Pepper, what do you think you are doing?

Pepper, are you hoovering up Haakon’s spilled food?

Pepper, Ahem!

(At this stage, I was shocked).

It is one thing to hoover around and clear up the spilled bits of food but to try for the bucket is another thing entirely.  She was lucky Haakon is so nice. Other’s might not have been.

And Pepper knew it, coming to sit beside me while I told her she couldn’t do that sort of thing.

After this, Pepper climbed onto my knee and then up my shoulder, with her tail wagging, telling me that I still loved her, apparently!

A wicked little girl but I have to love her. It’s The Law.

Today was less windy and, as I like to have the next bale of hay ready when we start the new one, I went to town to get supplies.

First, of course, was the normal routine of feeding everyone and making sure they were all outside and in the right place.

And then I took the horsevan off to Lerwick.  I needed to visit the two feed merchants.

The main reason for taking the horsevan – the big round bale of hay.  I also bought hard feed and salt licks for horses, ponies, sheep, old ladies, old sheep…..

I was meeting a friend on Commercial Street (the Street) for lunch too so I parked the van in the Victoria pier carpark and looked upwards to see it was actually a very nice day.  Blue sky.  Woohoo!  I hadn’t noticed.

And, if the Street was empty at Christmas, Lerwick was beyond empty in January but, having said that, everyone is gearing up for the cruise ship season which is when everything is manic.  First, of course, is Up Helly Aa – the Fire Festival on the last Tuesday of this month.  There will be visitors then too.  It is good to have a breather.

For lunch, my friend, her dog and I went to Pete’s Café & Takeaway, Lerwick and I don’t normally take photos of my food because I am not that person, but this is what I had….. OMG, it was incredible.

Original Photo – Pete’s Café & Takeaway from Living Lerwick’s Facebook Page

To have a day away from my usual life of mud, poo-picking, making a sheep, etc was utter bliss.  I know I had most of my chores to do when I got home but it was a lovely break from the norm.

I am still thinking about my lunch!

It was my turn to take the dogs out for their walk so I decided we would look at the grass situation in each field while looking out for the sheep.

The small orange dot is Pepper and we are in my biggest field – the hill park.  Parks are fields here in Shetland.

And the tiny hillock on the horizon is possibly a sheep…..

As we got nearer, my sheep/hillock theory was found to be correct.

Imagine my joy when I saw my beloved Lambie sitting in a heap of stones (possibly an old house site in the Bronze Age), chewing his cud.

Little sweetie.  So precious.

They were all about, bar Dahlia and Gussie who were close to the house looking for their breakfasts that they missed.

I wish the sheep would all be together but no one is very keen on the new arrivals.  The main culprits are actually all of this lot at various stages of the week.  Lambie has been very sexy odd/creepy with Dahlia and she hates it (she has a point!)  ‘Bert loathes Gussie who doesn’t care.  Barrel was not been kind at the beginning but is slightly nicer now.  Ditto Maggie.  Madge steers clear of everyone and Edna just wants feeding,

But we have enough land and places everyone can live without falling over each other.

Actually, I think the only one who isn’t mean to Dahlia and Gussie is ‘Ster.

He just doesn’t want to be left out and on his own.  He has separation anxiety issues.

So I left this lot and went back to the other faction to find two feed bowls of food to give to them.  My life is never simple.

It was a beautiful sunrise today.  Really stunning colours.

And it was nice to have the sun beginning to shine as I gave everyone their breakfast.

Even Haakon was enthusiastic about walking up the hill – we’ve been having a few arguments about this recently.  He wanted me to bring him his bucket.  Jog on, I said, you come up here. The walk will do you good.   I think it was the ice and snow that was putting him off.

I sat on a step guarding Haakon while he ate, as he had arrived later than the others and I knew they would pick on him.  Pepper sat on my knee.  We watched the sun rise together.

Magical.

The Fiery Patterdale Terrier ❤️

I took this quick photo of Gussie wearing his breakfast.  He is revolting in a sweet way.

And here is the sun this afternoon, just as I was going into my shed to make another little sheep.

Not that I am obssessed but it is a rare sight at the moment.  Tomorrow we’re back to wind and rain again but at least it will be much warmer.

There is still snow and lots of ice around.

Our track is just solid and scary to negotiate.

But the thaw has begun, albeit very slowly.

I title this photo “When you go outside without a hanky and you wonder whether you can blow your nose in your horse’s mane!”

Don’t worry, I didn’t. I found a manky hanky in my pocket.

The big horses are all fine. They will be pleased to see more grass again but dig away eating very little from the haynets we leave out for them.

Their choice, I tell them.

And the silly frilly lives on wild and free.

For some reason, I kept thinking “And Peggy” when I took this photo.  Kolka is coping well in this weather and I am pleased.  Her teeth, in old age, seem to have sorted themselves out (fallen out) so she finds eating easier.

Later, as I came out of the shed, having played flute duets for two hours, I noticed tonight’s sun starting to set.

I was trying to get a good photo of Silver with the incredible colours behind him.  He wouldn’t help and climbed down from his perch, coming in for his bucket of slushy nothingness.

A quiet day today, which was a lovely change.