My back if very painful now.  I struggle with the littlest of tasks but I have to keep walking. These days I rarely ride as I hurt too much afterwards – which I find very sad.  However, walking is good for me and can make a difference to how I feel many hours later.

I ask the Boyzens if they want to come too.

I walk my usual route, along the road, but it is always nice to have company.

Today, we were doing quite well, nicely walking along together until Flossie came driving down the track and with that everyone “took to the hills”.

I kept going with BeAnne and Lambie decided to come along too.  He ran as fast as he could to catch up.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon walk.

And so we walked to Watness cattle-grid gate and back.  My usual boring route that is what I can manage and enough of a distance to do some actual good to my back and how I feel afterwards.

BeAnne was on a lead when we were on the public road because there are sheep with lambs everywhere.  Lambie does not need to be on a lead.

Once on our track BeAnne took herself home with her devoted follower (mother and son).

Lambie will always remember who was there for him when he was very little.  He knows.

Anywho, on with admiring the scenery.  It really was very spectacular.

I noticed that a kind someone had put ‘Bert and ‘Ster back into their field, which they are sharing with the Icelandic horse fatties.

One day I will go for a walk with all my Boyzens but it is always nice to have speshul Lambie, Muzzah and BeAnne time.

Somehow it is always less complicated.

It is hot, it is nearly summer (not quite yet) and so I wear a hat because I am very pale skinned and burn in any sunshine.  I always have and have been sunburnt enough in my youth to realise this.  Hence the hat, the very important hat, nay (neigh), my essential hat.

So Lilja stole the hat off the top of my head.

Lilja had it and Tiddles wanted it.

Newt decided he wanted to have a go.

Storm’s found a whole new potential.

Albie had a shot.

Then Tiddles got the hat and now Lilja wanted it.

Tiddles was teasing Lilja.

So Lilja took back the hat.

Tiddles returned to have more fun with my poor hat.

My hat was doomed. It was never going to be the same.

Albie returned for another quick murder.

Lilja was obssessed.

Waffle joined in.

Everyone except for one Minion – Silver – wanted to play.  He was busy behaving and being beautiful.

Did I mind?  Nah.  I luffs my silly little boys (and Lilja who started it all).

(Fivla and Vitamin weren’t at all interested – they are too grown up for that and possibly snoozing).

My hat may not be the same again!

Taktur is looking superb.  He is prancing about impressing his two Lady-Girls.

A few days back, one of the girls walloped Taktur rather visciously in his bits resulting in some nasty swelling.  When we discovered this horror, we immediately took Taktur away from his mares to assess the situation.  We decided on some cold hosing to reduce the inflammation plus a few days on Danilon (anti-inflammatory analgesia) but this resulted in the mares shouting for their Handsome Prince while he went beserk trying to get to back them.  So the general consensus was to leave Taktur with his mares, and with “gentle exercise” everything would get back to normal on its own – and it has.  Phew.

Taktur is still a sweetie but we try not to interfere too much.  He gets a crunchy-munchy after I syringe his drugs down him.

The Lady-Girls are very “come hither” now.

It is all a bit Game of Thrones at the moment – especially when they reverse towards Taktur!

I think Taktur has moments when he realises life with his male friends was somewhat less stressful.

This is a real case of “be careful what you wish for!”

And then we noticed this strange behaviour.  Why is Taktur obsessed with sniffing Hetja’s feet?  She kept lifting them up for him.

I have written in the diary the relevant dates and now we hopefully wait for 330 – 345 days for the forthcoming bebbies.

Little Albie – I call him “Albert Potato” and I am not sure why.  We adore him (actually, we adore them all, but Albie is always speshul because we were his Mum from an early age).

And in return Albie loves us.  When he was little, we brought him his food.  There is a connection – food + Mum = love.

When we go into the field, Albie is always first up for hugs and nose-kisseys.  There is something just a little bit different from the others.  He has nice manners and will stand forever beside you passing the time of day.

While he is very happy to be one of the guys, Albie always runs back to us for a hug.  He needs to know that everything is ok.  Right from the start, it was my dream to see Albie settled and accepted in my little Shetland pony herd.

I love the way Albie then canters back to the herd, having had his hugs.

Then there is the necessity of annoying of someone who also loves to play – that would be Storm, then.

A statutory game with one of his bestie’s – Storm and Albie are very similar in the way they think and are.

And then off Albie goes to do some serious eating because that is very important too.  For a miniature Shetland pony, Albie has grown upwards (and outwards).  He obviously likes his food.

I luff my little orphan – *** sniff *** – Shetland pony.  Albie will always be my little boy.

So this was us just over five years ago (February 2013 to be precise), when Visit Scotland dressed Vitamin and Fivla in their bespoke Fair Isle cardigans.

They wore them so well.

Fivla and Vitamin were suddenly an internet hit.  The world knew about them.  It was fun, though there were folk who thought that Shetland ponies wore Fair Isle cardigans all the time in the fields and what we did was terribly cruel.  The fact that Fivla and Vitamin wore them for possibly 10 minutes maximum in each shoot and could easily and happily walk/trot around not giving a damn was irrelevant.  There are some real idiots out there.  I can say that now!

Since then many have copied but only really devaluing the brand.  We were the first.

I also know that there are a few fields in Shetland with random grey (white) and black Shetland ponies in.  Apparently visitors are told these are the ponies from the advert.  But they aren’t.  Vitamin and Fivla live in my fields.

The ladies have aged these past four years.  Vitamin is a bit greyer around her cheeks.

She looks older but is still beautiful.

The ladies remain the best of friends.  Now Fivla has lost weight, she looks wonderful – just the same, perhaps a bit wiser (my excuses for the very dirty bottom – someone is in season).

However, there is a distinct change in Vitamin.  She is sharper, a bit senile even, but she trusts me so I can catch her if I need to.  She is the younger of the two and I worry.

Fivla is just the same – always easy, always helpful – she does, though, squeal like a pig if any other pony/horse looks at her in a funny way.  We just laugh.

So Fivla and Vitamin are still going strong. However, beware imitations.