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Disclaimer:  GORY PHOTOS FOLLOWING – IF YOU ARE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

These are my photos.  I have copyrighted them.  They go with this blog post and are not for using (stealing) to promote the cruelty of man, whale deaths, whale killings, whale hunting or any other such wrong doing. 

If I find them on the internet unattached to this blog, I will hunt you down with a large invoice that will make your eyes water.

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Orca washed up near Walls – Shetland News

This morning, the orca was towed onto the Mainland (the largest of the islands on Shetland) and, as it was situate just down the road,  we went to have a look.

A dead orca is a spectator sport in Shetland.

Not to be missed.

I will probably never get this chance again.

Seeing the orca up close was amazing.

The whale was examined yesterday by the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) and samples were taken at various points on the body.

The Orca or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) was a 5 metre long (15′) female, thought to be ten years old.  I have just looked on Wikipedia and apparently Orcas mature at the age of 10. I was told that this whale’s ovaries, womb, etc were all hanging outside of her body. 

I think those are the nipples usually hidden in the mammary slit (I am learning here).

I could be wrong, though. Seriously, don’t ever quote me and if I am giving out the wrong information, please tell me.

She had lots of gaugings and marks, poor thing.  The sea had taken its toll.

Her skin – the black bits – felt like plastic.  Most odd.  Very well made plastic.

I was fascinated by the difference between the black and white colour.  There was such a specific delineation.

And her teeth.  Oh wow.  Not huge but certainly efficient and effective.

The line of the tail and the fins that were visible were amazing.

I think the most disappointing part was her eye.  It was a nastly little brown slit.  Funnily enough, no birds would go near.  With my cold, I have no sense of smell but apparently she was beginning to niff a bit.

Daisy, who has a Biology degree, was fascinated.

We all were.

In the post today was a huge Amazon box containing three squeaky rubber chickens and a box of dog treats – another normal day in the Thordale household then!

There was no card or anything so whoever you are, thank you very much.  I knew just who they were for.  We spent our day testing the chickens on everyone!

Having tried out on the ponies at Thordale, we went over to Leradale armed with two rubber chickens (BeAnne wanted to keep one) and some apples.

Hetja was intrigued, though she preferred the apples.  She likes The Littlies but only from a distance with a fence in between.

Brá was not sure, though, and gave the chickens a wide-berth.

However, the Minions were on excellent rubber-chicken playing form though I think these fabulous new additions to their toybox will be more fun in the spring and summer.

As ever, they were also on tremendous hugging form too.

I love the light the snow gives, so I made the most of it and took some photos of everyone’s smiley little faces.

Is there anything better than a Minion smile?  I mean, is there?  Really?  They are all enchanting.

Even Lyra was making an effort.

She is very, very beautiful.

After exhausting all rubber-chicken opportunities, Daisy and I climbed the hill to go home.  We took our rubber chickens with us for fun another day.

They will live in the car as BeAnne is now hysterical about the last two and wants them all for herself.

My house squeaks a lot!

And to the mystery Rubber-Chicken sender – Best Present Ever!  Thank you so much from all of us xx

I like to feed the youngstock, ie Efstur and Hjalti, with extra hard feed as they are both growing lads and winter is a difficult time, grass-wise.

You would think this would be easy.  Of course they would eat.  But no, Efstur has little, if any interest in hard feed.  He eats some to be polite and then tries to wear the bucket on his head.  It is very frustrating for me to watch.

So, rather than let him kick the feed around and waste it, I contrived a cunning plan.

I added sliced carrot, an obvious and very visual favourite, to the Mare & Youngstock, plus some Cool Mix.

And then I went forth into the field where they live with three vultures!

Sorry, that would be Iacs…..

An enraged Haakon……

As well as the always-helpful Klængur.

The big boys were not happy with this situation at all.  Despite a good supply of silage in the mornings, a bucket of hard feed with carrots is always considered better provender.

Haakon wanted the food.

But I came into the field armed with a dressage stick.

Purpose – for keeping unwanted noses out of the bucket.

Expelliarmus!

This spell works well…..

(on most).

I mean it is not as though anyone is actually thin.  In the trade this is known as an “apple bottom”.  I think we can all see why.

Yes, Iacs, we can!

I let the tidy-up squad finish off.

Efstur’s bottom is on the far right.  He is looking good so I am not that worried.

(Btw, the ground, although churned up, is fairly dry and there is grass to be found on the other side of the stream and sliced carrot is answer!)

Whinge Alert!

I have a cold.
It is freezing and windy outside – a north wind which makes my bones ache too.
My back hurts – I am back on Tramadol
My nose is blocked

And worst of the worst, I can’t taste anything

/Whinge Over

There was a weather window this morning so we all made the most of it.

Shelter and a good supply of fibre, a horse’s central heating system, are everything when the weather is bad.  The Icelandic horses stay out all day and night because they are all fat, very furry and happy.  We have put them together, except for Taktur and Kappi – they get to come in at night as they are both in training.

My OH was on repair duty.  There were lots of little things to do – repair fences, important gates, etc.

The Shetland ponies were around the house last night.  Daisy went to check her boys in their stable and found all four (Delia, Tor, Albie and Newt) all curled up and fast asleep in Lambie’s second-best bedroom.

This morning, as the weather had calmed down, we put the ponies back out into their field with their boxes of silage.

Delia gets to stay outside and I gave her a block of pressed alfalfa.

These were left over from last year.

Delia loved it.

So, with everyone happy and eating, I drove over to Leradale.

It was completely different there.  It felt calmer and warmer.  A lack of the windchill factor, I think.

There is so much shelter from the surrounding hills as well as drystone dykes (walls).

When I lie awake at night listening to the wind howling and the hail crashing down outside, it is reassuring to know that everyone is fine.

In the wee small hours, I worry.

😕

I drove my younger daughter, Flossie, to Sumburgh airport this morning, leaving OH and Daisy to feed the hoards in a gale (sorry, guys and thank you!)

Because of the stormy weather, folk had been offered the opportunity to change their flight plans.  The airport was fairly empty as a result.  We had decided to risk it.

Amazingly, Floss’ plane took off on time and, as I write, has just landed in England (with one change at Aberdeen).  She said the flight off the island was “ a bit bumpy but very quick”!

I can well imagine.

Once I had dropped Flossie off, I started the drive home.

The sea is on both sides of the airport and there are three runways to choose from.

This is the end of the runway we have to drive over in the car to get to the airport.

We wait at the barrier.  It is like a train level crossing only with aircraft.  You just drive over the runway once the barrier is up, obviously.

“The western end of runway 09 crosses the A970 road between Sumburgh and the northern mainland; access is controlled by a level crossing with barriers closed whenever a flight is taking off or landing.” – from Wikipedia

Anywho, it was a lovely Christmas break and we are all going to miss Flossie very much.

Safe travels, Flossie and thank you for all your help this holiday.  I wonder whether she would fly back to Shetland if the Boyzenberries escaped back into the hill?  Do you think her Oxford tutors would understand?