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.

I try to get out on the Minions’ track at mid day to keep on top of the poo-picking (my newest chore).

These past few days, I have found it very difficult to spend time with the ponies as I miss Storm so much.  He should be with them.  I can’t count to seven.  EIght was so much easier.

I think the only one who misses Storm is Silver.  He shouts for him occasionally and then forgets and of he goes to join his friends, though I do doubt his choices sometimes.

I did try to explain to him what happened.

Newt was Storm’s greatest friend and foe.  They were related.  Cousins, I think.  You could tell because if one was up to something wicked, the other wouldn’t be far behind.

The track is made a bit bigger every few days.  This time I gave them the whole bottom area of the field which they are thrilled with.  Vitamin and Fivla job share the role of boss-mare and everyone else follows behind never questioning where they’re going when they canter off in the morning.

The rocks are cold but I found a small one and perched on it while Tiddles told me I was his best friend.  He likes to help to poo-pick, which is very distracting but lovely.

I am mostly nose-height which means I have to kiss the proferred nosey for each poo I find to pick up.  Well, someone’s got to do it!

Today is OH’s birthday and I gave him his present in a box.  No, it wasn’t Monster, it was a very nice bread board.

But the minute the box was empty and put on the floor, Monster was straight in making himself comfortable.

And that’s where he wanted to spend his morning (Monster, not OH).

I left Monster snoozing and popped down to the byre at the bottom of the garden to get something celebratory out of the freezer for supper when I got the feeling I was being watched.

So I nipped back up to the house and got three carrots to give to the “fairies” at the bottom of the garden.

Three fairies to be precise.

At least they don’t know how to open the gate…… yet.  Looking at it from the photo, I think I might take some rope to tie the gate up a bit better. Belt and braces.

Back in the house, Monster had gone to sleep.  The box is a the best bit about someone’s birthday.