Tag Archives: MyShetland

Exercises

A spectacular sunrise this morning. It even made the muck heap look good.

And while that was going on in the sky above, everyone equine was totally oblivious and happily munching their breakfast having survived their first night outside in the snow.

Meanwhile, my back is terrible. I have intense pain/sciatica going down the front of my left thigh and I am finding life very rough.

So I looked up my symptoms and started to do exercises every 30 minutes that would help while lying in bed.  Walking is difficult and sitting impossible now.

Obviously, I had help.

And Pepper was not helpful.  Her legs are spikey and heavy.

I have phoned up the Pain Clinic where my name is always on stand-by and I have joined the list to be seen for spinal epidural steroid injections soonest. I can’t go on like this and am very worried.

On a good point, though, I might have found the photo to be made into Daisy’s next Christmas puzzle! 1000 pieces of varying shades of white.  She’ll love it.

More Snow Pictures

My back is still giving me problems so, while I have Flossie here, I am making the most of it and lying in bed all day getting up only to feed the animals.

As Floss was going out to lug water (apparently it is called the “Farmer’s Carry” in the gym), I gave her my phone and asked her to take some photos of her surroundings and anyone else she happened upon.  I stayed lying on my bed.

The horses and ponies have had two fields to dig for grass in.  This is the stream which is completely covered over – something I have never seen before.

The drifts are pretty good too.

Everyone is pleased to be outside.

 

Except for Fivla and Vitamin who have taken up residence in their container.  I did show Haakon, Iacs and Kolka the containers.  Haakon thought I was actually mad expecting anyone to go inside.  Iacs and Kolka went in and came straight out.  Still, they know where they are if they want shelter.

Anyway, tonight we have left everyone outside having had two suppers, along with copious haynets hanging everywhere and fresh water.  The wind has died down and those that need have rugs.  Floss and I decided everyone needed to stop seeing us as their servants and start being horses and ponies again.

Took to my bed

Last night, I crawled into bed immediately after supper and stayed there, armed with valium, naproxen and an acupressure mat determined to get my back under control.  Recently it has been deteriorating and last night was the final straw that literally broke this camel’s back!

Come morning and I felt rested but tentative knowing full well what is the trigger.  Lugging things.

Still, it was pretty outside as there had been a lot of snow fall, with some huge drifts too.

Impressive!

And I couldn’t get to my shed to finish my Christmas Lego either.

The horses and ponies all went out after their big breakfast and spent their day eating or asking to come back inside.  We ignored them.  Pepper buggered off to the neighbours *** sigh ***.

Meanwhile, I spent my day in bed, lying flat (no extra pillows) with my Painpod zapping away and a variety of visitors and did nothing, absolutely nothing.  Gosh, it was nice.  I just rested, played a few games on my iPad and listened to the radio.

We don’t have the heating on during the daytime so I was well wrapped up and under the covers keeping nice and warm.

And I had a hot water bottle on my lap, which confirmed that Monster was a heat-seeking missile in another life.

Anyway, a day in bed, getting up only to do the animals, has been lovely. I shall get up and cook supper later, do the last check of the big shed inhabitants and go back to bed to continue creeping through the Great Pyramid of Eygpt looking for clues……  so far I’ve only managed to leave my tent!

More Snow

We’re bored of this now.  The constant gale force north wind brings a wind chill of around minus ten and then there are the blizzards and drifting.  There is more snow to come too.  Horrible.

But today everyone went outside for most of the daylight hours as it got steadily nastier.  We put rugs on the old horses and ponies as well as Tiddles.  After lunch, I found everyone huddling in and around the containers for shelter so I shouted and they all came running and quickly went inside.  These days no one mucks around.  No naughty little ponios now.

Having Flossie here has been a god-send too.  She is beyond helpful. I owe her so much for this.  Above and beyond any call of duty.  She is tireless – mucking out, lugging water, rugs on, rugs off.  All the heavy stuff while trying to preserve my back which is putting up huge complaints.  I am even considering epidural steroid injections again, so things must be bad.

There is more snow coming but as long as we have a good stock of food for the animals, we will manage.

I can’t see anyone getting out soon, though I might try and make a dash to town next week if I can.

And Pepper has a vet appointment on Monday – dodgy ears situation.  She is having treatment so it is really only a check-up.

Still, we have an excellent supply of hot chocolate and Christmas choccie, so we hoomans are doing pretty well.

I am currently writing this with a hot water bottle on my lap, hand-warmers and a heated back belt as well.

An observation:  There is no such thing as waterproof work gloves. They are all liars and mountebanks.

Blizzard

After a good breakfast, Floss and I put everyone outside without their rugs because they are all:-

  • very floofy and fat
  • they can move around better, roll and play
  • and it wasn’t that bad, weather-wise.  The sun was shining.

So Iacs spent his valuable daylight hours by himself standing by the gate looking hopeful that I would return.

Everyone else was in the field digging and eating grass perfectly happily.

 

Iacs was now in a severe depression.  I thought it was because I hadn’t rugged him up.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was cold, but I thought they all have a good covering of fat and long fur and are built for this.

So obviously I gave in and opened the gate.

I don’t like anyone being miserable.

I gave Iacs a bucket of hay replacer, because it is easy to eat and I had it ready.  Iacs stuffed his fat floofy face not even coming up for air.  I also put his rug on.

Meanwhile Haakon and Kolka had spied that Iacs had vanished. You can almost feel the resentment from here.

And then everyone turned up to look resentful too.

Once finished, I shoved Iacs back out to rejoin all his friends hoping everyone would now be ok.

Not even two hours later, we had a huge blizzard. It was vile. So Flossie opened the big shed doors, and I opened the gate.  All the horses and ponies came in as fast as they could.

Even Fivla showed some speed.

So they have all gone to bed an hour or so early and are tucked up with food and water in their nice warm shed.  The hens and ducks also went to bed early and I haven’t seen any sheep.  When I go out again later, I think they should be home by then. I left their gate open and shouted a bit but honestly we couldn’t see to the fence as the blizzard was so bad.