This is Monster in all his Monstery glory.  He is a huge character.  How did we ever live without him?

He loves sharpening his claws on anything but is good in the house about this (others have not been).  We put out a strategically placed scratching post which he has lovingly destroyed.

OH decorated it with toys and occasionally I sprinkle some catnip, which blows his mind.

There is also a faint whiff of polecat about Monster.

I dread to think how that encounter went, mostly for the polecat!

Precious BeAnne (Her Maj, aka Beatle) is doing well. She potters about in her old age doing her own thing but keeping an ever-watchful eye on me in case I have an independant thought.  We all have our daily routines and she organises her family (us) just how she wants life to be.  I believe we are very well trained.

It has taken a while, but BeAnne has finally stopped killing hens – she got through her fair share of them led by Loki (RIP), but now I think we are past that and will draw a veil over this behaviour.  Monster has never been bothered. I wonder if he was a farm cat in his previous life in Scotland.  He seems so at home here.

Meanwhile, Lilja continues to leave the older mares, coming up to take at look at whatever is going on.

Every day she looks more and more like her father, Taktur frá Velli II. 

Peas in a pod and the same temperament too.

I am really enjoying watching her grow up.

I think it is because Lilja is beside the house, so I see her all the time while Dreki, her brother is mooching about being a teenager with the other boys.  He is far more aloof than his sister.  I will go out tomorrow (if it ever stops raining) and take some photos of him to compare.  They are both 2 years old now.

Hetja is beginning to change shape……. ooooh!

My poor woolly sheeple are ready to be sheared.  It is not that hot – summer is determined to evade us – but still they are struggling in the non-existent heat and have decided that they hate all this wool.

I came outside and found ‘Ster lying down, unmoving.  Oh, the worry. I thought he was dead.

I shouted to him and nothing.  Then he just managed to open his eyes.

And straight back to sleep.  After Puzzah’s unexplained demise, I worry possibly all the time.

Anyway, eventually ‘Ster stood up, stretched and said all was well. Phew!

‘Bert has a thick wool coat along with his classy rasta dreads.

He has the appalling affliction of horns that will kill him.  They grow straight into his temples.  A terrible design flaw and his horns will be cut right back.

‘Bert, too, hates all his wool and struggles under its compact weight.

There is the odd “hentilagit” too.

Last, Lambie who is not as miserable. But smelly. He is very very smelly.

He sits in a pile around the place with the accompanying whiff of strong pee.  He doesn’t seem to mind.  I do.  The doors are always open.

So I have booked the shearer to come next week – hopefully Monday evening, all being well and then I will have some more beautiful fleece to work with.

Now to convince the Boyzenberries to come into the stable in the evening. I need to stock up on ginger biscuits.  My sheep always know when I want them and have a nasty habit of vanishing immediately!

“Part the 2 tomorrow, when Karen demonstrated more carding with a drum carder and English combs (it was a scary instrument of torture to me).” (with a day off for good behaviour!)

After a lovely lunch (homemade soup and bread – delicious), Karen got out her drum carder which looked like a fine instrument of torture.

There was already some wool “she had prepared earlier”.

Karen showed me how to feed the wool into the carder.

It was fascinating.

Karen was making a carded wool batt out of Shetland wool.

It was the English wool combs’ turn next.

Pretty fearsome.  Scary stuff.  You could damage with that.

I was shown how to load the combs with locks. The butt end on the tines with the curly bits forwards.

And then you comb and comb in one direction (passes), turn the comb round and then the other.

You have to pass it through a diz before you take it off the tines (get me with the lingo) and the result is a “combed top”.  Wow.

Anywho, my brain is frying now.  Great to watch, possibly something I am not going to do (just combing through washed bits of Lambie works for me) but good to know and a real education.

I had a lovely time with the Minions this afternoon.  I needed it.  I had spent the morning in town.  The weather was glorious and I brought with me a bag of brushes and headcollars.

Waffle loves a tote bag and was first in!

He was closely followed by Fivla and Albie.  The brushes were out.  Sometimes I think I should just bring a bag of toys.

Some friends arrived and informal introductions were made.

Seizing the moment, I quickly gave everyone brushes (total exploitation by me) and Newt happily stood for hours being tidied up.

He adores it and would just walk away if he didn’t.

No one is tied up.  Those who want to be brushed next turned up and waited their turn.

And those that don’t emptied the bag and were playing with a headcollar.  *** sigh *** Tiddles.  I likes to look revolting.  It’s his thing at the moment.

That brush was doomed from the start.  Waffle was determined.

I reckon it should be nearly time for winter again by the time Newt gives up last year’s coat.  We will just have to keep brushing.

Brushing ponies is definitely good for the soul.

A lovely afternoon.  My soul is happy now and Newt looks very smart.  Tiddles remains a mess.

I had a lovely day with Karen, my crafting friend.  She knows everything I need to know and is willing to teach me, and provide lunch too!  Excellent.

Flossie has been working hard with her Su (Suzhou) embroidery and this is her second piece.

I wanted to know how best to preserve, mount and frame her work.  I have first dibs on it all – mother’s perk.

I had been given some left-over foam board (from the Turriefield veg boards saying “hello”/”thank you”).  They were still perfectly useable and Karen cut the right sizes for each piece of silk and showed me how to stitch behind to stretch the beautiful works of art, including corners (hospital I shall do).

Then it was the turn of Lambie’s now-washed fleece.  I had brought it over to learn how to flick card (now about to order one for myself) to open up the locks.  There was of course the beautiful Breagha, the sprocker, on paw at all times to “help”.

And offer enccouragement.  I was suitable encouraged!

Lambie’s fleece is a double-coated fleece which means he is part carpet (coarse hair) and part curly useable wool.

So I watched and learnt my new craft.

The useful bits – lovely opened up wool and locks (note the lingo).

The hair will be useful – I will take it south with me for my mother. She said something about making Shetland ponies.

I tried to divide everything into black or white – wool or hair – and I think it will be good to felt with too.

Anyway, we have plenty of the raw material in its natural smelly state to work with.

Part the 2 tomorrow, when Karen demonstrated more carding with a drum carder and English combs (it was a scary instrument of torture to me).

I am loving this.