A little known fact – Lambie has to sit in old bonfires.  It’s his thing.

When he was younger, he did exactly the same thing but that one was still warm, so he sported a singed wool look for a while, which was a bit different.  This bonfire, hopefully, is not hot enough to do that.

But yet Lambie insists on sitting in the old bonfire.  I guess it’s because he can.  I don’t know.  I did ask him.

And Lambie seemed very happy.  OH said that maybe the bonfire was still warm but I doubt that as it we built it last week.  Daisy wrote, when I sent her the photo, and I quote “It’s as if a woolly asteroid hit the earth”.

Mummy’s little woolly asteroid it is then.

Even I think this is strange!

Some photos from my wanderings around with my iPhone on Portrait Mode, which I now love.

The Prettiest Fairy Pony in the Whole World (and, yes, I would fight you on that).

Fivla

Darling Maggie

Maggie

Edna in pensive mood

Edna

Edna’s daughter, Madge, who is mad as a box of frogs.  She is sporting the attached stick look. I could no more get near her to remove it than actually take flight.  She will have to live with her life choice.

Madge

Harrel-the-Barrel with his Honest-You-Should-Buy-This-Car face (and we all would. So you know, it wouldn’t come with wheels – they’re extra. He ate them!)

Harrel-the-Barrel

The luscious ‘Ster who was just too gorgeous to ignore.

‘Ster

Darling ‘Bert came up. plonked himself down near me and promptly went to sleep.  We will not think “beached whale”.  Just one perfect moorit (the colour) sheep is what he is.

‘Bert

And lastly, but by no means leastly on the sheep front, Lambie – so handsome.

Lambie

Dearest Pepperpot was of course my shadow all day.

Pepper 

Kolka who is busy losing her winter coloured coat.  This is her Zorro look.

Kolka

Iacs, who is also known as Bibble, Bible, Bubble, Bobble… or anything else autocorrect can come up with when I’m texting his owner, Daisy.

Iacs

And, lastly, Haakon – Iacs’ cousin and my beloved horse.  A wise old bird.

Haakon

Not much has happened today.  By choice, totally by choice.  My perfect type of day.

So here are some random photos from my phone that make me smile or feel exasperated – mostly my criteria these days for taking a pic.

Lambie has learned how to steal duck food. He squeezes through the gap in the gate and gets into the pen where the ducks/hens are fed.  So we took the food out and shut him in instead.

So, being Lambie, he made beseeching faces until we let him out.  I was trying to make him take responsibility for his choices. Stupid, I know. He is a sheep.  ‘Nuff said but how can I stay cross at that silly face.  He knows I will give in.

Meanwhile, little Pepperpot is on flying form.  She’s 3 years old now.  Who’ da thunk it?

A rather solid Monster.

He was having a nice kip on the sofa…..

….  when suddenly he wasn’t.  I tried to take a Family Photo and failed beautifully.  Pepper couldn’t sit still long enough for that.  Ted, of course, did his Winning Smile.

And into the “recording studio” for the last of the flute duet recordings.  Mandy and I quickly gave up deciding that two tunes was totally sufficient for anyone wanting to hear us play.  I mean how much torture can anyone want?

And so we went back into my shed and played our flutes all afternoon.  Mandy took this photo of Pepper and I, though she looks like I am holding her in a death-like grip!

I told you the photos were random.

This morning was spent at Turriefield sewing seeds like squash, courgette, salad leaves….. oh, yes and sweetcorn (those were interesting seeds).

And then we took them all down to the polytunnel to place them in better growing conditions – under lights, mats and heat, though it was already very hot in the polytunnel and everything else was taking off.

Then we did some rearranging and relocating previous already-growing seedlings – there is a strict rotation to cater for their every requirement based on the stage they have reached.  That makes sense.  I am learning.

I brought home with me a large amount of thyme which was being cleared to make space for something to grow – I will dry it and store it for later.  Such a pretty plant and the divine smell too.

While I can see the glories of a polytunnel (or crub – -the Shetland variety), I am wary of the hard work required.  My back is pretty much at a shouty stage if I do anything too heavy and I really don’t want to aggravate it mroe.  I am also waiting on the results of the MRI to know what is actually going on – ie are the bulging discs bulging more, is the stenosis worst and the osteophyte thingies too.  Meh, to all of them.  All I know is that mostly I hurt in degrees of constantly awful to that’s-it-I-need-to-lie-down-and-stop!  I get no let up.

Anyway, home and I was met by Monster who was also enjoying the sunshine. He is a chap with no problems.

Today was Water Day just because the sun was shining and, once I make a decision of what I am going to devote my morning to, I like to stick to it.

First I did the ponies’ water, then the water buckets and sink by the shed.  The latter are used by the ducks.

Next up I tackled the filthy duck pond, which was desperately in need of a good clean.

Then, Pepper and sat in the sunshine getting a good dose of Vitamin D waiting for the pond to fill.

It took ages but we didn’t mind.  We deserved a break from all that hard work.  My back hurts afterwards.

Eventually, I wrapped up the hose and came back to see that my clean sink was being used.

One very happy duck.

I noticed the water level had gone down, so I popped the hose back in to refill. She didn’t mind.

I think everyone is now keen to get clean.  There’s been a lot of fighting recently in the muddy ditches which has not been good.  Maybe if they feel all clean and happy, they will stop that and concentrate on being friends.

On my way to do the horses’ water bucket, I noticed some “dead ponies”.  Oh well, I thought. A few less.

I love seeing them totally flat out and almost snoring.

Vitamin had Newt next to her again.

He was totally blissed out and those little teefs – ooof!

The clean pony water was appreciated.

The rest were busy stuffing their faces with hay.

And look, a duck swimming in my clean pond.

All that hard work, emptying and scrubbing, was well worth it even if my back is now shouting at me.