We are going hour-by-hour, making no major decisions, basically just getting through the next few days until this filthy weather subsides.  Today was not as bad as I thought it would be. First thing, we put Haakon and Iacs out into a small paddock and called the others (Taktur, Klængur , Kappi, Efstur and Dreki) up from their field where they had spent the night.

The younger horses were in the shed all morning with rugs off (thank you Efstur for trashing your’s) and lots of hay. Klængur hated it. He stood back, refused to eat and wanted out so we quickly put him outside in with Iacs and Haakon.

Klængur is a loner. He doesn’t like being hassled by youngsters and now I think about it, I have rarely seen him play.

So, because Klængur found being in the stable difficult, it just seemed kinder to take him out of the situation.

He was pleased to be reunited with his old friends and obviously took up carrot begging like a pro!

This afternoon, I threw everyone back out into their field, knowing they had a rest and a good pile of fibre/food to stoke their stomach heating boilers.  Medium weight rugs were put on Efstur (this is your absolute last chance!) and Taktur as the wind is moving round for a northerly gale so temperatures will plummet.  The old men are inside tonight. I thought about keeping Klængur in too, but ended up putting him out in the field as, like I said, he is not a stable kind of guy.

A funny boy really but I do understand how he feels.

It is totally official. I am obssessed with the weather and now I think I have good reason – over four days of a storm, with gusts of Force 11 which is one off a hurricane.

I am not sure what to do, ie how to manage this. Today, I changed my mind while looking at four weather webpages and we battened down every hatch we could find.

For the old men, we decided they could go into the stable at night with a supply of hay.  During the day, they can come out and be around the house with Haakon wearing a rug, if required.  I want him to move about and have fresh air but not to have to stand outside in god-knows-what being miserable.  Floss and I will diligently poo-pick afterwards.

So is it better to:

1.  have the youngsters outside with rugs in a sheltered field (hills) and some grazing giving them hay, as and when we can get down to them?  Thicker rugs will stay on better (they don’t have leg straps – just fillet strings behind the tail).Or:
2. Have them up in a huge field with less shelter (go find a wall to stand behind it) with very little grazing, bringing them into the stable for hay for, say, a morning to rest and eat?  It is easier to change rugs daily like that as they will be nearer the stable.

Decisions, decisions.  Today, I went with Option 1 as it will be windy, rain but warm.  As the wind turns around, I might go for Option 2. Floss and I are going day-by-day as safety allows.

I have sorted my rugs into piles according to size and who needs to wear what.  There is even one for Dreki if he needs but I couldn’t feel a rib this morning.

Rugs are still drying from the last onslaught. Gah!

(Efstur’s wee pile)

We have 12 bales (£7.60 a bale – yes, you heard right) of hay cut from the Elysian Fields and then imported to Shetland on the golden wings of unicorns – words fail considering it was a good year for hay.  Hay prices always go up, they never come down.

So that’s me. I hope the electricity lasts. xx

I set out this morning, after dishing out hay and extra feed for those that needed, with a wee bag of carrots to see the ponies that live outwith Thordale.

At their field gate, hoping I would offer carrots as I went past, were Iacs and Haakon.

Their message could not have been clearer.

So I gave them a small piece of carrot each (plus a broccoli stalk for Iacs as he loves them and I happened to have one about my person).  Then I drove 2 miles down the road to Leradale to check on the Icelandic ladies.

They had a handful of “Mare and Foal” (hard feed) each and I did a quick individual leg pick up too to reinforce manners.

And then on to see the Minions, who live in the other direction.  I was greeted enthusiastically.

And I duly distributed my largesse (bag of carrots).

There was, however, one small bouncy bottom (as in “I want all carrots and they are mine and I will do whatever it takes to have them all”), so I dealt with that appropriately and he apologised.  Someone obviously forgot themselves.  Luckily, no one was caught in the cross-fire and I doubt the certain someone will do it again.

It was a surprisingly calm day.  Not a ripple.

And so I drove home, only to be greeted by these two again who obviously, one hour later, hadn’t moved an inch.  So I rugged up Haakon and told the boys to both “go and get a job”.

Well, we had rather a night of it.  The rain hurtled down while the wind viciously attacked. Indoors it sounded like a train was rushing past and the house shook and creaked.  The old men (Haakon and Iacs) were in the stable for the night but in the morning, I threw them out to get some fresh air and we called the others, who had been outside all night, in to eat a bale of hay and get some probably much needed rest.

After lunch (human), I went out to move everyone around again.  Haakon and Iacs were waiting to let themselves back indoors. They were not very impressed with outside, even though the weather was now calming down to being almost acceptable.

Floss and I led Kappi, Klaengur and Dreki out to their field leaving Taktur and Efstur in one part of the stable.

And the old men in the other.

These two make a wonderful double act.

You can tell they are related – cousins who have been together all their lives, bar a few early years when Haakon came to me and then Iacs followed later on.

Efstur (who loses weight if you look at him coldly) and Taktur (who loses weight because he is a stallion and he thinks “hot” stallion thoughts!) both had their daily food.

And then I spent the next half an hour trying all our rugs to find one that might be waterproof for Efstur.  It was good practice who was as good as gold.  I think this rug was originally his mother, Brá’s, one, when she first arrived in Shetland.  A good fit, I think.  Apparently it might stop raining next year some time.

Tonight, and tomorrow are not going to be pleasant.  Rain and gusting Force 10 so this morning, Floss and I prepared for the onslaught and then got ready to batten down the hatches.

The Minions are fine living all fatly in a friend’s field with long ungrazed grass and a good range of buildings for shelter.

So I am not worried about them.

Ditto the rather well-built ladies at Leradale.  They too have lots of long grass and the old house to hide behind if they want.  Brá is happy where she is, too.

So it is just the boys at home.  They are split into two groups.  Taktur and the younger ones are now in the lower field which has shelter from three sides and I have been saving it for just this kind of weather.

Then there are the two oldies, Haakon and Iacs.  As the sun was disappearing, I let them into the big stable and they didn’t need asking twice.

I have prepared haybags for the sheeple and they can do their own thing.  It is not that cold but as I type, the rain is now hurling itself at the windows.

It was such a pretty evening, too, but we have been expecting this filthy weather so we know what to do.  The front door is bolted (it can blow in) and there are lamps and candles ready if there is a powercut.  Unfortunately, we ran out of oil last night so we have no heating or hot water but we do have a gas stove to cook on and a multi-fuel stove in the sitting room which has a kettle sitting on it.

Hopefully it won’t be too bad tonight.