It is snowing outside and the north wind is bitter. I don’t want to think about how the grass has stopped growing.  Grrrr….

So, I have been busy in my lovely little studio, shed, she-shed, shudio, creation station, whatever, my space and have two orders ready to go out to the shops in Lerwick next week.

I am very excited.  Ten handmade needle-felted sheep made in Shetland (by me) using 100% Shetland wool.

OH and Daisy helped make the box and a lovely friend designed the banner for me moments before I threw my laptop out of the window.  I am not very good with Photoshop.

So that’s these lads ready to go out into the big bad world and hopefully be snapped up.

I am just waiting for stickers to be printed so for the meantime I have put a little hand-written one on their tummies.

Then there are the puffins.

Although totally made in Shetland, they are not created out of Shetland wool, but I still like them all the same. Like popcorn, everyone is different!

So that’s my craft work.  Now to start ten curly sheep to complete another order.  I also have visitors.

I’ve been busy.

Flossie, my younger daughter, is learning a new skill.

This is Suzhou embroidery (su xiu 苏绣), or Su embroidery for short.  Dating back for over 2000 years, this traditional Chinese silk embroidery is “famous for its beautiful patterns, elegant colours, variety of stitches, and consummate craftsmanship. Its stitching is meticulously skillful, coloration subtle and refined.” (Wikipedia)

For more information and history about this exceptional embroidery type, look here.  Su embroidery is breathtaking and the creations are stunning.

Anywho, Flossie has taught herself to do this.  She bought herself a book (The Art of Chinese Embroidery: Foundation Level by Margaret Lee), read it and found what she wanted to achieve.  Then she bought the silk thread, linen, silk and borrowed a traditional slate frame plus stand.

We now have our own stand and OH looked at the slate frame design and has made her a bigger version for her next embroidery piece.

Floss started by doing a test piece using cheaper linen and working out the stitches required.  She has very kindly given me this piece plus I have first dibs on everything she makes.  A mother’s perogative, I think.

And now she is working on the real thing on the fine silk background.

So that’s what Flossie does when she is not going to interviews, keeping up her Chinese (Mandarin), revising, doing tests, feeding and riding the horses.

I am full of admiration.

(so proud *** sniff ***)

Gosh, it is cold out there.  I mean seriously cold and I am totally to blame.

The reason?  I put away my winter jerseys and with that the North wind swiftly arrived bring freezing weather.  My excuse is that I had been lulled into a false sense of security with a couple of weeks of temperatures rising, the mud finally drying up and the grass starting to grow.

I admit it. I was stupid.  I should’ve known better.

(my view from my shed this morning)

And what fell out of the sky at frequent intervals.  It was miserable out there.

Proper hail.  Large lumps and it ruddy well stings.

The struggle is real.

Yesterday, we were given a fishbox full of pasta la besta carrots by Turriefield so we put them in buckets to fairly distribute amongst the needy and starving.

We also put rugs back on Haakon, Efstur and Taktur.  I have asked for another bale of silage to be delivered too to see the horses through this cold spell.

Meanwhile the carrots will have to fill them up.

Floss and I dished out some to the Minions.

They were also enthusiastically received.

And this is the view now from my window (17:00).  Yes, the sun is shining again but it is -2º Celsius going down to minus 6 tonight.

I am glad Haakon has his thick winter rug on.  I worry.

Now off to unpack my winter sweaters. Thermal vest on.  Check.

Those that are fed hard feed get fed in the garden because it is easy to lead them through the little garden gate and let them stand there to eat. I say OH does not mind as long as we don’t do it all the time.

We are lazy and it is easy.  BeAnne is also on duty to stop marauders.

Monster watched us to check we were doing everything right.

These two have a very good relationship (mostly).

BeAnne also found time to grub around while Haakon was eating. Not much gets past Haakon but if it does, Her Maj is on paw to quickly snaffle it up.

There is a chilly mean north wind blowing today and Monster didn’t stay around long choosing to watch us from the warmth of indoors like a ghost cat.

When everyone had finished their food, we put them back into their field, took the empty bowls back to wash and return to the shed.  The sheeple were about having come home early from the fields.

I laughed when I saw ‘Bert.  He does this occasionally.

I love the way he looks so relaxed and at home.

Surprisingly no one has ever tried to join him or get him off the table.  It’s his spot.

Floss and I often have the conversation of “who in our household is actually normal?”  We rack our brains but really there is no point, because the answer is “no one”, as you can see and I love them all for it.  Who wants normal?  So dull.  Normal is for other people, not us.

We’ve had a lovely day spent with friends from Norway.  Lunch and then onwards to meet and greet.

Our visitors wanted to meet everyone.  They definitely said so and that is obviously why they came all the way from Norway.

Lambie was enchanted and enchanting.  He really does work the room, or in his case field.

First up were the are-they-pregnant(?) mares.  The general consensus is that Hetja is pregnant just not really showing and possibly not about to give birth any day soon.  We’re in for the long haul then.

Everywhere we went around the croft, Monster came too.

Watching a very visible white cat running and shouting across the hills wearing what he thought was his Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak (patent pending) made us all laugh.

Then onwards to meet the Icelandic boys.

Everyone was personally introduced.

They all behaved impeccably….

….and the horses too!

Into the car and a quick drive over to Leradale for a good Minion mugging.

It is always nice to make new friends and to proudly introduce my little herd of Shetland ponies.

What a nice day! ❤️