My computer is filling up with all the photos I take.  The digital photography age means I snap away and should throw them all away without having to spend zillions getting them developed.  So instead I keep them all on my computer because I am a compulsive hoarder.

I try (on a good day with the wind behind me going downhill), to go through 1000 photos a day and evict the ones that are not up to scratch.  It means the daunting task of reducing 100 GB of data can be made into more bite size and edible chunks.

It is not a bad job (if dull) and I revisit old situations and photos I have forgotten about.  Here are a few from the latest purge.

Today has been rather tiresome playing hospitals, which I can’t be arsed to write about, so I thought I would bore you with these pics, all of which you have probably seen in previous posts.

On a good note though, BeAnne almost played with Loki yesterday before they remembered they don’t do that sort of thing and looked embarrassed instead.  Also, Wuss can nearly be in the same room as Loki so this is all good with still room for improvement.

(I will try harder tomorrow, promise)

These are “Chrysanthemum Bottoms”!   Shetland ponies are very good at standing downwind for protection and when the wind blows, the dock of the tail goes flat like a chrysanth.  It happens every winter to anything equine with a reasonable tail on it that lives outside.

The bebbies are coming along well. Their coats are getting better, more buffily (yes, that is a technical horsey term) and more fluffy too.  The constant wind has done this while they have access to a shed to dry off in, if they want.

Three hard food meals a day of soaked beet, chaff and mare/foal mix is doing it’s stuff.  The bebbies are getting more solid, not particularly fatter, but there is definitely a better covering.  You can tell this when you stroke them.  Fewer sticky out bones.

They tuck in enthusiastically and shout at Jo the minute they see her leave her front door trying to get her to hurry up and feed them.  She has her own little fan-club now.

The trough is attached to the gate and it is just the right length for three little dog-sized ponies to share nicely together.  Jo pours the food over the gate into the trough and they tuck in.

Rescuing these ponies has brightened up a very dreary winter for us.  They constantly tell us how much they appreciate their new world especially the regular appearance of food and the warmth of their shed.  They spend a great deal of time in there asleep on their deep bed of straw or eating the constant silage/hay.  Always together, never a bad word and no one is the boss.  A happy little three-some – all with Chrysanthemum bottoms too.

Delicious!  Apparently they are almost playing.  Now that is a very good sign.

We have had some horrendous storms, a constant barraging this winter and when I took the dogs for a walk at a regular haunt, Norby Beach at Sandness, I could see the extent of the damage that had been done.

EROSION.  Coastal erosion at its worst.  I was shocked.  This is a beach I have walked or ridden along for many years.  I have never seen it look so eaten away.

This is the Melby end.  I’ve never seen the red rock that appeared over night before.  At first, as I approached, I thought it had been put there by man (sometimes boulders are used for coastal defence) but no, a huge quantity of sand had been washed away from this end and these new rocks had appeared.  I think they are red sandstone (but am happy to be corrected).  Over 20 foot of sand had gone and was still leaving.

So we walked to the other end, crossing the two burns that flow onto the beach.  The other end was no better either.

This field fence is moved a few yards back every year and the sea was becoming more and more encroaching.

It felt like giant savage bites were being taken out of the beach every time there was a storm.  It must be very depressing owning this field as every year it is eaten away and every year it must be re-fenced (no easy job).

This beach is changing fast.  It used to be either sandy or stoney and that was the extent but now it’s whole shape is being altered at a frightening speed too.  There used to be more dunes, a path at the top you could ride along, and far more of the actual beach visible but now, on not an even particularly high tide, the water is nearly right up to the grass.  Scary stuff.

The “Mirrie Dancers” are the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.

Last night they came out for a fling – beautiful.  I was warned by friends they were in the offing so I went in and out of the house to see them starting up, set up the camera and snapped away.  It was very cold outside but well worth losing parts of my anatomy to frostbite.

This is our derelict disused privy (it would’ve had a roof on when used!).  Imagine popping to the loo and seeing this going on in the sky.

It came and went, with some cloud around and so I turned around and took photos of the stars about my house.

Now this photo looks pretty standard but I notice there are two shooting stars (I think) in there as well.

Here is a close-up.  Are they shooting stars?

This is not Mordor but the red glow is the oil and liquefied gas terminal at Sullom Voe.

Anyway, enjoy the light display.  I am always blown away when it happens.  It is, dare I use this word, “awesome” and just think, it is all going on silently at my back door.  I am very lucky.

Kappi is fine and has showed absolutely no sign of his colic.  In fact I never saw anything apart from one very rolled field and mud-covered horse as evidence of this episode.  So he can join the herd again and he is very happy with that decision.  Kappi tolerated solitary confinement with Taktur nearby grudgingly.  Taktur made regular bids for freedom at every opportunity to the point where I found him in the hill late one night, having pushed a gate open and escaped.  He came running when I called him out of a pitch black expanse of hill and I shoved him back into the field.  Silly boy.  Luckily he didn’t go off looking for local trollopery.

Bjørn came over this afternoon to see Kappi and agreed that he was fine.  He rode Taktur in the indoor school – this weather is too revolting to go anywhere.  It was poetry to watch.  I get a lump in my throat when I see them together.  They are a very good team and Taktur enjoys the praise when he has earned it.  He gives 100% to his rider, trying his best to get everything right, never arguing or throwing a nasty.  He is just not that kinda guy.  No bull-fighting turns (Anderwoo’s calling card) or suddenly slamming on the brakes (Indy’s speciality) – just generous to a fault.  Icelandics are like that.  It is Shetland ponies with the wicked sense of humour.

Here are a few photos from the afternoon.  The light was bad, everyone was soggy and feeling rather Sunday afternoon-ish.

We are working on building Taktur up and his feeds have increased in amount as well as being offered hay.  But he hates hay or apples and it is difficult to put the weight on him.  A constant struggle at the moment.  If this is his only fault, Taktur is a fussy bugger.

He is a noble steed (and such a Mummy’s boy).