It was a very early start.  Judging on the showfield was meant to begin at 09.00, so Team Thordale were on the pitch at 08.30 with all our helpers. This was the silverware we were all competing for. Apparently it is about the “taking part that matters”.  Okaaaaaaay! I wandered about at the beginning, while I could still walk, taking a few snaps.    And then the serious stuff started.  PingPong was first in – STALLION, 4 years and over, licensed.  Jo was his handler.  She did all the hard work, like running.  He just had to look gorgeous.    It was a good field, as they say, about 10 competitors, (I think) and Indy was placed first.  He was wonderful, a very good boy with perfect manners.  The judges loved him and he enjoyed the attention and Jo’s huge snog for being so perfect. He spent the rest of the day, very happily waiting for the Championships. Next up were the three girls in MARE, 4 years and over, who have not reared a foal this year.  This was a huge class and it was split up into the miniatures first and then standards.  We were in the standard class. First there was Jo with Velvereta. FIona with Velia…. Then Alan with Verona (roped in and bribed with egg sandwiches). Verona came 2nd in the section and then 3rd overall in the combined class.  We were very happy with the result.  The judges were over-awed by the high standard apparently. They all looked superb and it was good to watch. Indy offered moral support from the sidelines.  Bless him, he spent most of the day like this.  Just watching, taking it all in including everyone’s spare biscuits and coke (he loves coke). Much feeding of Oreos and attention from everyone. Next, PROGENY, two ponies, out of one mare or by one stallion.  Well that would be Velvereta and Velia.  They won the class.  Happy, happy. The grooms were hard at work behind the scenes.  I was on Tramadol No 3 by now. Another class – GROUP OF THREE PEDIGREE SHETLAND PONIES – We went with Indy, Verona and Velvereta. They won.  I hope I am not sounding like a pot-hunter now because they are an odious species. And, at the end of the day, and I am talking 19.00 by now (4th Tramadol, I can barely walk) – Indy went into the Championship. Poor lad was exhausted.  By now it was 19.00 and he had been there for nearly over 10 hours.  It was getting to be a very long day. He won Senior Reserve Champion and we are thrilled.  He is our best boy. With that, we loaded them all up and took them home. I don’t think I have been so tired for ages.  Jo, Fiona, Daisy, Arwen and Amber worked their socks off and I can’t thank them enough for everything they did, all in the call of duty. So, to recap, and because I can, and I am so proud of everyone…. Stallion -1st – Millhouse Independant (won the Tiptigert Shield for Best Shetland Stallion) Mare, 4 years and over, who have not reared a foal this year – 2nd – Standard class – Millhouse Verona, 3rd overall Progeny, two ponies, out of one mare or by one stallion – Threapwood Velia and Threapwood Velvereta (won The Manson Trophy, which no one can find ☹  ) Group of Three Pedigree Shetland Ponies – Threapwood Velia, Threapwood Vevereta, Millhouse Independant (won The Golden Boy of the Isles Trophy – The Perpetual Cup) Reserve Senior Champion – Millhouse Independant (won The Lille Rosendal, Denmark Trophy) This is Indy’s last show.  We have retired him from the show circuit.  He has done his bit and achieved all we want. So that’s it.  Everyone did brilliantly.  I am still exhausted.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I think I am dead.

We did good at the show and I love my ponies.

Tomorrow, after a decent lie-in (I slept 2 hours last night) and a go-through my photos, I will write about the show.

I have eaten four tramadol just to stay upright.

Everyone was a star.  I am knackered.  Night, night….. (sorry, forgive me!)

I have a list as long as my arm of things “to do” in preparation for the local agricultural show tomorrow.

Today, we bathed our entries – Indy PingPong (oh, how I wish they would write that on the Show Schedule), Velvereta, Velia and Verona.

We got the first lot in to wash – Indy and his laydeez, Velvereta and Verona.  They thought they were in for a treat.  Little did they realise it was bath day.   

