It was a beautiful day yesterday.  The sun shining, barely much wind and now we have the beautiful Autumn colours.  Shetland in Autumn is, I think, my favourite time of year.

So I volunteered to check on the herd that live a few miles away – Four Minions plus the girls.

Everyone wanted to talk which makes the drive very worthwhile.

Silver was very kissey.

Fivla wanted a tickle.

Storm was happy pulling his idiot face.

Tiddles was happy stuffing his face.

As was Waffle.

Vitamin was in a regal frame of mind.

I adore her whiskers.

And Lyra laughed at me!

Delia is looking good.  Spot on, for this time of year.  The others are all very large and wide!  Grass bellies.

As the weather starts to deteriorate, they will all need all the heating and insulation their bodies can give them so I am not worried.

Up here, fat is good.  Fat works hard.

Earlier this year, you may remember that the Boyzenberries were expertly sheared.

We carefully rolled up their fleeces and stored them each separately in a bag with the top open, so they didn’t sweat and turn nasty.

🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏

First up, we have ‘Ster – who is a two year old pure Shetland sheep, with a katmoget Grade 1 fleece – the best you can have, so I am told.

(Handsome Sheep on the right)

Katmoget – having a light colored body with dark belly and legs, and moget facial markings (Shetland sheep markings).

‘Ster’s fleece has a natural curl and is considered very good and of the best quality.

Ster’s fleece weighs 3kg.

🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏 🐑 🐏

Then we have Lambie.

What can I say?  He has an honest face with a Winning Smile but perhaps a not-so-good fleece.

Grade 4, to be perfectly honest.  Apparently he is “double coated”.  If someone is happy to separate it, the undercoat is fine to spin – or it could be spun together to make a rug!  (from my expert spinner)

His fleece weighs 1.5 kg.

Lambie is a two year old pure Shetland sheep with a flecket or yuglet fleece.

The underneath is pretty.

So, to recap….

‘Ster – Grade 1, katmoget fleece = 3kg
Lambie – Grade 4, flecket fleece = 1.5kg

‘Bert’s fleece has already gone to be turned into something beautiful

Make me an offer. My email is frances@fstaylor.co.uk – all contributions will go to The Minion Fund.  I am happy to send a fleece anywhere in the world, if you are happy to pay the postage.

The closing date for offers on these two fleeces is a week today – 14th September.

Yes, dear reader, I found the ruddy photos!

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I have been corresponding with some visitors to Shetland who requested if they could meet the “Shetland Ponies in Sweaters”.

So we went to meet the famous ladies but minus the sweaters. They are not mine to use and to be honest, I think Fivla could take someone’s eye out with the buttons popping as she has put on a bit of weight since then.

Lyra did not understand why anyone would want to speak to her old mother and her little fat friend.

I mean, come off it, Lyra is far more beautiful….

….. And Lyra wanted the attention on her.

So photos were taken.

(Delia stayed well out of it – she does not do The Fame Game).

I also introduced everyone to our visitors, ie the four Minions.

Yes, Lyra, we see you.  You’re a Minion too and so’s your wife!

Some were a little bit busy.

It is always nice to meet fellow enthusiasts and to tell them about the ponies.  I enjoy that.

I think everyone behaved themselves.

And, yes, Lyra is very beautiful.

Today, I was all set to write the blog about yesterday’s visitors who came especially to see The Shetland Ponies in Sweaters (the ponies were nekkid as I don’t keep the sweaters).

I took lots of photos and then promptly reformatted the memory disk before I could remember to download them.

So now I am trying to recover the pictures using my trusty software while hoping for the best as it is always nice to meet new people and introduce them to everyone.

Maybe tomorrow, I will write about them.

Anywho, today has been a day of weather (BeAnne hates it and goes into one of her declines).

There was a gale and a huge amount of rain so, apart from checking everyone, I have been indoors putting my life on Ebay so that I can pay an eye-watering silage bill and Albie’s gelding operation.

Anyone fancy a first edition of James Agate’s Fantasies and Impromptus – my father collected his books as he thought he was a relative.  My maiden name is Agate.

Or perhaps a first edition of Evelyn Waugh’s Love Among the Ruins, which I am almost loathe to sell and rather fancy reading.

Or how about a Soup Dragon from the Clangers – brand new with tags (kindly donated).

Or a very large book about China?  Floss says it is very interesting.

An authentic Egyptian clay figurine complete with two sheep?

How about an Arora Wolf trinket box complete with matching necklace.  Rare and discontinued.

I apologise for the lack of photos from yesterday. I reckon it will be around midnight by the time my software may or may not have found them.

Anyway, you can always go shopping – My Ebay Stuff!

Few, if any, folk ever see me ride.  It is not a pretty sight.  There are no excuses really – my feet are odd and I look like a lump but, hey ho, that’s me and, these days, that’s how I ride.

I have been described as “sack of tatties’ but I trained Haakon from the day a saddle was put on his back and we have been together for over 20 years now.

After my debacle, Daisy, who could see I was struggling, offered to have a go.   Haakon was being very pacey (or piggy pacey as we call it).

I always value Daisy’s opinion.

She knows Haakon well.

And she got him going very nicely.

I enjoy seeing Haakon being ridden by Daisy.

She has the measure of my boy.

They go very nicely together.

Meanwhile, I continue to struggle.

It is my own fault.  I have far too many bad habits.  They go way back.

What I really need is to learn to ride again.  From the beginning.  As if I know nothing.

And that ain’t gonna happen, though I do feel that, after Haakon, there will be no more riding.

The MInions will be enough – just hugging is good.  Haakon hates hugging.