I drove Mum to the Sacred Temple of Marks & Spencers.  We trawled around looking at everything and even bought a few things.   This shop used to be one of my regular haunts when I had a “proper job”.  A Middle Class heaven but I don’t miss that life.

Home, lunch and on with our needle-felting. I made another sheep for the collection – the one in the middle was today’s efforts.

Meanwhile Mum (now on Day 2) was creating her Shetland pony.  She’s says if she is learning something new, she will always make a horse or pony so rather like me and sheep then.

Here is the finished pony.  It is amazing but even Mum would say it was a lot of work.  Incredible for a first attempt and I think she enjoyed making it.  It took longer than she anticipated, though.

Outside it it has been almost constantly raining which is good for the beautiful garden.

The huge catalpa tree in the middle is now dropping its flowers.  It looks like the aisle of a church at a wedding.

Here is the obligatory photo of Teddy who has been unimpressed with the felting. When we go out we have to hide everything from him as he is convinced we are just making wonderful toys for him to play with.  Imagine two days of hard graft reduced to its component parts by the dog! I would weep.  Off to hide the pony NOW!

It has been raining, which is good for the garden and which, of course, I spent an hour watering last night!

After a quick nip to the shops, Mum and spent the afternoon making things.  I made a curlywurly sheep to take back and to add my potential shop stock in Shetland.

Meanwhile Mum ambitiously decided to make a Shetland pony.  I think she realised later that needle-felting is harder than it looks.

After a good few hours spent stabbing everything on the kitchen table, we had a break with a wander around the garden to regroup and regain our sanity, whatever that might be. Stabbing takes a lot of concentration if only to miss your fingers and not cover said creation in blood!

While we were walking, Mum noticed a butterfly had landed close by. I crept up on it and took photos totally enchanted by its beauty and colour.

We then looked it up and identified it as a Red Admiral. I adore butterflies. We don’t really have many, if any, in Shetland.  Not beautiful ones like these.

Teddy, of course, remains his usual wonderful self.  He is so happily settled now and such a different dog from the anxious little chap who arrived a few years back.  Mum and Ted are inseparable which is just as it should be.

Englandshire is full.  Absolutely full.  So many people, so many cars but so little space.

We went out this morning. I drove Mum’s car and all I could think was thank God I learned to drive (over 30+ years ago) in central London because I doubt I would have the nerve, to be honest.  But drive I did, which is always a bit of a worry for me and all my London driving skills came back.  My father always said I drove like a London black cab, which I took as a compliment at the time, though I don’t think he meant it like that.

So Mum and I did our messages and I drove home with a huge sigh of relief. We have spent the rest of the morning sitting in grateful peace in the garden enjoying the sheer beauty of it all.

In the afternoon, I showed Mum how I make my needle-felted sheep out of Shetland wool. Yes, I had stuffed my suitcase with six bags of wool, my selection of needles and sponge pads.  Mum is a sculptor and wants to have a shot at making needle felted Shetland ponies. So she watched me make a sheep and I tried to explain the technicalities of the whole process.

I am looking forward to seeing what will be created tomorrow.  At least it won’t be a sheep, which I will go on making this week so I have some stock to take to the shop when I return.

I got up at God knows what o’clock and drove in thick fog to the airport.

Luckily the last flight the night before that flew in was my flight out to Aberdeen.  A few hours break there and then onwards to Heathrow, a taxi journey and I arrived at my Mum’s house.  I think few flights were getting in and out of Shetland for the rest of the day so I was lucky.

I am now exhausted and about to go to sleep so forgive me if I keep this brief.

The garden is beautiful.

Teddy is in good form, as ever and the apple of my mother’s eye! He has a look of Her Maj at times.  Just a glimpse.  Out of the corner of my eye I see her.

And so to bed. I’ve been awake far too long.

I am flying south (fog-willing – we have been fogbound most of the day here) to spend a week with my mother in the Home Counties.

So I went round saying my goodbyes to all my horses and ponies.  I leave at the crack of sparrows (05:00) tomorrow and take two flights, changing at Aberdeen for Heathrow.

I shall miss my chaps and chapesses but it will be lovely to spend time with my mother.

I know Sóley will change in just a week  Her baby foal fluff is falling out now and she is much darker underneath. I will have to convince my daughters to take photos for me so I can keep up-to-date.

Sóley has already grown two front teefs which she is very proud of.

And quite right too.  She is a very beautiful little filly.

Lilja is looking pretty fantastic too.  She was wandering about looking moody in the mysterious foggy light.  She is still very taken with Sóley who divides her time equally between her sister and her mother with lots of lovely cantering in between up and down the hills.  It is delightful to watch and of course I never have the camera.

So that’s me all ironed and packed getting ready for the Big Smoke and the Big Heat.  It is very hot south – about double what it is here.  I am not a fan of being hot so will complain bitterly.  I have told everyone I will miss them.  I imagine taking Haakon with me on the journey and unpacking him for my mother to meet.  She would get a surprise!