Well, I have been a busy bee working on my Great Aunt Kate’s diaries.  I am starting at the beginning, when she was 15 and living in first Bournemouth and then moved up to London.

I am getting the feel of Kate’s writing style but there is the odd word that leaves me bewildered.  Any help would be gratefully received.

Ok, so here goes.  There is one word here “I did the flowers, and changed my dress, **** on grey – etc”.  What was on grey?

Then there is this page – “Above stayed to tea, as it rained and we could not go to Mrs Wyatts.  In evening Doz accompanied me violin batiste and also other things.  Edward read to us Tennisonian, etc.”

So what is violin batiste?
Anyone know what the Tennisonian is?  Is it a magazine?

I like to double check references on t’net but can’t find either.  Again, all help, yada yada.

Anyway the diaries are fascinating and I have transcribed a whole month in two afternoons and can’t wait to write more.  It is addictive.  The woolly sheep may have to go on hold while I do this.

Daisy is away now so I am in sole charge of the horses, ponies and sheep.  When away from the diaries, I transform into a mixture of meals-on-wheels, hoof rasper (2 a day is the maximum my back can manage) and carrot distributor.

The old men now live in a separate field from the others as Taktur was picking on Haakon again and he hated it.

The rest are all happily loafing about in the big hill field.  If they come down to the gate during daylight hours, I go in with a bucket of dried alfalfa feed which I distribute in handfuls one at a time and in an order I choose.  The boys are remarkably well behaved with no pushing and barging. They line up around me in a circle and politely wait their turn!

And so that’s me and off I go, back to my diaries.  I am fascinated.

The Boyzenberries are looking particularly gorgeous this time of year.

Or as my postman says “they are looking very well”.

He may mean well-covered or even a little on the fat side.  I do try, honest.

The Shetland autumnal afternoon sunshine suits them as they graze around the croft.

The Boyzens seem very happy and settled with each other. The arguing has got less but ‘Bert is still intermittently a bit lame.  I am not sure why – I think it is just one of those things and not much we can do about it.  I give him TurmerAid if he is miserable and that helps hugely. He tells me if he wants it.

Despite this, they all still want to go out into the hill for the day and I don’t stop them.  Today, I went for a walk  and saw my three sheep miles away in the scattald with the hill sheep.  I shouted their names and the Boyzens left their hill flock friends and immediately came running to me.  We walked home companionably while the afternoon sun was setting. It was very magical.

I guess they don’t have ginger biccies on the hill which is a plus in my favour.

And neither do they serve a decent breakfast!

This is much to Lambie’s disgust. He loves his brekkie possibly a bit too much!

Just some photos from this year’s Shetland’s Craft Fair held in two huge rooms (the Main Hall and the Bowls Hall) at the Clickmin Leisure Complex in Lerwick.

Organised annually by Shetland Arts & Crafts Association and open over the whole weekend.

I love my yearly visit, although I do always end up seeing things I want for myself and not anyone else.

I managed to start my Christmas shopping, so that’s a plus.

There were some truly inspirational and lovely things.

The standard was as usual very high and, for such a small community, there are some very skilled crafts people in Shetland.

Immense variety.

The Craft Fair is also the perfect opportunity to bump into old friends.

And meet new ones too.

So I had a very happy morning browsing the endless stalls, trying to see everything whilst attempting to get myself thinking Christmas-shopping thoughts.

I could’ve bought myself piles of presents which is not the point, I know.

But I came home with many ideas too of what I want for Christmas.

You can buy almost anything at the Fair from homespun wool….

… to polar bears with great expressions ……

…. or skull and crossbones juggling balls!

What’s not to love?

We are very lucky to have this on our doorstep.

I am barely speaking to the Minions.

We moved them all to a new field down the road that we have very kindly been loaned.  Ok, yes, they were caught and loaded fine into the two horsevans.  But somehow Tiddles managed to get his headcollar off in transit (all of 5 minutes) and I stupidly said that rather than struggle with getting it back on again, I would walk him to the new field with it around his neck, taking it off in the field.

But……

Tiddles happily walked into the field and then pulled my leadrope out of my hands. He buggered off at full gallop with rope trailing and the headcollar around his neck.  Grrrr…..

For a brief moment, I thought I would leave him and take it off at a later and calmer date but in my heart I knew I couldn’t do this. I would worry. Tiddles would probably manage to hang himself and all would be calamity.

So we tried to catch Tiddles in his new field, while all his friends madly cantered off giggling every time we got near.  I even caught him once but he pulled away knowing I couldn’t hang on (my back can’t take that). Little sod.

Eventually Daisy went back to the van, found a bucket, beg/stole/borrowed some horse treats off a friend and went in rattling her bucket of temptation.  She quickly managed to grab Tiddles and get the effing headcollar/rope off him.  We left them in their huge field very unimpressed with their behaviour.

As we drove home, I asked Daisy and Flossie what they wanted for lunch, they both in unison said “pony”!

Today, I was greeted with this lovely sight.  Albie and Tiddles cantering towards me as I entered the field for kisses!

I’m not feeling the love, to be perfectly honest.

My big camera has been away, along with two of the lenses, being serviced, repaired, scrubbed and generally overhauled.

I had recently been noticing that my photos were lacking a certain je ne sais quo.  The last lot taken were when the ponies wore their sweaters and my photos were again depressingly disappointing.  I had decided that it was probably me and it hadn’t even occurred to me that it could possibly be the camera’s fault.  I had also started to dread taking my big camera out with me as the results were so depressing.

So I packed up my preciouses and sent them to A. J. Johnstone & Co in Glasgow whereupon they stripped them down, cleaned them up, ordered new parts, fitted them, tested them and sent the whole lot straight back up to me.   Professional, efficient and reassuring too.  Yes, I phoned often to check everything was ok.  I was nervous.

When I came home yesterday, there was a lovely large parcel waiting for me and I will admit I was a tad nervous to use my big camera again, just in case it wasn’t the camera but actually me.

I was delighted with today’s results.  Woohoo, my mojo is back!

(when that baby weight ain’t gonna shift!)

Enjoy xx

Many happy days ahead.