We all have a lot on our plate at the moment. Much to think about.

It is family stuff so, as it was raining, I went for a drive.

I needed to get some perspective and do some thinking.

I have my favourite route so I put the windows down, the heater on full blast and stopped occasionally to take photos of the beautiful, if soggy, Shetland scenery, flora and fauna.

Yay, to th oystercatchers – there just isn’t much sign of Spring and they usually bring it with them.  Perhaps they’ve made a serious misjudgement coming home.

When it is persisting down, there is a limit to how much time I can spend with my animals outside. I only have so many waterproofs.

Obviously we feed the horses and ponies but riding a soggy horse, even in an indoor school, is a miserable affair and very uninspiring.

So that would be my riding mojo – it made a brief appearance – now floating away.

I enjoyed my drive.  It was peaceful and I got some thinking done.

I found two Eriskay ponies eating hay.

I think they are rather special.

And then I wended my way home.

This is my soggy lot.  I really feel for them but it’s not that cold and they are eating huge piles of silage twice a day.

Apparently it might stop raining next week.

Every morning I put a headcollar on Lambie (back-to-front – it makes a very good harness) and lead him, with his friends following, out into the paddock where Albie and Newt live.  There is also a gate open to a much larger field so everyone can roam further if they want to.  The shed door is also shut (unless there is adverse weather and shelter is required) so no one can just stand in the shed.  They all have to go out and get jobs!

This afternoon, everyone had come home and there was loitering.

Lambie was practising his “Garbo” – ever the professional.

I asked the sheeple if they wanted out, ie to go to their night-time abodes – and they didn’t need asking twice.

This left the two little boys.

Newt is a hairy little yak in his winter woollies.

Albie is growing up quickly and looks a very smart little boy.

Someone asked me if Newt was this year’s foal.   He isn’t.  He is the same age as Albie – nearly 2 whole years old and 28″ high.

Newt struggles with bad hair days.

I feel his pain.  Come the summer, he will be glorious again.  I remind him of this every day.

Obviously I came out armed and of course I distributed my largesse – a carrot each, which was duly appreciated.

Newt insisted on taking his to a bog to eat it!  I give up.

I found these three boys standing together looking rather gorgeous.

Almost gorgeous!  There is always one.  Thank you Klaengur.

Hjalti is wintering well.  He is such a cool little dude.  The spit of his mother.

However, the first cousins, Haakon and Iacs, have aged a lot this winter.

I found a huge mass of grey fur under Iacs’ silly-frilly. I was shocked when I saw it.  I did not expect to see so much so quickly.  He is only 23 years young.  Haakon is a year older and has no grey hairs.

So, yesterday, I gave in and put a rug on Haakon who is looking too thin for my liking. I think that last cold spell, when I had flu, really got to him.

In his youth, Haakon would have had a hissy fit if he saw or went near a rug.  He appears to have grown out of this behaviour and is happy to accept this new fashion.

As Efstur’s rug (Delia’s ex) was not fitting very well, I bought him a new one.

By the time I had decided it was too small, I couldn’t send it back.  So I have told myself that it will do for one of the yearlings, if needed, next winter and I have ordered the next size up.  I can only blame my own stupidity.

Anyway, as both horses were happy to have a go at wrecking each other’s rug, I shouted at them and felt much better!

Every sheep, like good little boys, went into their field with the help of a bag of carrots being waved at them. Inspiration and subsequent reward are everything.

All except one.

Lambie went and sat outside the front door.

And waited.

He had a not-so-little friend too to keep him company.

(this is when she puts her head back so I can kiss the top of her head – I luffs her)

Feeling sorry for a poor miserable and now-lonely sheep, I gave Lambie a second breakfast.

And then conveniently my OH went into town.

So guess who came home!

(smug face)

Haakon has had some time off to recover from being lame.  To this day, I have no idea why he was lame but I believe in time being a great healer so that is what I gave him – lots of time, shoes off and we would reassess a few weeks later.

So yesterday, as Haakon had stopped being lame, Bjørn, our trainer and farrier, shod him – fronts and backs.

Today it was a nice, if blowy, day, and I thought I would go out for a plod to see how Haakon was now he had shoes on again.

Of course Haakon was snoozing in the morning sun.

Daisy and Kappi decided to come along too.

This is the best sight in my world.

While he has been off work, Haakon has lost a lot of muscle and condition so we thought we would take it slowly.

We went along very happily and I let Haakon make his own decisions based on how he felt.

He tölted a bit and he cantered a little, but mostly we stuck to walk.

He was the same as ever – willing and happy but not very fit.  He didn’t struggle being ridden and we went to the “top of the world”.

He had his usual argument with Kappi and wanted to be at the front.

On the way home, Daisy and Kappi trotted past (that’s them in the far distance – the small dot!)

So, I played music on my iPod and Haakon and I pottered home listening to Al Stewart!

Once the Spring grass appears, I am hoping Haakon will fill out and, with regularly riding, develop muscle.

It was lovely going for a ride again.