coming up to the original Minions’ Anniversary of Misery – the last Wednesday of the month.

And, well, Newt.  Everyone needs a Newt.  It should possibly be The Law.

Sóley-the-Foalie, since her eye incident, has been a bit aloof from us.

She likes the idea but mostly bottles out when she comes for a chat.

But luckily now we have a secret weapon, or rather 8 secret weapons…… the Minions!

They, of course, love chatting to anyone – never fussy!  Absolutely anyone will do (or victims as they like to call them) in their opinion is good value.  Lilja is also a very sociable young lady.

Interestingly, Flossie and I decided it was Lilja and Sóley who wanted to talk more to the Minions than the other way round.  Makes a change.

Anyway, add a person into the Shetland Icelandic Meet n’ Greet and then the dynamics become even more interesting.  Look at Sóley wanting to talk but……. just not sure.

And suddenly she gets braver!

“Hello Hooman!”

And swifly becomes “one of us”.

Sóley is rewarded for her bravery efforts.

And, because absolutely no Minion isn’t a people-person,…..

She is back to her brave little foalie self again!

So that didn’t take long.

We were, of course, followed back up the hill in a very determined way.

Lilja looks so much like her dad. Those eyes. That expression.

All together now….

Sisters, sisters,
There were never such devoted sisters.
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir.
Lilja: I’m here to keep my eye on her.

All kinds of weather, we stick together,
the same in the rain or sun.
Two different faces, but in tight places
we think and we act as one. Uh-huh!

Meanwhile Hetja was busy far away stuffing her face!