Just the usual stuff today.  Breakfast for all.

This is from my après breakfast chat with Monster.  I take a photo of him every day to send to Flossie and Daisy, in case anyone is missing him from their lives.  This is today’s offering.  So very handsome.

Monster quickly took to his bed afterwards for the rest of the day. (Note-to-self, I must hoover it. I hadn’t realised, until I saw this photo, just how in hairy it is. I am ashamed).

It’s been mostly a breezy, if sunny, day and the little ones are not enjoying their enforced diet.  They can see the grass and I am sure they can smell that spring is in the air, but I have to remain firm about this slimming lark until I am told different.

Later, I took a brush out with me and gave Tiddles a bit of a brush all over.  After a while, I got bored of that (Tiddles hates being brushed) and sat down to chat with him, which was much more preferable for both of us.

He is such a love.

Saturday afternoon and it was flute duets in my shed with our audience of Pepper who was very busy willing me to find something for her to eat.  I had nothing – she’d finished everything days ago.

So she sulked while we massacred various pieces of music in a tuneful fashion.

Vitamin – or Vitamoobag as she is known around here – is 31 years old.

I spend most of my waking hours worrying about her – is she too thin? is she eating properly?  is she ok?  why is she so hungry?  Her teeth are not great and I swoosh out her mouth daily so nothing gets stuck (and she is very good about this procedure).

(photo taken from my car)

Vitamin is still a stunning mare, with so much expression which basically says “feed me, now”.  She is obssessed with food of the large bucket variety so I worry that she is not really managing to eat any grass because there is little evidence of poos around the house during the day. She would knock me down for a bucket in a determined fashion if she had to.  Fivla is a bit more restrained.  I can feel ribs on Vitamin. Less so on Fivla.  *** sigh *** I told you am neurotic.

This is the pair of them waiting for me to let them back into the big shed for their tea at 3.30 p.m. sharp, “and what sort of time do you call this?”

Monika from Sandness Equine Services is coming round to weigh everyone soon so that will give me a good indication of whether I am keeping the weight on Vitamin and Fivla, while trying to get the others to lose the kilos.  These days I am so neurotic about everything, I am not really thinking straight anymore.

My morning started with a superb rainbow over the big shed.  I shall obviously be looking at both ends for the pots of gold, though I fear that I am hardly going to find much in the feed shed.

And Lambie’s field is not really a likely place, either.

Anyway, clutching my three buckets, I went to feed the Icelandic horses.  Everyone has their own spot and Kolka eats around the corner.  But she quickly appeared having wolfed down her breakfast on a mission to steal Iacs’ food.  I said she couldn’t.  She said she could and we went on like that.

I don’t like thieves (or liars for that matter) and luckily Kolka was content to talk to me rather than pursue her ambition.

I also wanted to protect Haakon who had arrived late to his bucket and had some catching up to do.  Luckily, he had the small hoover attachment with him who “helped”.

Meanwhile Kolka worked her charm.  She does enjoy a chat.

Kolka is quite the character and rarely any trouble. However, I keep away from her back end and tell her when I am walking round her, praying to the Gods she doesn’t kick – she has form and it isn’t pretty.  But as long as she knows where I am and where I am going she is ok with me.

I think by now we’ve reached an understanding and she is not stupid.

Little Fivla was enjoying the almost-spring sunshine.

The old ladies like being around the house and try and mug me when I’m outside for extra buckets of food because basically I offer a waitress service 24/7 apparently.

This morning saw Tiddles and Waffle go to the vet for their two weekly (Tiddles) and monthly (Waffle) non-fasting resting insulin blood test. 

While waiting, Waffle somehow managed to slip his headcollar off.  It’s his party trick.  So I put on a smaller one and did it up tightly.

They both loaded and travelled like pros.  Once we’d arrived (we, as in I asked OH to come too to help as it was a two pony job), we had to wait a little while.  Tiddles got more and more anxious, threatening to rear (all 2″ off the floor).

OH tried talking to him.

In the end Tiddles gave up and just looked utterly miserable.

The vet finally was free and while he got his stuff and himself ready, OH walked Waffle around the car park, while I tried to keep Tiddles on this planet.

It wasn’t too difficult as Tiddles had now adopted his most miserable expression.

Tiddles was first up and I am fearful he will become needle-phobic as he always jumps at the initial pin-prick. He does hate this procedure very much but I told him what a brave soldier he was being and we got through it.

(could Tiddles look anymore pathetic? – I think not).

Waffle was the perfect little chap.  He had to have blood taken twice (vet error) and didn’t even mention it.  A quick chat (ok, rant about hidden sugar and alfalfa in everything) and we loaded up and went home.

As you can see, no one had missed them much and once back, I noticed there was lots of playing and running around this afternoon but obviously not when I had a camera to hand. Tiddles has stopped being depresssed now.

So, where were we?

Ah, yes, Molly took her big fish and left.

We waited for a while wondering if she had swum away.

Then I decided to see if I could find Molly.  She wasn’t far away – just under the pontoon – apparently a favourite spot.

She knew we were looking for her.

Fish quickly eaten and Molly was deciding if she could eat another…..

I love her watching her think.

She didn’t exactly beg but she patiently waited.  I didn’t want to get in her way so stayed on the sidelines taking photos.

And then Molly was gone.  She swam away after eating her second fish, which was fine. I felt like I had been visited by someone magical.  What a perfect morning.

Oh yes, I also got to see my first shalder (oyster-catcher) this year.  I knew I had heard them earlier screeching away that spring is on it’s way….. eventually.