Another amazingly calm, if cold, beautiful day in Shetland.

So, armed with a pair of small sharp scissors, I went and cut every horse and pony’s tail off!  No, I just trimmed it really.

I was fed up of seeing the long tails dragging along the ground in the mud and dirt and I am sure they equally hate standing on them.  That must hurt.  So a-chopping I went.

It was very satisfactory work made much easier by everyone’s rare exemplary behaviour.  I barely needed Floss and her headcollars.

We arrived ill-prepared (wrong size of headcollars for the big ones) so I was amazed when Lilja stood there having her tail trimmed for, I think, the first time in her life.

What was more odd was that I caught Brá with just a rope around her neck and she never moved or had an opinion.

Feeling inspired, I went out and trimmed everyone else’s tail in the boy herd at home too.

The Gods must’ve been smiling – there was a beautiful rainbow as well.

So that was a job well done – 19 tails now trimmed.  I was very impressed with my horses and ponies.  They all behaved beautifully.  Like I said, most odd.  It must be Christmas!

A lovely calm day.  Everyone was out enjoying the sun and total lack of wind – a rare event this time of year.

Floss and I drove to Leradale for the daily check where we found the ladies taking a siesta.

Floss topped up the water buckets while I fed and checked the Icelandics.  Their field, although perfect, does not have a consistent running water supply and I worry.  So we have two buckets of water extra just in case because you never know and I have a thing about water being available all the time everywhere to everyone.

Anywho, once I had got over my water hysteria, we went to visit the MInions and have a little sit with them.

There really is nothing nicer than sitting on a bum-numbingly cold rock chatting to little Shetland ponies.

Tiddles kept his distance but at the same time managing to look mysterious…..

…. as well as rather splendid on the Shetland hill skyline.

In that heap of ponies is Flossie being loved/mauled.

Waffle is very taken with Lilja at the moment.  He tells he is her Handsome Prince.  She is less convinced but likes being near her Minion friends.

Fivla and Vitamin consistently hang around the gate so that they can frighten and bore Hetja and Brá with endless stories of pregnancies-they-have-known. 

So that’s everyone.  All happy, eating and enjoying their winter quarters.

It was raining and I didn’t feel like riding much, my bones were aching and Haakon was soggy (which is a pathetic excuse, I know).  I am really a human barometer.

So today was for visiting friends and distributing the last of the contents of my Christmas sledge.

These are a few photos from my travels.

On my way home, I dropped by Leradale with a bag of chopped up carrots for fair distribution to the inhabitants.

I was very enthusiastically meeted and greeted.

Soggy noseys were kissed.

This is Storm’s “I’m a good little boy” face.  Bless him for trying.

I don’t actually think the Minions have moved around their ginormous field since we put them in over ten days ago.  They are all very settled and Waffle stop sticking your tongue out.

It was such a nice day, yesterday, that I took a camera with me when I went to check on the two herds of horses and ponies that live away from home.

Leradale is left alone for half the year so it can become the perfect grazing for the Icelandic lady herd and the Minion herd in the winter months.  I don’t worry about them and wandering around Leradale in the Shetland winter sunshine is a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

In the upper field, where the Icelandic ladies are, is an old derelict crofthouse.

I would truly love to live here – the house obviously needs doing up but it is a secret dream of mine.  One day.

After doing the necessary checks, hugging and dishing out of carrots, BeAnne and I set off for our walk around the croft.  It is always good to check the boundaries.

I feel truly happy and relaxed when I am at Leradale.  It feels like home.

I try to imagine how the Neolithic folk lived, what they did and how they felt. You can feel their existence, like they are on the edge of your eyesight, if that makes sense.

Nothing had been disturbed.  Everything was still the same.

As BeAnne and I wended our way back to the car, the Shetlands spotted us.

As did Lilja.

The Gods smiled when I bought Leradale.  It is my happy place.

Today was much better weather-wise than the past few days.  This is what I saw when I opened the front door after lunch.

A rare glimpse of the sun with Klængur and BeAnne.

Haakon was nearby stuffing his face while trying to look optimistic.

Floss and I had been riding earlier in the morning – it was fabulous – and we had left our horses around the house as we were moving them all to the back field later in the day.

There was a lovely light and I really enjoy having the boys around ( and yes, I would let them into the house if I could get away with it). 

While they were grazing, I popped over to Leradale to check the other two herds and BeAnne volunteered to come along too which hasn’t happened for a while.  So, for her reward, I took her for a walk (and she took herself for a swim) around the croft – pics tomorrow.

Home again, horses moved and I went to sit outside to watch the sun go down with my Boyzenberries.

They may have mostly seen the error of their ways, though Lambie is in a terrible sulk. It is not being indulged.

I sat on a very cold rock surrounded by ‘Bert and ‘Ster who were very chatty and we watched the sunset together.

‘Ster and I took selfies.  I think we make a very handsome couple.  ‘Ster loves a camera.