Daisy and I were working at Transition Turriefield packing vegetables when we were alerted to a small baby hedgehog who was around.

Oh. My. Word.

We were all enchanted (any excuse from weighing and packing carrots).

And so was Custard the Cat.  He was around too.

I boofed Custard away so I could take photos of Mr (or is it Miss/Mrs) Hedgepig and Custard was not amused.

While someone picked up Mr H-Pig, Custard proceeded to try and make himself look more interesting. So we all coo-ed and made a fuss of the little one.

(What is not to love? – I was totally smitten at this stage and wondering whether I can take HP home.)

Sorry but we ignored Custard.  He was never going to be as cute as a baby hedgehog.

I quickly took a few photos as I was mesmerised by the colour and pattern of his prickles.

They are perfect.

I also had a quick cuddle and then we put Mr HP down to continue on his journey.  He is this year’s baby…… ooooof!

There is something very special about a baby hedgehog.   It is also that time of year.

Every so often, and on a nice day, ie when it is not actually raining, I will stop what I am doing and sit down on the concrete slab outside the indoor riding manège to be hugged by whoever wants a hug.

It is usually ‘Ster.  He loves hugging.  He leans right in and smells gorgeous.

This time Daisy joined me with the sitting too, as well as Her Maj.

So while Daisy was being hugged, I took a few snaps of my surroundings.

As you can see, Lambie and ‘Bert were not in a hugging mood.  This was an aloof day.

Meanwhile up above a huge raven was rowing with a seagull.

I am sure I could train Her Maj and even Monster to welcome a raven to our family.  Just sayin’.

It was nice to have a little break chatting to those that wanted to chat while watching the world go by, mostly above us rather noisily.  I was just hoping we would not be splatted on.  An occupational hazard.

After a while Lambie and ‘Bert got up.  Another row started.  Not a very serious one.  Just bickering between Lambie and ‘Ster.  It’s a sheep thing. They do this.

Still the peace was nice while it lasted and sitting on concrete makes for a cold bottom so we didn’t stay long.

It is very therapeutic, though, feeling so wanted and needed.  Sheep therapy.

Like all of our animals, Sóley the Foaly is a character!

I don’t see as much of her as I probably should as she, her Mum and her sister are in a huge field and they vanish the minute I think I must go and say hello.

So the upshot is that Sóley is pretending she doesn’t know what hoomans are and hides behind her sister, Lilja.

Luckily, with the help of Lilja, who knows jolly well what a hooman is good for, Sóley decided she could remember again.

There is a very fine line between spending far too much time with a foal (it does more harm than good peoplefying foals) and then not spending enough time, which I fear is what we have done.

Anyway, I have put Floss on the job and she now goes out everyday to renew her acquaintance.  She particularly enjoys this work-in-progress.

(sisters, two sisters…..)

So the most strange thing Sóley does is…..

…. when she rolls….

(which she loves)….

She does this!  Legs straight up and out and we all laughed out loud!  She looked very funny.

She did it each time she rolled.

Offended at our laughter, Sóley cantered off back to her Mum.

And then had a little “mad half hour” cantering in small circles around Hetja.

Lilja just stood deciding whether to be a people person or a horse.

And then they all decided to leave, vanishing over the horizon again.  It is a bit like going on safari, when you go and find the girls.

(most odd that rolling thing. I have never seen another horse do that with their legs!)

For the past few months,  the youngsters have been split up from the oldsters.  Today, they were reunited.

I must admit that it wasn’t the original plan – they were going into the adjacent field – but it became very obvious very quickly that we would lose a perfectly good fence if they remained apart.

So I opened the gate…. and off they all went.  All except Haakon and Iacs who were more interested in the long grass!

The very-oldies did eventually move grudgingly on down the hill….

… while everyone else continued to gallumph about.

The very-oldsters would not be deterred.  Eating is always the priority.

After a while, Kappi came back with his following.

Taktur jumped – which is rare – our Icelandic horses are not known for their jumping skills.

You can see why. It was not elegant.

Taktur went over to hassle Iacs and Haakon who didn’t want any interruptions.

They made their feelings very clear.

Iacs was secretly glad to see the youngsters.

He does love a good game.

He had some fun with his friend, Efstur.

Hours of fun to be had there.

(I particularly love this photo).

Anyway, there was much rushing about and annoying each other.

They were all re-establishing the pecking order in the herd.

I have told Haakon that if it all gets too much for him, he can come out.

These days he just wants a quiet life.

And I also told Taktur that no good of this will come.  He will find out for himself.

Shetland is saving up for its own MRI scanner.

Currently, if you need an MRI scan, you have to travel to either Aberdeen or Glasgow.  Not an easy trip, I can tell you on ferry (12-14 hours) or flight (1-2 hours).  14 hours on the ferry when it is rough with a bad back is the actual definition of torture.

From the MRI Maakers website …..

“Flights shown in red can take patients to both Glasgow and Aberdeen take between 1 and 2 hours roughly, but can be disrupted by weather, including fog in particular at Sumburgh Airport in Shetland. This can mean missed scan appointments causing a delay of several weeks for the next available slot. For patients travelling to Aberdeen, there’s an overnight ferry option, which takes between 12 and 14 hours each way but is slightly cheaper. This too can be disrupted, usually due to high winds. There is only one flight to and from Glasgow each day, which means patients sent there must stay overnight. The entire cost of these journeys and any necessary accommodation costs are currently funded by NHS Shetland, on top of the fee paid for the scan itself.

With over 600 patients (and rising) being sent for MRI scans every year, some several times, this is a huge financial burden on NHS Shetland. It accounts for at least £225,720 per year in travel costs alone currently and with a 68% increase in MRI scans performed between 2010 – 2015, that figure will keep rising.”

I can attest to all of this.  As you may be aware, I have had three spinal operations and many MRI scans in the past few years.  I even had to be air ambulanced to the Aberdeen scanner.  It was beyond words.  To have an MRI scanner up here in Shetland would be a huge help to many.

So there is much fund-raising going for this vital piece of equipment and if you are interested, you can help too – LINK TO SHETLAND MRI SCANNER APPEAL.

“MRI Maakers” (Shetland knitters) have designed this beautiful hat and headband.

If you would like to contribute towards Shetland’s MRI Scanner Appeal, a PDF of either knitting pattern is available to buy and download – LINK TO THE ONLINE SHOP

“The pattern includes detailed instructions along with a list of materials and colours needed to reproduce your own Harriet’s Hat, with all proceeds going toward the MRI Scanner Appeal.”

And apparently, according to Twitter, there is going to be a Fingerless Gloves pattern coming soon.

Also, if you want a hard copy of the patterns (only hat and headband currently out), then let me know and when I am next in town I will buy one for you and post it on.  Just email me your details – frances@fstaylor.co.uk – I am always happy to help.  This is a very essential cause for Shetland and think what fun you can have knitting this lovely Fair Isle pattern.

Thank you xxx