Yesterday, while everyone ovine was busy gallivanting on the scattald (open hill), Floss and I went to Liradale for a spot of equine maintenance.

First up, were the preggie ladies.

I caught each of them – I now see that when Brá is pregnant, she doesn’t tolerate people much.

(I can relate to this!)

But Brá can’t be allowed to go feral in case there is an emergency and I need to catch her quickly.

So, armed with apples, I offered her a whole one and she held it in her mouth knowing full well that if she ran, she would drop it and lose it to Hetja.  So I caught her.

Apples are obviously the way forward and they were on offer in the Co-Op so I stock-piled!

Floss and I brushed conditioner into manes and tails and I also trimmed their tails.

Next up, were the little ones.

Vitamin had spied the apples!

Fat chance – I kept them on the other side of the fence for distribution later.

We caught everyone, one at a time, and brushed their mane and tails, as well as a trim.

Waffle loved being brushed.  He “helped” a lot to the point of offering to put on his own headcollar!

Even Lyra was caught using the now (patent pending) apple method.

Lyra dropped her apple but it was too late – I had her and, while everyone else was helping me put on her headcollar (they do that),  Silver saw it, and stole it!

Well, an unwanted apple is fair game.

Tiddles has changed.  Tiddles thinks.

Tiddles is loved.

And Tiddles plays with his stick!

So everyone was made beautiful.

I must’ve cut at least 8″ off Fivla’s tail – she was walking on it and it annoyed her.

Just before we left, we distributed the rest of the apples.

Beautiful ponies.  The best of friends.

This morning Lambie and ‘Ster refused to go out into their field.  It was my own fault – I had changed their breakfast routine and fed them breakfast outside their gate so they had no reason to be shut into their field.  I gave in and left them wandering around the house to eat the grass with Delia.

All seemed fine until Floss and I went to Liradale.  While the gate was being opened so I could drive the van out, ‘Ster and Lambie managed to escape into the hill!

Not good but I hoped that if I shouted loud enough, they would come home again in the evening.

Once home a few hours later, OH told us that he had seen Lambie, ‘Ster and ‘Bert all together with the tups at the back of the hill.  Miles away.

In the next 48 hours, it is going to rain and the light was failing fast so I decided we needed to try and get the boys back now, if only Lambie and ‘Ster.

I needed to stay at home so Flossie very kindly offered to go with a bucket and see if she could get them back.  OH followed to show her where he last saw them.  The minute I could, I followed and found Flossie walking home being followed by three sheep!

OH opened the back gate and ‘Bert and Lambie ran into the field while ‘Ster forgot how.  Bloody sheep!  We all walked back along the fence so ‘Bert could see everyone and still follow.  He had a bit of a blip at a huge bog but Flossie jumped back over with the bucket and showed him the best route through.

Now they are all home together.

Lots of buckets of food for everyone.

I am so relieved.  My lost sheep is home…….

again.

‘Ster is happy he has his best friend home.

Someone sane to talk to.

Lambie is happy he has his food.

Phew!

(sorry for the ramble – I am just so pleased to have my little boy back home.  The photos are awful as there was little light and all I had to grab was my iPad but you get the gist)

The rain had stopped so we thought we would all go out on our Icelandic horses for a plod.

We haven’t all been out for a while and I always enjoy it.

During the storms over Christmas, on our access track there appeared a rusty metal thing that managed to half fling itself over my neighbour’s fence.

The first time we met it, Haakon had a huge hissy fit but today he seemed to have got over himself.

There was lots of lovely troll potential.

Taktur, of course,  didn’t break stride while Klængur thought “this is new” and kept walking.

Haakon was in one of his speedy want-to-go-out moods.  You can see his ears are very pointy and happy.

Obviously, we saw many hill sheep.

And, yes, we looked at each and everyone – just in case.

At one stage I found myself asking them if they knew P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.

They didn’t.

We went the usual route.

Up to the canter track – sorry it’s blurry but I was trying to take a photo and canter at the same time!)

Quick appreciation of the view at the top.

More sheep to ask.  ‘Bert was not amongst them.  He was far away up Stourbrough Hill (the hill at the back of my house) – my OH spotted him.

I love riding with my daughters.  It gives us all a chance to have a really good chat.

Not.

Everyone is always too far apart to talk to!

When we got home, we found Kappi introducing himself to Newt’s box of silage!  He hasn’t been introduced to Newt properly so we are not sure what he was thinking.

Probably how minute!

‘Bert vanished into the hill yesterday.

When I called the Boyzens home from their field (it backs onto the scattald/open hill with a good fence), only two came a-frolicking home – Lambie and ‘Ster.  No sign of ‘Bert.

I walked to the end of the field and shouted for ‘Bert just in case he hadn’t heard me or seen the others come home, but he was not there.

I did, howver, see a moorit (dark brown) back end standing in the hill and going away from me.  There was nothing I could do.  He didn’t turn round when I called and the light was fading fast.

So that would be ‘Bert gone again then.

First thing this morning once it was light, I went out with a bucket of food to see if I could see him.  I did.  He was far away with other hill sheep and when I called him, he ignored me and followed the others who were quickly departing.

Desolate and soaking, I followed the sheep trails home.

OH went back this afternoon and said ‘Bert was in a group and, from the description it sounds like he has taken up with the hill tups (rams).

I phoned my neighbour who put the tups out and he is caa’ing (herding home) them in hopefully next week, so maybe we will can have a shot at getting ‘Bert home again.

So, come-home vibes to ‘Bert please.  We are all miserable without him.

‘Ster has spent the morning wandering around calling out for ‘Bert. It breaks my heart to hear him sound so miserable.  You may remember that it was ‘Ster who originally brought his friend home last autumn.

I think I heard ‘Ster muttering something about being left to look after Lambie, who doesn’t give a damn.

Addendum

(I may have had gin)

We brought the little ones (The Littlies) inside to be brushed.

They have been recently wearing their little rugs for a while now, when the weather is bad, to keep their precious weight on.

Little Albie is still not very waterproof.

(happy but still not very waterproof)

And tiny Newt is still falling to bits.  His fur is coming out in large clumps and there is not much growth underneath.  More fuzz than growth.

This is mostly on his face with the odd tuft appearing out of his body too.  I tried not to brush too much, favouring the comb-over instead.

Albie is already a fully paid up member of The Minions.

He is looking very well and is a huge character.

Because of his fraught beginnings, he remains a very sensitive little chap who instantly gets hysterical at the mention of Tor going anywhere.

I have no idea how we will take her away when the time comes, in Spring.  We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Tor is wonderful. Both her little boys adore her.

We appreciate everything she has done for us.

Some smaller people are horridly jealous, though.

They are attention-stealers.

And then they want to talk to her too.

Anyway, the little boys are good.  They live with Delia and Tor, though Delia comes out during the day to eat the grass around the house.  She wont eat silage so this is a better situation.

We measured Albie and Newt standing on the concrete.

Albie is 29.5″ and Newt is still 25″.  Although not taller, he has definitely put on weight.

Newt is a darling little chap.  Nothing gets in his way.  His determination to be loved is enormous and he doggedly follows us around.

Back on with the rugs and back into the field.  A happy little family.