With the use of a good burco boiler and  additional cheery folk (Fiona and Arwen), we got on with the task in hand, using spare shampoo and conditioner I found lying around the bathroom.

This was a spectator sport for some who were completely bemused at this sudden action.

We are not the type to bath horses every spare minute.

Horses are only washed for before summer shows (never for winter, it is cruel – they need their grease to keep warm) and for any health reasons.

You can tell that Indy is glad he is not bathed every weekend.  He looks like a small kid whose Mum checkes if he has washed behind his ears.

And we believe in drip-dry.  There are no heat lamps for the show ponies to dry under.

The first three done, they were carted off to a new field ready for tomorrow.  The spectators were still bemused and followed, laughing and pointing.

Then off to get the last one – Velia who was living with the ladies not running with PingPong.

Zoot, as always, was around to offer her moral support. She came bouncing down the field.

So Velia was brought into the salon ** cough ** the garden and we brought her half sister, Velvereta to keep her company as she was fretting.

They will spend the night together.

I left Indy practising his “I am looking rather magnificent” for tomorrow!

And made enough sandwiches for a small African country to pop by!  Egg sandwich anyone?  No, seriously, anyone?

The usual dog walk is to Watsness and back.  It is precisely four miles there and back with no hills.  Perfect.  I have been doing this walk for ages with BeAnne and/or Loki.  All was fine. It was part of my pre-surgery get-fit campaign.

With Loki on a lead (as he cannot be trusted), BeAnne would come too.

Until the other day when we met a herd of beef cows.  They were peacefully lying down so I went with the thought “let sleeping cows lie”.

We haven’t met a herd of cows for a while.  I know that they live here as Haakon and I used to meet them occasionally years ago but I haven’t ever met them on foot.

Sadly, they were not content with lying down and quickly got up to investigate us and with that BeAnne and Loki turned tail.

We were followed home, as far as the gate which can be quite unnerving but I know they are a friendly bunch.

So, today’s dog walk has to be different.  I have to find another 2 miles that is a good safe walk.

We settled on going up the hill, which is hard work on foot but another step forward in my pre-op fitness campaign.  I settled for taking photos as I went to cheer myself up.  Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to walk and I especially I hate to walk up a hill – I have an Icelandic horse for that.  But, with a camera, I will walk anywhere for a good photo.  That is a completely different story.

And then the battery went in my camera.  So that is that!  It was a good walk and now on my daily to-do list as those cows are rather scary.

I had a few minutes before The Homecoming (Floss from Europe) so I hopped into the horses’ field to take some pics of my absolute most favouritist flower ever, apart from Orchids – the blue one whose name is even more wonderful – Devil’s Bit Scabious.  It looks like a splendid hat your mother’s friend, who you always referred to as Mrs So-and-so (never her first name), would wear for a wedding in the 1960’s.

I was just enjoying my time sitting on a rock, while the horses were asleep further away, when Klængur decided he wanted to be my photography companion and sauntered over.

Now, I don’t mind Klæengur standing beside me.  He is easy and very gentle.  Basically, I trust him 100% to look after me first and himself second.  So, I went on taking photographs, including him as well in the theme.

The next thing I knew, Klæengur took a step forward to stand over me.  I was initially worried until I realised Tit-For-Brains, aka Hammy, had appeared.  Klæengur was protecting me from Hammy and prepared to take all the flack.  I wrapped my arms around Klæengur’s neck and used him to slowly haul myself up.  He never flinched while Hammy’s teeth were surgically attached to him.  All bets are off when Hammy is around and it is every man for him or herself.

Hammy has this thing of resting his teeth on you because they just happen to be in the area. He does it to everyone with a smile on his face and a song in his fart.

I will admit that he does do cute though, very well.

Poor Klæengur had to absorb all Hammy’s teenage behaviour and act as a wall for me.  I cannot thank him enough for this.  We had a secret conversation about it.

I suppose it gave the other horses a rest from Hammy and his unique sense of humour.

Am I the only one who thinks Hammy resembles a rather bizarre member of the Moomins?