Ok, for those of you who wondered, here is the wabbit from yesterday. You can tell it is a wabbit because of the slightly different coloured landscape (my camera-phone is prehistoric so possibly not the best).  You get the gist.

Meanwhile back in my real world (whatever that is) …..

Brá was channelling her inner derp.

Brá is the only horse I know who sees a camera and sticks her tongue out.  With me, she is always very serious – a sensitive lady when we talk.

But Brá has always been complicated.  We have an agreement.  If I need to catch her, I can.  There is usually a carrot involvement but she knows I take no prisoners and so we have to trust each other.  Never go unprepared.  That is all I will say.  I set Brá up to succeed so we can both win.  Failure only brings an argument along with resentment and that is never a good option.  No one else can catch or get near Brá which makes me think we must have some kind of relationship.

The other two ladies are easy.  Wave a carrot about and both mother and daughter come running.

I think it is a family thing.

That afternoon, the Autumn Shetland light was fantastic.

I took a couple of interesting (f-artistic) photos of Hetja.

Although Brá has lived with us for a few years now, I doubt I will ever fully understand her.

We had a storm last night – wind, rain, the whole kit and kaboodle. BeAnne woke up terrified and miserable so I lugged her into my bed whereupon she shook and panted.  I sprayed my lavender pillow mist about, stuck on the radio and hugged her little shaking panting self until she went back to sleep.

I think BeAnne still remembers her night outside a few years back when she was lost and alone in a terrible storm.

The weather gradually cleared over the day and I needed some fresh air.  I had been fighting with Garageband all morning trying to learn how it works.

So….. does anyone want to come for a walk with me?

Ok, off we go.

BeAnne, you can lead the way.

Oh, hello ‘Ster.  No I don’t bring carrots on my walks.

Careful when we get to the road, chaps.  Let’s all remember to stay safe, listen and think.

Everyone following?

No, no, we don’t stop just because we’ve taken a left turn.

‘Bert – what are you doing?  No good will come of trying to follow the hill sheep.  You know it only leads to misery and starvation.

Say nothing.  There’s a rabbit very well camouflaged.  BeAnne didn’t see it and the rabbit was not going to say anything.

Aww, Lambie, you still love your little canine Mum, don’t you?

Ok, so we’ve reached our destination and we all touch the gate to prove we got there.

All except Lambie.

We admire the beautiful view and remember how lucky we are to live in such an amazing place.

And then we all turn around and go home again.

That’s how it is on my dog-sheep walks.  Back to my Garageband masterclasses after my fresh air. I am glad I got out for a while.

I had an early lunch as it gets dark so soon these days, leaving “Harry Potter” and his invisibility cloak happy in their work.

We reckon Monster’s Best Day Ever will be when it snows and then the world will finally be his ie, he will be invisible.   His biggest regret is that everyone can see him from over a mile away.

So it was my turn for the car and I set off to the opposite side of the island where I remembered from ages back a particularly good place to see spectacular waves if the wind is blowing from a southerly direction.

Although not the perfect rolling waves, I was not disappointed.

I had been here a few years’ back during a bad gale and the waves were wonderful and dramatic, rolling and crashing their way inshore.  Sadly I was with folk who definitely did not understand the shout of “stop the car, I need to take photos” so we drove away while I vowed to return another time.

Since then I have been waiting for the right day.

But the wind had to be in the right direction and today it almost was.

Anyway, I enjoyed my little drive out.

The “locals” were out too.

And then I drove back to the “sunny Westside” where I live.  It was much calmer, although the gale has not let up all day.

It makes a nice change to see other parts of the islands and I am very aware I don’t travel about much.  I ought to get out more.

It was a beautiful morning spent putting the four horses we used yesterday evening back to their proper field to join their friends.

By taking the four away to spend a night in a different field (because we didn’t want to walk over the hill in the pitch dark once we had finished), we realised that the boys are a very tight-knit little herd who can barely function without each other.  Iacs was lost without Haakon and Efstur spent his entire night waiting for his BFF, Dreki, to come home.  Dreki had his feet trimmed so had a sleepover with the ridden boys.

Now the clocks have gone back, it gets darker much quicker.

The sun hangs low in the sky too, never reaching any great heights.

On our way to work we passed the hill ponies.  As they looked so pretty in the Autumn light, I skidded the car to a halt and reversed frantically back to take these photos.

Whereupon what-felt-like the only other car in the whole of Shetland arrived behind me so I had to move on.

We checked the girls and the Minions.  All well there.  They are happy enough and pleased to see our carrots and perhaps even us.

On with to our job at Turrifield.  Although there are less vegetables to pack now, the banter and the laughter remain the same.

This was our view from the shed where we work when we had finished, packed up and leaving to go home.

And the loch we drive past on our way home.  The light was magical.

An afternoon of rain and wind so when Bjørn, our trainer, offered to give us all riding lessons on our respective Icelandic horses in the indoor school, we all jumped at the chance.

First up was Daisy on her Icelandic stallion, Taktur.

Taktur has just had his shoes put back on and returned to work after an extensive working holiday.  He was out with his mares all summer and then had a break from everything and everyone.

Obviously, there were spectators.

I bet the “experts” discussed what was going on.

So Daisy and Taktur worked hard and all was good.

Then it was Klængur and Flossie’s turn.

It was a fine lesson and one that helped both horse and rider.  Floss was a bit rusty and Klængur was unhelpful at the beginning.  By the end they were going beautifully, a good team.  Sometimes only a lesson can put everything right.

Lambie, again, gave his seal of approval for the pocket rockets.  I think he envied their speed.

And last up, it was my turn, riding Haakon and, after 20 minutes, we were probably the best we have ever been.

Who knew?

There was me about to give up and give Haakon his well-earned retirement.

But, I think there is life in the old boy yet.

Though, I really must learn how to ride with my mouth SHUT!  I may have swallowed a fly.

(A huge thank you to Bjørn Roar Larsen for our riding lessons.  You made everything right again. Big smiles all round.)