With everyone of the small pony variety in the shed, Floss and I went out to put the track’s electric fence back together so it was strong in the winter wind and, if the ponies went back outside ever again, it would be ready to go.

We took back a lot of the grazed areas and reattached everything to the wooden fence posts for extra security.  My trust in the ponies has totally gone now and I am also considering a second strand of wire too.  That’ll larn ’em, I thought to myself.

We also made sure no long grass touched the fence, moving the posts forwards so it was better aligned.  I mean business now.

Tomorrow, we are going to build two more fences across the track to cut off a boggy/muddy stretch as they hate wading through and Newt almost got stuck.  Although they will lose some potential grazing on the track, it will be a bit dryer.  The mud gets them down but I will not feel sorry for them. They will have the containers and they will have hay and that’s it.

Meanwhile, back in the shed, we have split the ponies up differently into those that are still very lame – Vitamin, Tiddles, Storm and Albie.

And those that are fine now but I am not taking any chances – Silver, Waffle, Newt and Waffle.

They seem to be managing perfectly well inside.

There are lots of kisses.

And silly faces.

If the latter four continue doing well, I might, just might, let them outside to the container paddock next.  My jury is still out on that decision.

Daisy made a brilliant Tiktok video yesterday and I felt inspired (turn up the volume for this because the dialogue is brilliant too).

So I made this wee filum just because I thought I would give it go on the old social media thingie, which I barely understand (read hopeless). Mine is not nearly as good.

Enjoy.

It’s not been the weather recently for sitting outside with the sheep and, what with the ponies being in, I really haven’t had time to do much with Dahlia and Gussie.  They are nervous of anything new in their lives. I’m just about ok but OH and Flossie are considered stranger-danger.

But while the wind blows hard, everything is in the big shed including all sheep food.  The other sheep know their routine (they go into their shed for breakfast), but Gussie and Dahlia were just learning their’s before all this started and now they can’t go in the big shed because the ponies are in their spot.

So they keep to themselves, preferring to live in one field, coming home only for breakfast when I hear Dahlia shout very loud for me.

This morning, I managed a quick chat with Dahlia.  Gussie considered whether he was feral or not but, when he saw I had the ultimate treat, supermarket own-brand cereal, with me, I quickly achieved friend status.

I chucked their treats into a field-shed and Dahlia came up to tell me friendship was more important than food.

I love that about Dahlia.  She is so grateful to not be in the hill and to have her (greedy little boy by her side.

Gussie’s wool is growing thick now.  I don’t know if they use the shed but it’s there if they want to.  They are hill sheep so outside is all they know and feel safe in.

Anyway, once the weather calms down, I can go back to sitting on an uncomfortable rock in the field.

Floss and I spent our morning making kimchi.  The weather is galloping along, as ever.  It is all or nothing every so often so we spent the morning inside doing something productive and we all love kimchi.  It’s a pity no one can remember the recipe, though!

When there was a lull outside, we walked the dogs up to Clothie – my 5 acre croft away from the house where the Ancient Icelandics are currently living.  Despite having a large breakfast bucket delivered to them, they were very pleased to see us and I was glad to see they were completely unaffected by Storm Ashley.

We had brought carrots and apples and were very popular.

There is lots of shelter at Clothie, which was originally an old school house with a residence attached.  While the horses don’t go inside the old buildings, they make the most of the high walls when the wind blows. After the visit, we turned around to watch all the old horses cantering energetically up the hill and we commented we hadn’t seen them move so fast for a while.  As ever, Kolka was in charge bossing the boys around.

Back in the shed and everyone is doing ok.

The effects of the grass sugar-rush are coming out in a variety of poo’s and the ponies are drinking huge buckets of water, which is good.  Waffle has stopped dancing in the water provided.  Again, good.

The ponies love it when we turn up to clean them out.  They hassle endlessly.

I think everyone is looking much brighter today, which is the way forward.

And back in my shed, I am constantly watched.  So that’s my day.  Good to see an improvement in the Shetland ponies and relieved everyone is weathering this storm as well as they can.

This morning started well.

(taken from my bedroom window as I was getting up)

But we all know that saying “red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning”.

Anyway we were being warned and we all knew this.

While Floss was kindly mucking out the Shetland ponies and OH was feeding the Ancient Icelandic horses, I was in my feed container organising what everyone would need for the next three days.  It was going to be difficult to get into the container during the storm.

I made various piles of Stuff I Would Need.

Then I got a wheelbarrow and piled it up with everything, taking it into the big shed where the horsevan lives, as well as the ponies.

I unpacked and decided where everything should go and made a mental note of what I had forgotten, going back to get it.

Floss said it looked like one of those mobile horsebox bars/coffee station or I could be selling hot dogs and ice cream.

Anyway, I had my first customers who were intrigued.  I said it was closed and quickly shut the ramp.  I hate keeping food in the same shed as ponies.  We nearly lost a horse, Fat Kob, that way when he spent his whole night trying to open a bin, and succeeding, scoffing a good pile of food that was not for him.  It very nearly killed him. He was lucky.  Never again, I said and we got the containers for that exact purpose.  But the van makes a good fortress today.

Floss and I have been out every couple of hours to check everyone, staying on top of the mucking out and haynets, etc.

The sheep have taken to their beds with the chickens.

It is not nice out there.  Not nice at all.