It’s been a grey old day but the wind has died down and everything is a bit easier especially when I’m not fighting the elephants, sorry, elements.

The “elephants” happily ate their breakfast buckets while I stood guard in case anyone finished first and went off marauding.  Kolka and Iacs have that badge.  They have no morals and Haakon hates being hassled.

I had Pepper faithfully by my side too.

Luckily everyone pretty much finished at the same time so there was no marauding.

A quick cup of coffee with Monster while I wrapped a few Christmas presents (I am trying to do a few every day so it is not a huge mountain left to do on the day before)…..

… and then back out to poo-pick.  Silver gets The World’s Filthiest Pony Award.  He is meant to be white, though horsey people always call it “grey” and I can sort of see why now.

Vitamin enjoys being outside but equally likes her bed-time which can get earlier and earlier if she catches my eye.

Tiddles is on painkillers and doing so much better.  He also goes in at night and he is happier in himself. Luckily, he likes his drugs (which I syringe in), and he would put on his own headcollar if he could.

Everyone is revoltingly dirty but I don’t care.  I think it is better to be outside during the day-time than being stuck indoors all the time.  The ponies get a bit more pasture every day. I just move the posts back a few feet and that seems to be enough.  They are also respecting that zappy two-strand electric fence too!

I sort of knew by this morning that today was going to have a Monster involvement.

As it is Saturday, it is flute duet day – well, flute duet afternoon and Mandy and I trudged over to my shed to play.  It didn’t take long before we heard a yowl.

While we set up our music stands, and put together our flutes, Monster made himself at home.

And he made himself known.  You know, just in case we weren’t aware of the large white cat shouting his head off in a very small room.

Mandy said he was wet so I handed her tea towel to dry him with (note-to-self, I must put it in the wash and not re-use it for anything else).

More shouting – something about it was raining outside and he is now our official Weather Cat.

Thank you, Monster.

He even chose the music. Giuseppe Saverio Raffaele Mercadante who we duly tortured.

Bored of the music, Monster tried to eat the plant.  I think the spikes dissuaded him.

Pepper, of course, was enchanting and listened politely.

Monster, less so.

Monster went out and then came in again, soaking wet…. again.  Thank you, to Mandy who continued with her job of drying my cat.

After a while, Mandy casually draped the tea-towel on him and Monster wore it around my little shed for a bit before he went out again.   This time for good, thankfully.

I met Monster a few hours later annoying OH and asking for his tea!

This morning found Pepper and I waiting for the farrier.

Everyone was in their stalls and the Icelandics were in the small paddock, which needs eating down, behind the house.

We were all ready and waiting.  Pepper definitely knew who was coming.  The anticipation was enormous.

Her bestie friend who she spent all morning trying to get his attention, no matter what.

Stephen said he did not expect Pepper to do this so I remained silent knowing full well this was just the sort of thing she would do and he just encourages her.

While Stephen diligently worked on the ponies, I didn’t take any responsibility for my dog.

They are just as bad as each other.

It was good to see Stephen.  I needed advice as well as the ponies’ feet trimmed.  Generally the laminitis is over and everyone is going along pretty well.  Tiddles and Waffle were not great but we’re getting there.

And then everyone out on the track and we turned our attention to the big ones and it was only Iacs who had his feet trimmed.

After, I put the big ones back in their field – I led Iacs while Haakon and Kolka left to see the Minions on the track. Haakon got half way and got bored of that idea so I caught him and put him back with Iacs leaving Kolka to fulfill her dream of spending time with the Minions.  When I came outside after a quick lunch, I found Kolka standing by herself nex to her own field gate.  She had obviously had enough of the Minions and wanted back with the sensible adults.

After lunch, I went outside to just get a few things ready for the evening – haynets in place, feed buckets made up, that sort of thing, feed the ducks….

And who did I find? Only everyone waiting to come inside.  In my opinion that was a bit previous, by about at least an hour and there was no need to come inside yet.

No chance, I said to them and went off to poo-pick their field/track instead.

Little did I know, I was being watched as I poo-picked their field and when I decided to open up a bit more of their field for them, seven little ponies appeared out of nowhere and decided unanimously that they didn’t actually want to go to bed yet.  There was food to be eaten instead.

So I left them eating tomorrow’s ration today.  Ho hum.

As it got dark, an hour later, I went back out and shouted.  Seven little ponies cantered home and I laughed as I watched Newt nip past the old ladies (Fivla and Vitamin actually trotting) and canter into the big shed, turning right into his stall and bucket.  Tiddles followed swiftly after.

I am very popular in the mornings.  This is possibly because I am She Who Carries All The Feed Buckets and distributes accordingly.

After Dahlia and Gussie have had their breakfast, they have now taken to following me around the croft.

Gussie has learned how to jump up, which is ok while he is small-ish, but less fun when he gets bigger. His hooves are sharp too.  Little opportunist.

While Gussie was trying to start a friendly conversation with Kolka and her bucket, Dahlia came over to talk to me.

So sweet.  Gussie is not afraid of the horses.  He hasn’t been up close and personal with the ponies, though.  I have purposely kept them apart as the Minions can be a little frisky sometimes.

Pepper was, as usual, determined to be the centre of attention and was perched on my knee. Dahlia decided she would try and make friends with this impossible furry thing.

(excuse my finger – it was such a sweet moment and I just about missed it)

Gussie and Pepper remain firm friends.

He is just as interested in Pepper as she is of him.

Funny pair.

It was nice to see Dahlia more relaxed about Pepper.  Dahlia can get a bit stampy and butty sometimes with her.

And as quickly as the sheep arrived, they suddenly both turned tail and left to put themselves back in their big field for the day.  The others joined them later but with less ease and a lot of bribery.  They could learn a lot from these two.

And I watched the sunrise over the muck-heap.