Ok, I have had twelve hours sleep and I can do coherent sentences, on a good day.

I also processed the photos of the agricultural side of the Walls Show.

So here goes…..

There were various tents and sheds with lots to do and see.

You could learn to milk a cow.

Floss bought us two slices of delicious homemade coffee cake for a birthday treat – happy days.

An excellent coconut shy.  It was, well, exactly what it was!

Inspired fruit and veg.

Boxes of fleece – because, after all, Shetland is all about the sheep as well as its Shetland ponies.

Cows.

Goats.

And pets.

There was fruit and veg that put mine to shame (not difficult).

Yes, you can win a shield for the best five potatos on a plate.

Anyone who can grow grapes in Shetland deserves serious bling.

The usual boys-toys.

In the kirk, were the flower displays.

(A brilliant garden complete with trampoline, washing line, sun lounger and paddling pool).

A wonderful chicken arrangement

You can see the hard work and huge effort put into every display.

This proves it is not about size – just about getting it right.

The Walls Show has a Show Princess and her Attendants (and yes, they are wearing silver wellies and I am very jealous).

They were driven around the Show Ground accompanied by an Up Helly-Aa squad (not sure which one this was).

Back inside for the Home Baking Section.

This is the most amazing cake ever!

Also, in this shed, there was the knitting.

Plus crafts.

I hope you are get a feeling of the Show Day.  It was, as usual, wonderful and good fun.

There were also some beautiful old cars on display.

It was raining so while we got wetter and wetter, some remained happy and dry!

A great day.

I am dead in a heap.

07:30 start.  Floss and I worked hard – she did the preparing. I did the numbers.  Others did the leading and handling.  We all worked as a team having got it down to a fine art now (our third show).

Home now.  Gin in one hand, supper in the other.  These are the best of the photos.  More later. Everyone did well.  Bergli Stud won Reserve Overall Champion of the whole show. So not a bad result everything considered.

Everyone was very friendly. I had some lovely chats with folk I haven’t seen for an age. All good.

So now shower, then bed.  Tomorrow I will get out of bed to hug Minions only with occasional Lambie chats.   Apparently he fell in a hole in the hill and is sporting an earthy look with a huge sulk.  Go Lambie!  His therapy is the Rich Tea biscuit tin – and yes, he is milking it for every biscuit.

Also tomorrow, I might actually manage coherent sentences apart from “hold” (to complete strangers to look after whatever I needed held, while I tie on a number in brisk wind) and “is that pony clean?” to the next handler (I may have been a tad bossy but it is Show Day so all is forgiven).

God, I am tired.  That is me for another year.  Wake me when you need me.  I am now Closed for Business.

The second show – So here we are – up early.

The usual routine – brushing.

Making friends.

Pushing them out into the show ring.

Waiting in line to be next.

Everybody.

Watching everyone do their very best.

More brushing.

More friends.

Getting dressed, ready to go in.

Making sure everything is just right.

In the ring and hope you impress the judge.

Having a bit of a lie down.

Picking the right bit of tack for the right pony and its handler.

Making friends.

Running up and down.

Looking beautiful.

Going round and round with a foal in tow.

All together.

Winning.

Mother and daughter.

Watching on the sidelines.

The photographers.

The winners.

So it was all worth it – very worth it.  Floss never stopped.  She worked so hard getting everyone ready.  Me, again, on numbers and general bossing everyone around.

All worth it.

Exhausted. Drinking gin. My birthday x

The weather has not been brilliant today – rain and wind so we gave the horses and ponies a day off from us and headed off into Lerwick.

Summer in Shetland brings the huge cruise ships.  They moor in the harbour and their small boats ferry in many visitors to Shetland.  The summer bunting is out.

Today was a bit quieter than usual (no visiting ships) so we enjoyed our leisurely day, looking at the shops and having a nice celebratory lunch – one birthday, one university entrance (Masters) and one degree achieved.  Success all round.

This is the old part of Lerwick – the picturesque south end of our capital – the Lodberries where there is a hotel and some houses built into the sea.  Lodberries are piers, developed as warehouses, where goods could be directly loaded and unloaded from boats (thank you Shetland Visitor for this information – I did not know).

Apparently it is Shetland Boat Week too and even I noticed there were boats everywhere – a celebration of Shetland’s close relationship with the sea.

This anchor is a new piece of artwork in Lerwick, arriving earlier this year.

It marks 20 years of work from The Friends of Anchor (Aberdeen and North Centre for Haematology, Oncology and Radiotherapy) charity.  There are 20 anchors situate all over Scotland.

Ours is entitled “The Parting Song” by artist Lindsay Allardyce and will be on display until October when it will be auctioned off to raise funds to go towards a project to establish a world-class oncology research unit in Aberdeen.

There is a saying originating from the 19th century that states, “a Shetlander is a fisherman with a croft, while an Orcadian is a farmer with a boat.”

It was a nice celebratory day in town.  Shows on Saturday and Sunday so hard work ahead.

I am still exhausted from yesterday.  I suppose I had forgotten just how much work there is to be done behind the scenes at a Show.

So, again, I am going to take the easy option and just plaster the blog with photos that didn’t quite make the grade yesterday!

Floss and I were helping Bergli Stud.

Throughout the day, they did very well.

It is always good to be part of a winning team.

Yesterday’s Show results are as follows:

Bergli Hera – 1st – Mare with foal at foot.

So well done everyone.

Today, I cleaned the house (visitors on Saturday staying for two weeks) and then went to work packing vegetables for Transition Turriefield.  BeAnne came with me and it was nice but everything then catches up with me and by now, I just don’t have the strength to write much.  Sorry for the recycling. I think it is really off to bed and catch up on Game of Thrones.

Saturday – Walls Show
Sunday – Viking Show

So I am trying to conserve my strength.  My back is a bit tetchy at the moment and I am trying hard not to resort to analgesia.  I tell myself that at least I don’t have to run around the Show ring!