I am washing, ironing and packing to go south for a while.  Needs must and it is always good to get a change of scene for some thinking.

While the washing machine is red hot and I dusted off the iron, I went outside to see Taktur was queuing up to do some training.

He always looks beautiful, no matter what and he has such enviable presence.

I am not used to seeing this grace and natural elegance in a young stallion.

Try as I might, I just cannot put more weight on Taktur at the moment.  I have to constantly remind myself that he is only just 6 years old and still growing hopefully in every direction.

Icelandic horses are slow maturers.

I called Taktur over to throw a few carrots over the fence at him…..

…. and we had a little chat.  Me explaining that I had to go south and I expected him to look after everyone, big and small.

Taktur, for all his young years, is a very responsible chap and I know everyone is in safe hands – Daisy and Bjørn will also be around to keep an eye.

I will miss my little herd.  London and Reading do not offer me these luxuries but it will be nice to be warm (summer is south) and to catch up with my family again.

Sometimes, I just need to go back.  It is very good for my perspective on life.

Lambie is going well mentally, though he is still not brilliant on his legs.  He is getting there, though slowly, and we have been advised to get him moving as much as possible.

Today I took him for a walk around three fields.  He shouts while he does his best to keep up, but is happy to trot alongside.

Poor love, I was wanting nice photos of him in the flowers, so he struggled through the marsh marigolds for me and looked beautiful, always beautiful. Those marsh marigolds are huge if you are very short.

And then he cantered along the short grass.

We stopped at the bluebells for a little photoshoot.

I think we can all agree that blue really suits him and he is a natural model.

Lambie trekked like a trooper.  There was the odd baa just to tell me he was behind, but on and on he went never stopping and never giving up. This lamb has determination.

BeAnne was jealous as it is usually her job to sit in the flowers doing the photoshoot.  Note the sulk.

You can see how they are for size in this photo.

On the home-stretch and Lambie is galloping along.

Over hill….

And over flower.

Klaengur looked on in amusement and slight bewilderment.

Today, we gave all our Sandness mares their spa day.  Raw Deal (Delia) is very old and I think this will be her last summer with us.  No one is wanting to lose their winter coat yet so we just brushed whatever would come out and put coconut oil on any flakey/itchy bits.

Lyra, of course, insisted that Daisy and only Daisy would make her look beautiful.

And she made sure she went through our equipment to check we had brought everything.

Vitamin, Lyra’s mother, was transformed.

And we trimmed tails and ears, slathered coconut oil on flakey skin, manes and tails, brushing it through until they were all gleaming.

Then we moved to the field with Esja and Hetja.

Esja wanted to be an idiot.  Although she was easy to catch, she had obviously been told by someone (Anderwoo – fat Shetland pony who has been there, seen that) that brushes were the equipment of Satan.  It took a while to convince her that she had been lied to and once she decided to trust us, she was very easy to work with.  I even cut out the nasty tats in her lugs without any complaint or discussion. Esja relaxed and accepted our ministrations like a good girl and she was a pleasure to work with.  Trust is important to her.

Hetja, of course, behaved with the decorum of royalty.  She stood quietly while Daisy and I brushed and made her even more beautiful.

So we achieved and I think we bonded with the girls.  It is not easy with them being 4 miles away, but we have no choice and that is the way it has to be.

Winter coats are not going away so we are not forcing the issue.  In Shetland, there can always be bad weather around the corner.

A nice day, though!

A rather raucous Eurovision party last night left Daisy and I feeling a bit lack-lustre today.  So we took the boys (Iacs and Haakon) out for a ride to blow away the cobwebs and and any residual hangover. The boys both took total advantage of us and bogged off like teenagers at 100mph up the hill, over the hill and onto the next hill.

So this afternoon we decided on a more sedate pastime and drove over to see the mares at Sandness.

Hetja looked much more pregnant than last time.

She positively glowed and I have never seen her look more beautiful.

There was something magical in her eyes and look that I can’t put my finger on but tried to capture in these pictures.  She has changed hugely in so many ways.

Obviously Hetja was very pleased to see us and I secretly fed her carrots while I told her that we would try and give her a “spa-day” very soon, ie brush her mane and tail with coconut oil and generally make her feel very special.

Because she is worth it!

Esja was in a bit of a sulk and stropped around pretending that she could be exotic and mysterious too.

If she is co-operative, we will give her a good brush too, including her revolting tatty ears, if she will let us near them.

September, when she starts her training, should be very interesting.

I am still not sure when this foal will appear – June or July?  Any thoughts?

The Minions have not been forgotten, just left to their own devices, which is fairly dangerous but I am a trusting type.

As our visitor is on the boat south tonight, we offered her a last Minion Moment.  I love the way Tiddles is standing as if he is trying very hard to be a big boy, a speshul soldier all growed up!

Waffle and Storm could not resist taking off to play.  Note Storm has Waffle’s tail in his mouth.  To be honest, I am surprised any of them have any fur, mane or tail left.

We stood back and watched from a distance as they enjoyed annoying each other.

Playing has increased ten-fold this time of year.  A belly full of grass and feeling warm(ish) results in chasing each other and lots of playing.  You can see them on the horizon zipping past going in one direction and then, seconds later, coming back at full speed.

The big boys don’t mind at all and it is good for them to have the Minions in their field.  I think it keeps them grounded and gives everyone a sense of perspective.  Sometimes they all join in or gallop off to start their own games.

It is good to see my boys so happy.