It was like this yesterday.

Truly beautiful.  Shetland at its best and I took these pics while I went for my daily walk with BeAnne.

Crisp, clear and no wind.  Beautiful light.

And then overnight we had rain and the temperature went up by about 9 degrees – from minus 2 up to 7 degrees Celsius so all the snow, that covered up the filthy mud that is everywhere, has melted and water is running off the hills, flooding the burn and subsquently the fields.

We also have sheet ice remaining which is very tiresome as well as lethal.  I hate the ice.

The horses are looking glum.  Probably because when there was snow, they were fed twice a day.

Without the snow, however, although they have a good pile of silage each, it is only once a day – in the morning.

Some are more resourceful than the others.

Some *** cough *** Hjalti (again), try to get the silage from over the fence.  Luckily Sgt Major Soufflé is on duty and takes a very dim view of this entrepreneur-ness.

Luckily we have an indoor school so those that want to ride, can keep going.  Bjørn was training Daisy and Kappi and then Daisy and Taktur.  There was the usual “help”.

I do admire Daisy – she still has her riding mojo.

Mine has vanished at the moment.

These are the photos from yesterday and are for illustration purposes only!

T’other day, Daisy and I arrived at Leradale to check everyone and to feed Delia (this was before she moved back home) only to find Dreki outwith his field.

The others were standing supportively in their field nearby, but Dreki had got over the fence.

I have no idea how he did it or where he got over but he did and he seemed pretty unphased about it.

But how to get him back?

We didn’t have any carrots or a headcollar  (stupid, stupid me) but we did have Delia’s pink bucket.

Dreki has never been fed from a bucket in his life.  I doubt he actually knows what one is.

But he does know that everyone wants it.

So I showed him the bucket and called him over to follow me.

I didn’t expect this method to work.

Why should it?

But Dreki was happy to leave the others, his Mum, his step-Mum and his sister and dutifully follow me.

I was very surprised (and happy).

Daisy opened the field gate nice and wide and Dreki walked through, and then ran down to talk to the Minions to tell them all about his Big Adventure.

All Daisy and I could think was thank the Gods it wasn’t Lilja because she would’ve been a complete and utter twunt!

I guess all that Mr Headcollar training has sunk in, even if we didn’t have one when we actually needed it.

Well done Dreki.  Boy done good.

Even though Delia has come home, I still go over every day to check each horse or pony at Leradale.

Today I took Flossie and a bag of carrots.

The ponies all came stomping over.

Each taking their time and in no particular rush (you can almost hear Tiddles humming his happy tune to himself).

Everyone knows they will all get their fair share of carrots.  That is a given.

While I was happy pottering about taking photos, Flossie was busy being everyone’s best friend.

I love it the way my daughters understand the importance of going round to each pony to talk to them (or nose kissey).

Fivla was Flossie’s Shetland pony when she was little – they have always been very happy in each other’s company.

Leradale is a huge field.  There is grass if you look for it.  It is interesting to see that now Delia has left, the herd are keener on wandering around.  I expect she slowed them down sometimes.

I kept hearing this scratching noise and found it was the Shetland ponies digging for their food.

They all did it – using a front hoof to scrape the snow away revealing the grass underneath.

This is how ponies survive the winter.

Clever ponios.

We left them to it – digging away in the Shetland winter sunshine.  The scenery may look pretty but the ground is frozen.

While there is snow on the ground, we are feeding the ponies at Thordale twice and day.

So this means all everyone stands about waiting for the dessert trolley to appear (that would be one of us pushing the wheelbarrow carrying three haynets full of silage).

Inevitably, there is lots of waiting.  No one ever seems to move.

As the sun was shining this morning, we took off the rugs.  There is no wind and there is no better feeling than the sun on your back.

Everyone is always very pleased to see me – but that could be the carrots in my pockets.

Daisy rode Taktur and I met this happy little scene as I wandering around with my camera.

The snow makes everything and everyone look beautiful.

A nice change from the eternal mud.

I spent a little while taking photos of some lovely faces!

I am convinced that Lambie practices his Look in front of a mirror.

He is just so damn gorgeous.

Just like his dad!

Actually, they all are my handsome little Boyzenberries.

Shetland in winter is very beautiful.