My biopsy results came back – NEGATIVE!

Yay. I am so relieved.  That was the longest 12 days of my life and I went through a gamut of emotions and scenarios in my head.

While I was waiting for the phone to ring, I busied myself by having a riding lesson with Bjørn.  I rode Haakon, who has been off-games for a few months due to various reasons (his and mine).  I want to get Haakon’s tölt back, maintain the regular beat and keep it going.  He does suffer from “kangaroo petrol” on occasions and falls out of tölt into pace.  I know it is my fault, I just needed some pointers on what to do from Bjørn.

Apparently it is all about the half-halts, doing stuff in a working walk, cornering properly (half halt, then leg yield round) and a combination of everything.  Once I learned what to do, we were tölting round  and round the school, never falling into pace.

Happy, happy.

I appear to suffer from “bitchy concentrating face”.  Anyway, I don’t care, I love my horse.

Daisy had a lesson on Taktur, her stallion.  She will ride him most days until she goes back to uni.  We all decided that Taktur had put on weight and was going well apart from testing Daisy a bit.  She did, he learned and they went like demons round and round.

Bjørn had a shot too so he could feel what Taktur was doing and how best to help Daisy when she was riding.

One more go for Daisy.  Taktur was tired and had achieved and learned.  I love that horse, too.

Meanwhile, BeAnne, as usual, spent hours taking notes and an interest.

Previously, she had been very busy working as Iacs’ brain!

Sunday afternoon.  I had ridden Haakon in the school, fed Iacs his Danilon (lame again, why?), and Taktur his special grub, so I went for a drive around the westside to see what I could see with my camera, of course.

First I went down to Dale Beach to look at the waves.  Not brilliant but still impressive.  The sun shone in patches and the rain appeared briefly too.  Still, it was pretty and atmospheric.

Then follow the road round right into the hill where there are some hill ponies this winter.  With their straggly winter coats, they are doing well out there.  The ponies don’t actually roam far from home so someone is always keeping an eye on them.  I like seeing them as this is how I imagine Shetland always was.

Then back to Bousta to see what my seal fraternity were doing.

Nothing, as usual.  I took some more photos and watched them for a while – turn the sound down btw on the film – that is the wind blowing incessantly.

Funny little jelly blobs really.  I swear my piano teacher at school did not look dissimilar.  She had the same disapproving expression.

So, after another shower of rain, I wended my way home on the look out for the mountain hares in their white winter fur.   They “shine like a shilling in a sweep’s arse” on the brown heather.

Not exactly well camouflaged and very easy to spot in the hill.

This is the time of year when they pair up.  I shall keep a constant look out for them.  I love hares.

Rode my horse, had lunch and drove off to see the bebbies at Sandness.   Jo happened to remark that there were seals at Bousta (the bay at the end of her road).

BeAnne and I drove off to look and there was the harem.  Did you know that the collective noun for seals, amongst many others is HAREM? (tis true, says so here)

I have never seen so many just lazing on the beach in the sporadic sunshine.

I left BeAnne in the car, under pain of death if she uttered a noise or moved.

and then I slowly snuck up on four seals lying on a small jetty.

The two big ones swam away quickly but the other two stayed put.

The one on the right was very precariously balanced and reminded me of someone.

I didn’t want to scare them so I walked very slowly, taking small paces, stopping and avoiding eye contact.  I also sang because I remembered somewhere that you should sing to seals.  I sang softly and the seals didn’t seem perturbed by my presence.  They just lay there and watched me, intrigued.

After getting very close (about 12 foot away before they calmly slid off their jetty into the sea), I got back into the car and drove slowly down the track on the side of the beach using the car as my hide.  The seals, again, just lay there.  I suppose they are used to cars as the track leads to a house.  I poked my camera lens out of the window and snapped away quietly without scaring them.

I have a very soft spot for seals but I am well aware that they are not the cuddly-wuddlies we want them to be.  They can kill dogs so I do not encourage my dogs to swim in the sea, ever.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-19882985

After putting in that gif of Sven the reindeer trying to get the snowflake a few days back on the blog, I have been wondering if I could make a gif from some of my films.

I trawled the inter web, asked techie friends and found myself a lovely little piece of software that did just the job (I hope).

So here goes…..

Feel free to steal and use them but credit me if you can.

Another of the bebbies eating.

And another…..

I feel a whole new hobbie coming on!  Hours of entertainment.

P.S.  Haakon is much improved.  He is back to factory settings – doing everything as fast as possible (turn on a the forehand at 100mph), snatching the reins and stopping dead when I take my feet out of the stirrups).  My boy is back. I am so relieved.  I will admit that yesterday I was worried because he was so stiff, not right.  I have started him on glucosamine as it can only help him.  I hate the idea of him getting old.  Not my boy.  I have had him since he was 3yo.  Now he is 20.

They looked like a boy band waiting for their X-Factor audition!  So handsome.  So gorgeous.  So please don’t sing!

We brought the boys indoors.  The Fatties had straw in a haynet to share.

The Skinnies, yes you heard me right, The Skinnies had silage in a haynet.  Fákur (on on the right) is quite skinny under all that fur so he is allowed to share the net with Taktur.  He is also there to encourage Taktur to ruddy well eat.  Taktur has had a growth spurt and appears a bit taller.

Haakon, who has been hopping lame (the kind of lame that has you sucking your teeth) since losing a front shoe, had it replaced in the hope that this would make the difference. He came into the school on three legs, was shod, and then instantly looked much better.  A huge difference.  Phew!

BeAnne supervised to check everyone was doing their jobs correctly.  She is very fussy.  You can tell.

So Daisy rode her stallion, Taktur.

I rode Haakon and we rode together in the school.  Then I gave up.  Better to give in gracefully than compete with the beautiful people!

Daisy asked Taktur to tölt.  She has not done this without instruction from Bjørn.

It was lovely to watch and I have slowed down the film so you can see the sequence of the footfall.  It is actually very interesting if you are not used to seeing tölt.