Tag Archives: Shetland Islands

This and That

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It’s been an odd day – not very peaceful and I feel like I’ve spent most of it shouting and feeling agitated or worrying.

Pepper went missing most of the late afternoon.  After walking about looking, yelling and whistling and about to go out in the car to the neighbours to see if she was a-visiting, I eventually found Pepper in my big shed.  I swear I had been in there at least three times looking for her.

So I can’t be cross with Pepper but inside I am raging (mostly with myself for obviously not finding her every time I looked in that shed!)

This morning the sheep were wormed, fluked and checked over.  ‘Ster is not very well again – renal calculi and/or urine infection – so he has had his undercarriage sheared to clean everything up, started a course of antibiotics and painkillers. I also talked to the vet.   He will be drenched daily with ammonium chloride which will hopefully break up the stones.  Poor lad is going around like a wet weekend but perks up mightily when he sees the ginger biccie packet.  Food is worth living for and I must buy more biccies to say sorry for the daily drench which tastes disgusting.

The wind is blowing in force too.  The ground is drying up and actually, you know, I am glad I left the horses and ponies’ rugs on.  It feels like winter out there.  Everyone is very fed up – both people and animals.

As the temperature is also low, I have given the ponies extra haynets because I doubt the grass is growing much, if at all, on their track.

And today’s piece of resistance….

Haakon, looking like he’s in a boy band…

And Newt.  I am sure I had a friend at school who looked like that.  He doesn’t suit a centre parting and neither did she.

Hairstyles!

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There’s this free app you can get on your phone, which will show you potential hair styles on photos of yourself – I was going to town to have my hair cut and wanted to see if I could find a style that suited.  I couldn’t but it was fun trying.

So, having failed with myself, I did some experimenting as you get two attempts per day.

Now I think Pepper suits this style very much but possibly not all the colour. A bit too orange!

But the question we all ask ourselves is “should Monster have a fringe?”

And I turned Iacs into a Kardashian, which I felt was quite an achievement.  Obviously I shall be having more fun with this app on every animal I own.

Anyway, I drove into town and got my hair cut.  Then I stocked up my little field in Jamieson’s Knitwear on Commercial Street.

It was lucky I was already going into town, as there was a huge boat in – M.S. Nieuw Statendam (2,666-passenger Pinnacle-class cruise ship from Holland America Line).  I hope they all went home with my sheep.

Now, back to those potential hairstyles….. Tiddles might have to be next. I will keep you updated of my new internet salon’s progress.

Tidied and Organised

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I ordered some zip storage bags to put the horses and ponies rugs in – I have an extensive collection because you just never know (that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it). The bags are suprisingly much bigger than I expected. Measuring or sending stuff back is not one of my strengths.  I will never learn but decided to use them nonetheless.

And this is my pile of rugs to be shoved into bags and stored.

My wonderful new shelving did its job and everything is now all organised and easy to grab too.

I have remaining a pile of rugs that I will sell or give away, if anyone wants.  Some are nicer than others.

My smugness knows no bounds at my immense organisational skills.

Iacs’ and Haakon’s rugs went back on at tea time (off in the sunshine for the day) and I am considering nipping out after supper to put the other rugs on as it is going down to -5°C tonight with snow tomorrow (don’t get me started).

The little ones have their hay and containers so they should be fine.

And they all have their thick winter coats too as I am too lazy to groom them yet.  It is certainly not the weather for it.  I might give Tiddles his rug because he needs one.  No one else in that group does.

Haakon’s Weight Loss

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Haakon seems to have suddenly lost weight almost overnight which is not like him. Usually it is Iacs who comes into spring a bit lean.  So now, of course, I am worried.

It’s been a long day packing Turriefield vegetables this morning, collecting fattening horse-food from a friend and lastly popping over to another friend to collect equine wormer which she had kindly brought back from Lerwick yesterday.

When I finally got home mid-afternoon, although the sun was out, there is a north wind blowing which made everything much colder.

I walked down to the field and put Iacs’ winter rug back on.  He was very happily surprised and both Vitamin and Fivla said they would quite like their’s on too please so I told them no, you’re fine.  We’ll see how the week goes.

Then I led Haakon into the garden and gave him a big bucket of the fattening food which luckily he really liked and happily ate.

The others were now pretty cross at this blatant favouritism so I went into the house and found some carrots to throw and to get them off the fences. It briefly did the trick.

And then they were back, watching.

I don’t like how Haakon’s backbone is sticking out and his bottom is thin on his legs.  I can also feel his ribs and there is no cushioning.  For a 32 year old horse, I wouldn’t want him any thinner and he must put on weight if he is to keep going.

So rug on, and Haakon will get two meals a day to fatten him up.

I hope the others don’t mind too much.

Oh yes, and this is the damage in Haakon’s hoof after that horrid abscess/stone made.  Poor lad.

So that’s the plan. Two meals a day and rug on while the north wind is blowing.

I will consider rugging the others up but, to be perfectly honest, they are looking fine and probably don’t need it.

New Farrier Day

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We were very busy this morning.  There was much to do and get ready.

We had our new farrier coming.

First, I got the old horses and ponies back home from their field across the hill by leading Haakon with all the rest following like the good horses and ponies they are.  Breakfast buckets were waiting as the incentive.

The two old ladies were hidden around the corner so, for once, they could eat a peaceful breakfast.

The sheep didn’t need asking twice to go into their field.  They ran past the horses and ponies (Lambie had his eyes closed) just wanting to stay out of this.

While we waited for the farrier, I let the old ones mooch around eating grass by the house.

Jay was pleasantly early, which I took as a good sign.

Pepper was her usual helpful self – getting in the way over and over again. Next time I might put her in the house.  She was beyond annoying.

Some horses didn’t get trimmed because they didn’t need it and, at one stage, a friend arrived so I threw Haakon’s rope over his neck, left him telling him not to move and to be a good boy for me (Haakon, not the farrier!)

I asked Jay to give me his opinion on each horse and pony as there are times when I honestly wonder if what I am doing is right.

He said no one was fat, all looked good, and best of all absolutely no sign of laminitis.  Newt was the fattest, condition-wise, and Haakon and Iacs were an ok weight coming into spring/summer.

He also commented that everyone was very calm and easy to work.

So I am feeling much happier and thinking this is the way to go.