The weather is revving up for a gale so we have done all we can to keep Thordale from blowing away like Gale’s Farm in Kansas.

Everyone here has been fed (twice), rugged if required and moved to the sheltered lower park. Hatches are battened down, sheeple stocked up with silage, chickens shut in with food/water and we have candles and headtorches at the ready.

The two herds at Leradale have access to much more food and shelter so they are fine.  All checked and happy.

So, that’s me for the day and, based on the previous set of arty-farty photos I put up (yes, that is truly the folder’s name on my computer), I thought I would have a stab at arty-fartifying more recent pictures.

Here are a few results.  I hope you like them.

(I chose this because Kappi is, as ever, eating while Taktur chases, in the most beautiful trot, Haakon who is swishing his tail in rage.)

The three ginger ninjas!

Oh Tiddles!  How could you.  Poor Albie.

Storm, with Silver, Efstur and Waffle having an unusual pensive thought.

I am particulalry fond of this set of Daisy and Lilja in the days when she (Lilja, not Daisy) talked to folk.

Ha-bloody-ha – we can’t get near Lilja at the moment!  **** sigh **** I think she has turned feral!

Awww, Taktur and Efstur doing prancing!

Playing – Efstur and Hjalti chasing Newt and Albie. Don’t worry – Newt will have written their names down in his Book of Revenge – yes, he has one.

A peaceful scene – could’ve been taken last year or 200 years ago.  Icelandic horses have always been in Shetland.

So, there you go.  I rather like them.  They are just an experiment really.

While the boys were coming to the end of eating their silage, I went out this morning with my camera.

It was lovely to see mostly everyone sharing so nicely.

Big and little (or should that be little and big).

If Newt could get himself into the box, he probably would!

I did notice that Albie was not getting a look in.

I felt sorry for little Albie.  Sometimes he is not as pushy as the others and Kappi (the orange backside) is always very keen on his food so probably wouldn’t let him in anyway.

So I got Albie his own little pile of silage.

Haakon and Iacs always share – they are cousins and look very alike.

The only way to tell them apart is that Iacs has a silly-frilly and Haakon has better highlights.

So lots of happy munching was going on – it is a very comforting and peaceful sound.

I am also a little worried about Newt so have started feeding him extra hard feed.  Not a huge amount but enough to hopefully get a little more weight on him.

Being Newt, he didn’t say no and politely dived into his bucket.

Hjalti would give his right leg for his own individual bucket of food but that is not going to happen.  Everyone is different and everyone has different needs.  It is just up to me to try and work out each horse’s requirements for their optimum health and weight.

Another gale on the horizon.  Tomorrow this herd will all be fed twice to stoke up their own personal “central heating” systems.

Once Upon a Time…….

I was a photographer of Shetland ponies.

In my bunny-faced optimism, I decided I wanted to promote the breed.

To show Shetland Ponies in their original Shetland environment.

To capture their spirit and personality.

(I found these pictures when I was looking for something else in my archives and I thought I would share)

These days, things are different.

I don’t see the same things anymore in my Shetland ponies.

It is just not the same.

I have moved on.

Also some of my ideas were copied and I don’t want to jump on my own band wagon, if you understand what I mean.

So, here you are.

A pile of photos I took nearly ten years ago that I barely recognise anymore.

Most odd.

I don’t see myself in any of them at all.

(but I still see BeAnne!)

Life always moves on.

I was also told that “anyone can do this because everyone has a camera.”

While I was looking for photos of Delia yesterday, I came across a folder called “Delia and Gwendolinda”.

Delia had three foals (six in total) with us and my favourite was Gwendolinda – named after a Muppet character, a princess.

Gwendolinda was our princess.

Except that to us she mostly resembled a wildebeest!

I think it was the large ears that pointed upwards and inwards that did it.

Anyway, it was lovely coming across the photos of Delia and her little princess foalio.   Delia was a very good mother and the photos and the memories made me smile during what has been a rather grim time.

(Today it has rained non-stop and there has been barely any daylight either).

Why did we have Delia put to sleep?  Apart from her legs – she became so stiff and could barely walk or keep up with the herd;  her teeth – she was beginning to have difficulty chewing and would spit out lumps of chewed silage.  No, for me, it was when she let Newt have her bucket of food.  I knew then it was time.   No one was ever allowed to get near her bucket.

But I will remember her in the summer with her foals and her dogged determination.  She was always a lady, never complicated and easy to work with.  A delightful Grande Dame.

Good night, Delia.

You were loved.  We just ran out of straws to clutch and now you are asleep.

Rest in peace.

Millhouse Raw Deal – “Delia”
1992 – 2018