This morning was spent in Gilbert Bain Hospital Out-Patients (or GBH as it is known locally) discussing the way forward with the Gynaecological team.  So next it is an MRI in Aberdeen.  I shall await my appointment letter with anticipation.

To make up for a morning in The Big L including a trip to The Temple of Tesco’s  (or Lerwick as it is known locally),  I spent the afternoon with my bebbies.

I walked into their park and yelled “Bebbies” once and then was galloped at by three little enthusiastic treasures who giggled and sniggered as they went.

They love their field.  The huge proportions mean they can play and gallop their way round it forever with no fences to stop them.  They are growing up to be normal Shetland colts.

So I found a safe spot and sat down to watch them.  If they wanted to talk to me, I asked them to behave but watched out for any silly behaviour as I wanted to be safe rather than have my teeth kicked in.

They never really stopped and it was lovely to watch.

For some reason, probably due to the regular food buckets, they love their dear old Mum and I only have to appear, shout “Bebbies” and they run up to me expecting tickles, snogs and food (not necessarily in that order).

Watching them play does my heart good and is the best therapy.  A trip to Hospital is put into perspective beautifully.  Just what the doctor ordered (the NHS just doesn’t know that).

Yesterday’s photos were rubbish.  I know that and I hate taking bad photos especially a whole set of them.  I was ashamed at my rookie mistake.

So today, mostly to prove to myself that I can take the odd good photo, I went out with the camera in search of some the beautiful people and then I found Him.  My Handsome Prince and, yes, I did spend a good five minutes tickling his nosey telling him how gorgeous he is because I could not help myself.

I wandered about the field trying to capture some special moments or fat horses, whichever.

The “Silly Frilly” put on his special face for my camera.  He misses his owner, Daisy, very much and is pretty much doing nothing but maintaining His Frilléd and The Size Zero – very 1980’s.

Why am I thinking Krystle Carrington?  Same eyes, hair, what?
(and yes, I did have to look up on t’net to see how spell the bint’s name!)

So back to The Handsome One.  He is so beautiful and such a nice bloke.  I could gaze into his eyes forever.  He is just …… words-fail-me-because-there-isn’t-another-word-better-than-GORGEOUS!

It is perhaps a little known fact, or one that folk never readily admit, that it is always beneficial to stand next to an ugly person in photos because it will make you look good or at least slightly better.

Sorry, Iacs – not a chance!

I had a lovely afternoon walking the dogs on Sandness beach, taking photos and generally enjoying being almost the only person there.  This is one of my favourite places to go.

There had been a spring storm yesterday and last night so the beach had been rearranged again by the pounding waves and tides.

Masses of seaweed had been brought ashore and I am a huge seaweed fan of the edible variety.  I didn’t pick any as it was not fresh (i.e. I don’t know how long it has been floating about for in the sea without clinging onto the necessary rocks).  I do know some folk eat it and I want to get a lesson of how and where to cut it.  I could munch on this stuff forever.

I took Loki and BeAnne with me on my walk.  They sort of enjoy it on the beach (prefer the fields) and they don’t tend to explore or race about like Celt used to. He loved this beach.

(in fact I would go as far as to say BeAnne was rather sulky).

So onwards and upwards to see the girls.   I thought I would take loads of lovely photos of them but somehow I had fiddled with the setting on my camera lens.  I felt a bit of a fool when I uploaded the terrible photos onto my computer.  They are now instantly destined for the bin.

Another time.

Still it was a nice walk.

I have been trying to encourage the bebbies to use their little shed, the one where they were first lived when they originally arrived at Thordale.

I want them to think this is their bedroom, somewhere to go when the weather is vile.  There is rubber matting and straw surface with three buckets in the corners.  There is also a wall of silage too in case they are peckish!

Although their little paddock is still a soggy mess, the gate beyond is permanently open into a huge field which is totally theirs.  The grass is beginning to grow now and I don’t want to overload their systems as this can lead to other complications like laminitis.

The bebbies came out of their shed as ever to greet me and happily went back in as their feed buckets were placed in there with their breakfast.

Every so often one would come over to chat or look outside.

There is a certain amount of changing buckets to see if someone else has more or needs help to finish theirs.

There is no fighting or shoving – the bebbies tend to share very happily still. The only thing they argue about is attention.  You are not allowed to talk to two or three of them.  One will start to annoy another to get rid of him.  Storm is worst for this.  He may be smaller but he uses this to his advantage as he can reach places a larger Shetland pony couldn’t!

Breakfast finished and then it was time for a chat.

Storm is still very keen on reversing into you so you will scratch his arse!  He is very funny about this.

Funny little peoples, really who have totally made the long Shetland winter a bit more entertaining.

On our trip to Sandness yesterday to see our non-existent foaling mare, we found Jo exercising her dogs in the field with a particularly good deep pond and stream in it, i.e. Snati’s diving board and swimming pool.

Both Snati and BeAnne are keen swimmers, though BeAnne is a bit more reserved in her enthusiasm and she is not keen on Snati’s methods.

Snati, on the other hand, will happily throw himself off the bank to attempt to catch anything, and I mean anything that is thrown into the pond.  In this case it was mostly dried horse poo.

So, as always having my camera, I set it on the fastest continuous shooting and off we went.

Jump 1 – from the lower bank with complete submergence

Jump 3 – from the higher cliff, from top to bottom!

Jump 3 – same again, he really is a loony.

Loads of water everywhere.

Once the pond was quiet and the other dogs were away hunting rabbits, BeAnne had her own little swim around by herself.  I love the way her tail looks like a rudder!  She takes her swimming very seriously and it is something she loves to do especially in the summer.  She reminds me of the phrase from a Joyce Grenfell song.  Thus BeAnne is “Stately as a galleon, I sail across the floor, Doing the Military Two-step, as in the days of yore.”

Snati, however, is not.