It was a perfect morning so I took BeAnne for a walk on our local sandy beach with the sole purpose to be introduced to a lovely black Sprocker (springer x cocker spaniel) girl who belongs to a friend.

Of course the dogs totally ignored each other while us, the owners, walked up and down the lovely deserted Shetland beach having a good chat.

I like to try and encourage BeAnne to meet and make friends with new dogs.

The beach was lovely – cold, dark and in it’s winter mood.

We had the place to ourselves.  We didn’t see a soul which is always good – perhaps I am turning into BeAnne or she has turned into me.

All was going smoothly until it was time to go home.  I offered my friend and her dog a lift home so they got into my car and then I looked around for BeAnne.  She had vanished until I spotted a Sit-Down-Strike going on a few yards away.  I sighed and went to chivvy Her Maj into the car as she wasn’t going to budge.

We drove back to my friend’s house and was rewarded with a lovely cup of coffee.  BeAnne and her new friend quickly settled down together which was lovely to see.

The cat also introduced herself.  So it has been a day of new friends for Her Maj, which is good because I think, like me, she has become very insular in her old age.

It was a dark and stormy night – no, it actually was.  We had fierce winds with massive short sharp rain showers, like someone throwing a bucket of water out of the sky.  This morning the wind was beginning to die down and I went out to feed the sheep while it briefly hailed.

Storm damage from last night was fairly small – one garden gate ripped off its hinges and a stable door had blown open so I reckon we got off relatively unscathed.

Even though we are past the longest night, good daylight is a rarity these days.  Having had a fit of cleaning the kitchen (New Year, new resolution), I drove over to check everyone at Leradale.

Yes, I brought vegetables.

You may possibly be able to tell.

The little ones were, of course, not moving much and it worries me that they just stay in one place despite having a massive field to live in.

So I loudly waved my bag of veg and they all followed me across the burn and towards the better grazing.

Waffle and Storm never left my side, or my pockets. Faithful followers.

Even Vitamin and Fivla appeared without me having to drag them over.

Having reached some nice pasture, the herd left me to my bracing New Year’s Day walk – New Year, another resolution.

I went onwards, turning back occasionally to check they were all still where I’d left them.

Having done the circuit, it was home to clean my tack – yup, another New Year’s resolution.

Today I am feeling very virtuous, positively saintly.

It’s been a tough 2018.  I will admit that.

We said goodbye to many beloved members of the family.  Too many.  It was awful.

Obviously Delia was on borrowed time and her demise was sad but inevitable.

But the loss of Wu and then, in the blink of an eye, Loki, was tragic and both deaths were very unexpected and shocking.

As a family, I think we all felt very robbed as suddenly a gaping hole in our family appeared.  We were not prepared.

We did our best, but failed dismally with Little Cattie, the calico cat that was given to us.  She took one look at our family and left.  So that was that.  For those that mightnot know, Little Cattie subsequently turned up again safe and well with her previous owner where she will now remain.

So Daisy and I went on the boat south and found, or were we found (?), by Monster who said we would do and made himself at home straight away.

He managed to settle in very quickly.

and has never looked back.

So, life goes on.

The animals we lost were loved and we did our best.  At the time, I always wondered if we could have done more, but in my heart I know we did all we could for them.  They were loved.

So here’s to 2019 and the future.  A huge thank you to everyone who reads my mumblings and for your wonderful support too.  It is hugely appreciated and I ❤️ you.

May your fridge door always be open and all the food fall out, as Monster would say.

An Addendum

Puzzah, I forgot Puzzah.  He was not with us for long but he was family in a sort of Mafia-esque way.

During my search for an email address to write my Christmas thank you letters, I found these photos of ‘Bert and Lambie taken by some friends in, we reckon, Summer 2015.  It was back in the days when I was a loved and appreciated Muzzah.

Little Lambie was obviously being unhelpful and uncuddly. “Get off, Muzzah.  Ziss is vey uncool”.

But he was such a dude but always a Mummy’s boy.

I love seeing my Boyzens all small and extra cute.

I found these videos in my Youtube account as well.  They make me smile when I watch them.

But the sheeple grew up and are now huge hulking great Boyzenberries who like biscuits very much (but in my heart they are still my little boys).

And here is ‘Ster who was never cuddly-wuddly as he was quite big when he arrived in November 2015.  I didn’t want him to feel left out.

I found his first blog post.  We have all moved on since then.

An Addition

The weather – it comes, it goes and some us are obssessed with it and that would be me, then.

Today was no exception.  There were good parts, which we immediately grabbed and did stuff like ride our horses and then the bad parts, in which we just rode out, got wet and wondered what we were doing outside freezing.

First I rode Haakon, who was a good boy.  He took me to the bottom of the canter track (a little over a mile away from home) in a variety of gaits which he chose.  While Taktur cantered up the track, Haakon stayed at the bottom, meditatively chewed a cauliflower stalk and waited for his friend to return.  It was a nice, if cold, ride.

Next up, after I changed into some warmer boots, I took out Klængur who was fabulous, fast-going but listening to his own voices.  Not a ride for the slow or the semi-retired.  Anyway I tell myself that riding a willing horse keeps me active and on Klængur, as Daisy reminds me, I have to actually ride and not just sit there.

Klængur enjoyed himself.  He is a funny little horse with many foibles – today he spooked at a bird and then something he imagined.  For the bird, I stayed on.  For the something imaginary, I told him to “get a grip” and his fear was not indulged.  I think he spooks to see if I am still there.

So that was my day.  Riding horses because tomorrow the weather is a-changing.