Simone from Switzerland is back.  We last saw her in 2007, as well as 2006, and she has popped by for a week’s holiday.  So, first things first, I took her to meet the new boys.  She was instantly drawn to ones with similar colouring.

Klængur recognised a kindred spirit and a new friend was made. Simone has two Icelandic horses of her own back in Switzerland so knows the language.

Another orange person made themselves known.

The Hobbitses stayed on the sidelines waiting for their formal introduction.

I think Bozz-Bozz was hypnotised by Simone’s pigtail.  He probably thought it was a carrot!

Taktur was admired, of course and quickly fallen in love with.  Everyone was fascinated by Simone’s feather collection.

Haakon definitely remembered Simone.  She used to ride him and spent many hours improving his tölt for me.  He was very pleased to see her.  It was lovely to watch.  Few folk get a Haakon snuggle.

So, now Simone is well acquainted with my lot and I hope she enjoys her week here.

I think everyone will look after her and she knows the ropes, anyway.

Bozz-Bozz promised to be on his best behaviour.  He said so.  This is his Sunday face. I hope Simone is not taken in.

This afternoon, Fiona introduced her family to Hreyfing.

It was blowing a bit with on/off rain.  We were all cold so we put everyone into the newly-cleaned stables.  Hreyfing was cold so we put a rug on her.

Hetja had come in too and wanted to take an interest.

I have been told that Fakur has not been very nice to her.  We will split them up from now on.  If he is going to be a berk, he can come back to mine and live with the lads.  I am very disappointed in his behaviour.  I thought he knew better.  Apparently, they are ganging up on poor Hreyfing.

Meanwhile, BeAnne kept herself entertained with the turkey (Mr Twizzler’s grandson).  She was hypnotised by him.

As the weather was so abominable, we decided not to ride Hetja or Fakur (I had brought over her saddle), but we would walk them all instead down the road and back.

Fiona long-reined her horse, while the others were lead.  This is probably the third time Esja (mushroom dun filly) has been led in her entire life.  It is all good practice.

We did not take Fakur due to him being an idiot.  He does have a streak that he keeps well hidden mostly.  Today it appeared.  Look – mad eyes.

The girls all walked well and enjoyed the work. I tagged along behind taking photos, of course.

Fiona went a little further at the end to have some time together with her horse.  They looked good.  She was busy learning the art of not knitting with long-reins!

Then back into the shed to untack, worm and to give time for Jo to shut the gate on the boys, thus separating them.  Fakur was not amused and rushed up and down the fence.

The girls were let out into the next door field in the hope they would all get together, which they didn’t.

I am going to take Fakur back to mine tomorrow.  Enough.  He is unsettling everyone and there is a little bit too much bottom-waving if you ask me.

And so we went indoors to cook the BBQ indoors because it was now pissing with rain.  The joys of a Shetland summer!

This is Hreyfing frá Holtsmúla 1 (IS1998286688 – BLUP 100), a 15yo black Icelandic mare.  She came off the boat this morning (I shamelessly stole these photos off Facebook from her new owner as I was fast asleep at the time of delivery).

It was a very long journey for Hreyfing – she left the Midlands on Wednesday morning, stopping in Kelso for Thursday night, then driven up to Aberdeen the next morning and on the boat that evening.  She got into Lerwick at 07.30 (Zzzzzz…..!)  Poor thing was in a bit of a state.  She was shaking when they found her.

Jo drove her to Millhaugh (where her herd reside) and Fiona collected me en route too.  Hreyfing is Fi’s first horse, ever.  This is a momentous moment which we all understand.  Jo and I both had our first horse when we were adults.   None of us had our own ponies as children, just begged or borrowed ones.

Hreyfing has chronic sweetitch.  She was imported from Iceland, lived in Wales and England and now has come to Shetland.  We don’t have sweetitch here.  The wind does not stay still long enough for the midges to settle, let alone bite.

So, we checked Hreyfing for lumps and bumps.  Jo put some Sudocream on any open bites/rubbed bits and Fi let her go and meet the others. She quickly spied the herd and off she sped.

A quick introduction and then the important bit…

Eating.

More introductions (Fakur was a bit shocked at a glimpse of leg!) ….

A lovely roll to work out those knots from travelling – I love her blissed out face!

A quick leg-stretch….

and she is quickly one of the gang.

We all watched on the sidelines, remarking how nice it was that Icelandic introductions are relatively simple.

I hope Hreyfing is going to be happy in her new home.  Many congratulations to Fi on her first horse.  It is up there as one of the best days in your life, in my opinion.

I think they are going to be very happy together ♥ ♥ ♥

We have a new arrival tomorrow so Zoot and Dingo had to be moved, with their mothers and aunt,  to join the other “maiden” aunts.  We caught the mothers, and led them into the trailer with their prospective bebbies following.

The Welcoming Committee were high up on the other side of two burns (streams) and very interested in the new additions.

First into the field was Dingo and her Mum, Nanook, who is Fivla’s half sister.  They have never met the rest of the herd.  We have only borrowed Dingo to keep Zoot company while she is with her mum.

Off they went to explore and to make their introductions.

Next was Melinda, Zoot and Fivla.  They had travelled together.

Off they cantered to meet the herd.

There was much rushing around from everyone.

Fivla did her best to place herself between the mares/fillies and the mothers and babies.  She is a very good aunt and takes her job very seriously.

Meanwhile, BeAnne, Snati and Beeble took themselves swimming.

All the dogs are keen swimmers but I like to think BeAnne is part otter, part wind-up clockwork boat.  She goes along so well in the water, steaming along.  She has a very good dive on her too.

And then she had to go and spoil it all by rolling in horse poo (OH made her sit by herself on the way home for obvious reasons.  She usually sits on his knee in the front)!

Equine introductions were being made and the girls appeared to be settling down nicely to the job in question – eating.

(this, btw, is how good my new little camera is – that is how far away the ponies actually were – amazing. I am so impressed)

Jo will check on the ponies later tonight just to see that everyone is still settled.  We don’t want bullying or outcasts, just one happy big Shetland pony family.

It was very foggy today when Floss, BeAnne and I went on the 2 mile walk.  Everyone wore Hi-Viz, even BeAnne.  This outfit is called The Beankini and she walks along happily in it.  I also put her on a long lead just in case.  And so we set off.

Anyway, I thought I would try an experiment to see which Hi-Viz colour works best for us so I asked Floss to walk faster away down the road and I would take photos of her progress to show her visibility.  It is 1.30pm by the way.

This is the furthest I could see her properly.

Next my turn.  Off we went, (Day 3 of the WeightWatchers) at our usual preamble.

I think that conclusively proves that orange is the better Hi-Viz colour.  Ok, there may be a wider spread of me in my coat but I am more visible than Floss at a greater distance, even if I were a thin orange blob.

Then a friend, who was doing some sightseeing in the fog like you do, passed in her car.  We all stopped for a chat.  She said she had seen a bus-load of puffins yesterday at Sumburgh so I retaliated with Foula’s beauty as they gazed at nothing into the distance.  This is her car driving off and yes, she had all her lights on.  You can barely see it.  I need an orange car now.

Some folk treat hi-viz as a joke.  I don’t.  I want to be seen when I am out and about either on foot, on horse or with dog.  If it makes drivers slow down, then all to the good.  To be run over because you can’t be arsed to wear hi-viz is unforgivable in my book especially up here.