Tag Archives: MyShetland

Invisible AI Master

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Ever since I had the meeting with the internet social media chap, I seem to have lost my art of writing the blog.  I feel like invisible expectations have been placed upon me and that my every word is being monitored by AI, word searches, bots, things I don’t understand on the big inter-super-highway (as my aged neighbour used to call it).

I hate this.  My ability to write basic English, to describe my life and to enjoy writing this blog has vanished overnight. And, worst of all, I was told my Blog has to be 350 words long if I want to be found on internet searches, which then instantly gave me mental block for my writing (I had always stuck to being 300 or under as I didn’t want to bore).

What I did before seemed to work fine – albeit, I wanted more readers, hence the meeting – but I have been left with the feeling there is a giant AI bot looking over my shoulder who I have to please at all costs and I don’t like that.

I need to think about a way forward with this because I don’t feel that my blog will be very genuine or be part of the real me if I have to please an invisible Master.

Gah and *** sigh ***. I have always hated homework.

(in my head this all makes perfect sense and I can still take photos of autumn in Shetland, so please enjoy them).

I was happy being a Luddite, I realise this now.

 

Wet plant in rain

Winter or Summer Track?

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A wet dreich day and I have galloping TMJ pain so I am feeling very sorry for myself.

Wet field

After trying to play flute duets badly, I gave up (my jaw and neck hurt too much) and dragged Mandy out to help me poo-pick the track instead.  Luckily, Mandy was up for helping me with this grotty job, which was very kind of her.  I kitted her up in my wet-weather-grot-jobs kit.

Mandy helping me poo pick

Recently, I have been wondering whether to move the Shetland ponies onto their winter track or is it too early? I don’t know.

The winter track is all fenced off and ready to go.  All I have to do is open the gate and strategically attach the zappy energiser.

winter track grass

But the winter track is full of grass, some of which is quite lush still.  What to do?  I need to avoid autumn-flush laminitis at all costs.

Long grass

So I showed Mandy my dilemma and she agreed that the winter track is looking a bit too good at the moment.  We talked it all through and the conclusion was while the weather is still in double figures (ie grass growing weather), the Shetland ponies should stay where they are on – their big spring/summer track along with their two haynets a day (split into four small ones).

Shetland ponies eating

I told the ponies of my latest decision.  It makes sense and it was good to talk things through with someone who could see my situation in its entirety (that would be Mandy, not the ponies who refuse to see any situation helpfully).

Newt eating

Now I am off to look for painkillers for my jaw.  I am not enjoying this one bit.  I would like to curl up on the sofa with a hot water bottle and have lovely things brought to me.  Instead, I’ve got to go back outside in the near-dark, put the hens and ducks in their respective bedrooms, let the sheep back in from their field and kiss them goodnight.

Physiotherapy

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I chucked the old horses and ponies back out into their old field.  They were not impressed.

But, as I told them, you don’t need all that grass for the foreseeable.  I am saving it for the winter storms as it is the ideal field for exactly that purpose.

That went down like a lead balloon.

But I left them all mooching around the gate looking whistfully back at their ex-field full of grass, while surveying the shorter grass around them.

Tough.  Last seen, they were miles away just vanishing over the horizon so they must be finding something to eat.

And then Uwe Abendroth from Central Equine Physiotherapy paid us a visit.  He is our local visiting animal physiotherapist from Stirling.  We’ve used him a few times on the horses in previous years.

This time it was Monster and Pepper’s turn.  Monster has become increasingly stiff in his gait (front legs) which is probably old age but it couldn’t hurt him to have some help.  As Monster was not very cooperative and kept trying to leave, Uwe put the Pulse Electromagnetic Therapy mat (PEMF) under the bed while I lightly scattered some catnip to keep Monster in place so he could get the full benefit of his treatment.  It seemed to work.

And then it was Pepper’s turn.  She was very taken with Uwe.  Her second best friend as she loves our farrier, Stephen, most.

What a good girl Pepper was having ultrasound therapy on her poorly right front shoulder that has been bothering her for a while now.  The one that makes her three legged at times.

 

And then I asked Pepper to sit in the bed, newly vacated by Monster and she had some magical Pulse Electromagnetic Therapy as well.

Uwe could definitely feel something was going on with Pepper’s shoulder and hopefully these treatments will help her and she won’t be travelling on three legs and I will stop worrying. That would be nice.

Here are Uwe’s details – I would highly recommend.

Uwe Abendroth details

Not a Day for Going Outside

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Today was not a day for being outside. It was “coarse” – sporadic rain/drizzle accompanied by an unceasing westerly wind – F8/F9.

When I went out first thing, I could see Iacs just hiding behind the fence. I think I could smell the whiff of optimism that breakfast would arrive shortly.

It did.  Everyone was pleased.

The rest of my morning was spent renewing my acquaintance with Squarespace. I am determined to master it.  Quite the challenge but I think headway is being made.  It’s hard to tell.  There may have been some swearing.

Later, I asked everyone if they wanted to come out with me to help with the afternoon chores.  The silence was deafening.

And I think this lot also spent their day in the containers. There was certainly evidence of it.  There were two factions and it was their choice, I told them, as I mucked out. No extra haynets if you can’t be arsed to go find anything to eat.  I am not your slave (though, I am – who am I kidding?)  Maybe they’ll go out later. I think the weather is calming down overnight.

And I’m not saying everyone isn’t ** cough ** fat but they are!  Albie, especially.

My Nothing Day

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My best kind of day – absolutely nothing happened.

Having had such a lovely day off yesterday, I slipped back into my daily routine feeling rested and calm.

Breakfast was non-eventful. Everyone ate up and went where I told them to go (sheep into field, please).

On my way back to the house, after finishing all the morning chores, I found these two – Pepper and Monster – hunting in an old pile of wood waiting to be cut up for burning. “Families who hunt together stay together” apparently.

Then I took The Eggbox (Jimny) to the garage to get some petrol – a 40 minute round trip but worth it for the views and the beautiful autumn light. I considered going on a small excursion to see the scenery but I needed to get home to phone the car dealer to find out what the radio security code was. The battery died a few months ago and everything stopped. After some faffing about, I managed to switch it all back on.

After lunch into my shed to make a sheep. I am starting on commissions now so if you are in the queue, please contact me to tell me what colour combination you want. This afternoon, I made a sweet little Lambie.

Back outside again later, and it was now drizzling, to feed ducks/hens.

While the birds were eating, I watched my small fan club of sparrows who were edging closer and closer to the food, hoping to clean up the leftovers. I don’t mind and usually throw a couple of handfuls at the end for them anyway.

As the ponies had come up the hill early, due to the drizzle and their belief they will probably melt, I put out two meagre haynets and they tucked in with great gusto. Their supper-time has become earlier and earlier. They are so good at looking hopeless, as if they have nothing and I always believe them too. I have little will power and they know it!

So a lovely nothing day. Bliss.