Tag Archives: Iacs

Doing Everything Early

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I’m going into town for a meal later so have had to do everything early. It is raining so that is helping too. The sheep also wanted in at lunchtime and the Shetland ponies were in their containers sheltering.

I generously filled two small-hole double haynets and tied them into their boxes.

That should keep everyone occupied for a while and hopefully fill them up.

Pepper obviously was my constant three-legged companion.  She is managing suprisingly well on three, sometimes four, legs.  The slice off her front pad is healing nicely and she has day dressings and at night, when she can’t escape, a baby’s sock to keep the wound dry and clean while airing.  So far, this method is working. Her stitches are booked to come out on Monday, all being well.  Pepper is also grounded and not going on walks – only allowed outside with me doing chores.  Ted still has to go on dog-walks which he hates and runs straight home the minute he can.

The other support team is helpful to the extreme.

Not!

But he’s around and shouty if someone (him) might be starving.

In the big field, the horses and ponies are rotating the use of the shed.  Mostly it is a battle of wills between Kolka and Fivla and Vitamin, though I have seen Haakon briefly standing in there.  Iacs, never.  He is not that kind of wuss.

The never-ending feed machine continues, just earlier today.  Everyone probably thought it was their birthday!

 

Lots of Lying Down

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The two cousins ate their breakfast together today (I love seeing them like this – never an argument, just two old friends eating together).

When I went back later on my dog-walk, I found Haakon lying down, resting so I opened the field gate for them and continued with my walk.

The dogs and I went over to our favourite spot, Clothie – a five acre croft with a derelict house (it was a school once).

While the dogs did their own thing – bunny hunting with no success, mostly – I went looking to see what flowers were now appearing.

Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) – “Gulsa girse”.

Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis),  “mayflooer“.

Dandelion, Taraxacum palmeri -“eksis girse”.

Heath Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata) – “curly Dodies”.

Red Campion (Silene dioica) – “clockie-flooers” –

After wandering around Clothie looking for more orchids – it is early days though, I went back to the horses’ field only to find they hadn’t moved so I showed one the open gate and the rest followed.  As Fivla and Vitamin weren’t around, I decided to shut the gate as those two don’t really need the extra.

After making my customary sheep, I came outside to poo-pick around the place only to find Haakon and Iacs lying down again.

I hope it was just the nice weather and the feeling of being full of grass rather than anything more sinister.

I told myself that the fact that Iacs was also having a snooze hopefully confirmed my original theory.

I don’t want sinister. I really don’t.

Something Special Today

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I shouted and they all came over, like the elephants in the Jungle Book.  Haakon, Iacs, and then Kolka. Vitamin and Fivla were not going to be left behind and trotted through too.

Mr and Mrs – Kolka and Haakon.  They are a couple now.

Vitamin was very happy shovelling.

Monster was watching.

As was Fivla – at different times of the day, someone was always waiting for me.

I don’t worry about the parked cars/vans .  Everyone knows very well how to behave around them.  Living around the house is nothing new.

When I was in my shed, I opened a packet of shortbread (I know, no Tunnocks – I’d eaten them), and in an instant Iacs was there, whippet-like!  He has the hearing of a bat.

Pepper was very happy to have everyone around.  More folk to chat to during the day.

As was Monster – I actually laughed out loud when I saw this!

There was something very special about today.

The Green Green Grass of Home

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Little Fivla was unexpectedly standing by the gate this morning when I went back in to collect the buckets.

The others were hanging around too.

I just thought they were full and couldn’t be bothered to go and find anything more to eat.

After my breakfast, I came back to clean out their big water bucket and refill them only to find the lurkers still a-lurking.

So, being the nice kind person that I am, I opened the gate and told the old folk they could spend their day eating the green grass around the house.  We have a lot and needs eating down.  This is cheaper than mowing and less effort too.

No one needed asking twice.  Zoom through the gate, they went.

After cleaning and refilling all the water buckets in the fields, I found Fivla and thought I would give her a little brush.  That winter fur is just not coming out on its own.  In the end I brushed everyone and collected up the fur in a bag.

I ended up sitting on the bag full of fur to keep my bottom dry and Fivla and I had a lovely chat and brush.  Fivla was grooming me back and listening to the classical music (Purcell) that was also playing on my phone in my back pocket.  Such a peaceful time.

Pepper was jealous of Fivla’s attention, obviously.

Fivla is a very gentle soul.  We’ve known each other for 30 years and she is the perfect pony.

There has been much stuffing of faces with grass all day.

Everywhere I look, there is someone outside to look at.

Even when Pepper and I went to my shed…..

I only had to look outside my window and smile.

There were also the creepy neighbour moments too.  Always Bibble.

Iacs Today

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The vets from south (Ardene House Vets) were in Shetland and Iacs was on their list.  He sees them annually for a check up after his operation a few years back for penile squamous cell carcinoma.

Iacs’ appointment wasn’t until the afternoon so OH and I got on with another looming chore. We finished sweeping out the sheep shed and left it to dry.

Afterwards, I took some painkillers and went outside to sit in the sunshine.

It was a beautiful day.

Later on I received a message saying that the vet was on her way to us so I went into the field and led Iacs out so he was close by when they turned up.  Haakon followed too.

(I have no idea why Haakon has to stand like a giraffe).

I was already feeling windy about Iacs having a general anaesthetic at his great age so I had a chat with Daisy (who is Iacs’ owner) to decide what was the best way forward.

The vet arrived and we discussed the pros and cons of sedation bearing in mind his age (31yo) and possible complications (colic).  Because Iacs’ last examination had been clear, the vet gave him a good clean/feel and said it all felt very normal and no obvious growths.  Ok, she couldn’t see because Iacs would need a general anaesthetic for that and, as there has been absolutely no signs or symptoms, we decided to leave it with the view that if I observed anything over the next year, then obviously we would do something if it was considered necessary.

Colic is an ever-present enemy at their advanced ages.

So that is what we decided.

(and the vet said she wouldn’t have known Iacs and Haakon were 31 and 32yo and they looked amazing – I breathed a huge sigh of relief).