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

We have had heavy rain all day and the burn (stream) that runs through my land at Thordale has broken its banks and flooded some of the lower field where Taktur and the young lads currently live.

I was just going to my she-shed when I happened to look over to see Dreki standing on a rapidly flooding “island” with his friends on the other side of the burn.  I returned to the house, shouted up the stairs for a second opinion from Flossie, who was home and we both decided he was probably stuck.  It has happened before with another horse many years ago.

Donning full waterproofs, fetching a headcollar and a carrot, I carefully walked down the hill to lead Dreki to safety, not that he was in any danger.

Dreki was thrilled to see me and my carrot.  He immediately walked over to me thus proving he was neither stuck nor minding.

So I fed him the carrot since I had brought it.

Efstur and Hjalti on t’other side then decided they were stuck and wanted to come back over to where the carrots were, ie with me.

The burn was too high to cross so I threw the carrots over for them to find.

But, still they wanted to be on the other side, which was impossible – you can see Dreki’s “island” better in this photo.

By now, I had also been joined by Taktur who was feigning polite interest.

There was not much else I could do.

They will all have to wait for the burn to recede, which will probably be some time tonight.

So we have the Ginger Ninjas on one side and the Black Beauties on the other.  It is always good to colour co-ordinate.

Newt is incredibly cute.

Is it because Newt is only 28″ high?  Even some of the grass in his field is nearly as tall as he is.  He could get lost in there and we might never find him.

I know all my Shetland ponies are adorable but there is just something nummy-nummy about Newt.

When he leaves all the other ponies to come and be hugged, even my granite heart melts.

Newt is a very sociable little chap too.  He likes a nice chat.

And a quiet little nose kissey between friends.

The others are all doing very well. We have opened up the gates between their three fields as there is some wet and windy weather ahead.  The lower field can flood so I want everyone to have the option of better shelter and higher land, if they need.

In the next few days, as herd leader, I am relying on Vitamin to make the right decisions on behalf of everyone.  With the wisdom of her years, she knows the score and is is well experienced in Shetland weather.

This summer Fivla has adopted Albie and they spend much of their time together, which is lovely to watch.

Fivla has taught Albie many important skills, like manners in the herd and it has done him nothing but good.

Obviously all the horses and ponies will be checked daily and no one will be left on their own to struggle.

I always worry, though. It’s what I do best.