It was a beautiful Spring day.  You could almost hear everyone breathe a huge sigh of relief while they watched the back of winter start to leave.

Today, I have mostly been concentrating my efforts on the electric fence, which the sheep are determined to ignore or destroy – they’ve discovered that the inner field to the track is full of lush grass.  They have no respect for my carefully built fence.

And this is the ponies’ ration of “grass” (and I use that term in its briefest sense) for the following week.

And yet everyone seems to be managing perfectly well on less-than-nothing.  How is that even possible?  The old ladies are long since lost interest in their diet and live in another field during day light hours.

And this is Stourbrough Hill that towers behind my croft – 173 metres high and an ancient place.  A group of Neolithic stone ‘knives’ (4000 – 2500 BC) all measuring about 15 by 10 cm, were found on the surface of peat (now in the Shetland Museum). I find that fascinating and remain ever hopeful we might find something lying around!

Our garden is full of daffodils and my heart is lifted by seeing the beginning of all the colour that will follow.  It has been such a long and difficult winter, you have no idea.

Surprisingly, the boys came in for their haynet at 3 p.m. (which was really 4 as the clocks went forward last night).  I thought it would be a battle.

But the mud is the same as ever and I am pathetically hopeful it will start to dry over the next week and keep going…. away.  Is this it?  Is this the beginning of Spring?  Yes, please.

This morning started well – sunny and calm.  I listened to the birds while the horses were eating their breakfast.

Apparently, I heard a Common Redshank, a Eurasian Skylark and Curlew (I have an app on my phone that tells me this and can differentiate between horse munching and birds singing – clever, eh?)

I sat with Iacs as I needed him to eat his food in peace.  Behind, Haakon was being hassled by Kolka who had finished her bucket first and was on the rampage.

While those two were arguing, Iacs finished up without interruption.

Ever the silly-frilly.

Afterwards, and once everyone else was vaguely where I wanted them to be, I drove over to Monika’s to help her with an injection for a sheep.  This, I can do.

I took Pepper with me in case anyone wanted to go for a dog walk afterwards.  She loves going for a walk somewhere different and she and Harry, the puppy, run and run and run.

Luckily they did and we went for a superb dog walk over the hill in glorious spring sunshine.

Views don’t get much better than this, do they?  In the distance is Sandness Hill which is the highest hill in the West Mainland.  Many moons ago I rode my horse almost to the top. I will never forget that expedition.  The view was incredible and never to be forgotten.

Anywho, it is shitting down outside now and I must get Tiddles and old ladies inside a bit early as the weather is apparently only going to get worse.

I put out the hay at 3 p.m. this afternoon as everyone had come into the paddock because of the vile weather.  I felt sorry for the ponies and gave them an extra haynet, noticing Tiddles and Newt were sheltering in the container – they had the soaked one.

I thought to myself “how sweet, Tiddles and Newt will surely share their haynet nicely”.

Meanwhile the other three were happily tucking into their’s.

As I could only see Tiddles, I went back to see what was happening.

And it was pretty obvious.

Tiddles wouldn’t let Newt near “his” haynet.  To be fair on Tiddles, though, Newt is always the problem and this was revenge.  A dish best served cold.

So I went into the container, moved Tiddles out of the way and Newt shot outside.  I felt I had to explain to him why this had happened. Everyone is very fed up with his horrid behaviour at mealtimes – which is basically backing up and kicking everyone in the teeth – that little bottom is lethal twice a day *** sigh ***.

I left Newt thinking about his behaviour.  Maybe he will change though I doubt it.

Luckily the others were in a more generous and forgiving mood.

And Newt soon got to eat his hay.

The thing is, Tiddles doesn’t even eat his meals with Newt so he probably did it on behalf of everyone else!

I have been shouted at most of the day by Monster who has much to say – mostly that it is raining outside.  Yes, thank you, I know that. All my outside coats and trousers are soaking wet and currently hanging up in the kitchen to dry.  I think I’ve actually run out of clothes now.

Today we took off Ted’s buster collar off as he is not bothering to try and get the little boot off his hind paw.  We trust him, which may be a huge mistake, but he is watched all the time.  Any delving in that area and it is back on.

(This is Ted’s real bed, next to mine – a lovely huge dog bed with Mum’s old v-shaped pillow – he often goes up there to be by himself especially when things are a bit bouncy between Monster and Pepper.

But today Monster followed me endlessly around the house, staring at me earnestly or shouting at me and I had no idea why.  I did ask.

When it stopped raining briefly, I encouraged him to go outside.

It was brief.

And then I found the problem…… Ted was happily sitting in Monster’s special bed that only he sleeps in and I had been wondering why Monster hadn’t been using in it recently.  It is his favourite spot.

Look at Ted’s happy stealing face.  Terrible.

Ted was not sorry and apparently he’s not moving out either.

So, to give Monster back his bed if only for the afternoon, I took both of the dogs over to my shed while I made a sheep for the shops.

OH said Ted was often using Monster’s bed.  This, I did not know and I am not sure how we are going to solve this problem.

Recently poor Ted has been in the wars.  He is now under house arrest, no walks and life with a buster collar, a hind foot boot, as well as two hourly eye drops (for his existing dry eye condition).

OH noticed on yesterday’s dog walk that Ted was holding up his back leg more than usual (it’s a terrier thing walking occasionally on three legs).

Upon closer examination, we discovered that Ted had sliced off a good chunk of the pad on his back paw.  Ouch.  Horrid for Ted.  We have no idea how he did this.

As it was nice and clean, and Ted didn’t seem at all distressed by this turn of events, I phoned the vets who said to clean it up, put a dressing on and it should heal.  So we did that, borrowing a very useful foot boot too.

Luckily, I have a very large first aid kit that basically consists of everything, including sticky hydrocolloid dressings, which are proving very useful.  Micropore sticky tape is also helpful in this case.

Ted is very good about all of this.  The buster collar is to stop him trying to get the boot off and I think is a slightly kinder version of the lampshade version.   At night, the boot comes off to let his paw air a bit.

And Ted is being a stoic.  He is the perfect patient who is pretty good about the dressing and is not that sad about the lack of dog-walks for the time being.

Obviously there is a treat as reward for every ministration so it is worth it.

With all this nursing, I hope Ted’s paw heals quickly and cleanly.