Well, as I type this, that’s Flossie off on the plane going back to her home, job and life south.

It was lovely to see her and she was a huge help, as ever.

She gave my back had a well-earned rest from lugging anything heavier than a kettle.

Every job was shared so took half the time and effort which was also wonderful.

I think I can safely say we are all going to miss her.

Hopefully it won’t be long before she’s back. One word – Eurovision!

I spent my morning building a new track extension to miss out all the depressing boggy bits that appeared last year.  They really were very deep and Newt struggled to get across. I hated watching that,

Although, I had originally intended to just block access to these areas, I quickly realised that the ponies would lose a lot of grazing and it also took away the circular effect of the track.  Knowing my ponies, I also realised that the Shetland ponies would stay down in the farthest point refusing to move or come home to bed every evening.  I have watched their antics before.  To get them to come home is a lot of work and a lot of shouting.

Hence the track extension.  It took me a few hours but Pepper and I worked hard creating what I wanted et voilà!  We achieved a creditable and straight track that linked up with the far side.

Dear little Pepper was fast a-bye-byes all afternoon after “helping”. I didn’t have such a luxury and made a sheep instead.

Anywho, afterwards, I shouted for everyone to come home and surprise, surprise, they all galloped up the hill immediately which was good. They had a new piece of grazing (tis Monday after all) and I wondered if they would play silly-buggers.

Tiddles was tail-end Charlie but look at him go.  What a lovely trot.  That made me smile.  You have no idea.  When you think how he was just a few month’s back.

I’m not going to lie, but I am exhausted now.  Supper is warming up (leftovers from yesterday’s Thai banquet what Floss and I created) and I have the last of the gin too.

I will probably regret writing this, but the Shetland ponies are doing very well on my strict regime of utter misery and bare nothingness resulting in total starvation.

And they even enthusiastically come home when they are called in the evening.   No more messing around, which is much better.

I think one of the reasons is that there is very little grass out there and so they are hungry by evening.  They also don’t get breakfast anymore so I have a nice bucket of food is waiting for them all.  Food with no calorific content, but they don’t know that and it is filling.  Plus 2 haynets of soaked hay and another 2 later.

These days I am one tough Muzzah. I have to be.

And as the ponies all seem to be surviving and looking healthy, so it must be right.

Surely?

The dog-walk has resumed as Ted’s paw has almost healed.  We went around the fields dropping in on the horses and ponies too.

This photo made me think of Father Ted – “These [he points to some plastic cows on the table] are small, but those [pointing at some cows out of the window] are far away… Small, far away.” – Father Ted.

Gussie and Dahlia like to stay in this field too. They don’t go under the fence into the next field and the next, like the other sheep do.

So Floss and I found a dry bit of ground and sat down. I wanted to see if Gussie would go and talk to Flossie.  Surprisingly both mother and son are very scared of anyone different.

Pepper of course sat on my knee because apparently I belong to her and only her.

But Gussie was feeling very chatty too.

I love the way Gussie has absolutely no fear or concern about Pepper.  They have been firm friends since he was a lamb, and so she is someone he understands completely.

Flossie leant over and Gussie said he could possibly sniff her hand…..

…. or eat it.  Whichever worked best.  He does eat everything.

And he was still wearing most of his food – he carries a few snacks just in case because you never know when you will be hungry, if you’re Gus-Gus.

Such a sweet smiley chap.

My day did not go to plan.

Yes, it started well. Everyone in their place, eating their breakfast without a fight. Huzzah.

And I was pleased for that, although Haakon disgraced himself when he bit Fivla’s bottom (much to her utter horror).

Then, as my day unravelled, it slowly distintegrated.

Flossie and I went to town in the horsevan with the purpose of bringing a large round bale of  hay home as well as the contents of Tesco’s.  It was not to be. While horse-feed was being loaded into my van, it was mentioned that I had a flat tyre.  This was quickly inflated and we quickly limped our way to the local and luckily nearby tyre centre, only to be told they were far too busy to help us. And I couldn’t find the spare (I discovered it later propping up a fence at home). To be fair, the garage reinflated the tyre again and told us to drive home asap.  This we did, not stopping for the hay bale or Tesco’s.  Dammit.

To make up for this, and my depression of a flat tyre (possibly a corroded rim and a whole new wheel needed), I walked down the hill to the field where the sheep were.

I wanted to see if the wild primroses had started.

They had and that immediately cheered me up.  I do love the first sign of primroses.

Flossie was Queen of Sheep as well.

And that’s Lambie’s face that says he loves just about anybody else in the whole world apart from me!

Meh to everyone then.