Tag Archives: Shetland Islands

Happy Days

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My blog fight continues.  My Chief Administrator, the ever-helpful-nothing-is-too-much Nick Miners has successfully turned the clock back and I am back to my happy Luddite state of the Classic WordPress set up.  No updates, no more blocks (what even is a block?) and I am in familiar territory. Phew.

But the question was raised – what if I moved from WordPress, which is, for me, becoming increasingly more complicated and unhelpful, to Squarespace or Wix.  It is certainly a thought and one I am now entertaining.

So,as the wind was blowing a hoolie all day, I thought I would spend a part of it productively.

Accompanied by the “Soshul-Medjah” Terrier, we went into my shed armed with my laptop trying to work out if I could use SquareSpace without too much difficulty.  I like to tell myself it was not 3 hours of my life wasted and that I can do this. I might get to love SquareSpace but I am back to those unhelpful blocks again.  My jury is still out on this one. I haven’t investigated Wix yet.

But good news – hopefully due to the time travel, all the email subscriptions are back. Let me know if you are still not receiving the blog using this method and I will alert Nick (and please go and look at his website – gorgeous architectural and interiors photography).

In other good news, Madge seems very happy and settled without her mother, Edna.  I never thought this would happen and had been worrying unnecessarily, as I now realise, that she would live in a state of panic and grief.

But nope, Madge appears calm (for her) and even comes up to take biccies from me.  She is not looking or shouting for her mother, which she has done for the last 5 years if Edna was out of eye-sight.  I am greatly relieved for her.

The others are oblivious to the loss of Edna from their flock, which is good.  When animals grieve, it is always so desperate.

And back into my shed for commissions.  Shout if you want one/two/three/four……

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.

 

Sleep Well, Edna

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Goodnight Edna. It was the right decision. I know that. The vet came and she agreed there were no miracle cures and it was time. Edna went to sleep in my arms and she will rest in pain-free peace.

I shan’t forget Edna. She was one amazing lady.

Floss and I first met Edna and Madge, her daughter, in January 2020 wandering on the hill road looking out of place and starving. Hill sheep survive fairly well in winter while Edna and Madge stuck out as very obviously not hill sheep. They were emaciated. I asked around and was quickly given permission to take them.

Apparently both sheep had been dumped with their ear tags cut out – I would like to put on record there is a special place in Hell waiting for the person who did that. It was obvious that Edna was a caddy (tame bottle-fed sheep) who had probably out-lived her useful purpose and was thrown out to die in the harsh environment of the hill in a Shetland winter. Someone knows who she and her daughter were.

Shetland sheep on my knees

Anyway, when Floss and I went with food to work out the logistics of moving the sheep off the hill and take them home, Edna immediately came up and put her front hooves on my shoulders, gazed into my eyes and willed me to take her and her daughter away. If sheep could communicate, she jolly well did that day. I could not refuse her. She needed me.

starving Shetland sheep eating

So they came home, put on weight and joined my little flock. They have stayed here ever since. For five years Edna has told me she has three breakfasts, yes please and thank you, with possibly a fourth. Her determination as well as a huge amount of wanting to live was what got her through.

My thoughts now are with Madge who I thought would never cope with this. But, at the moment, she has joined the rest of the sheep and seems fairly calm about the situation. I will keep a good eye on her.

Group of Shetland sheepLambie and Madge

I will miss Edna. She has taken a piece of my heart with her.

Shetland sheep

A photo from better days

Aprés Storm Amy

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As I type, we are just coming out of Storm Amy, which was quite a doozy, even by Shetland standards. Everyone survived fine and there was only one casualty – a small window in an old shed blew out resulting in shattered glass everywhere. It’s all been cleared up now.

Apparently the lowest UK barometric pressure ever recorded in October (947.9 hPa) was set in Baltasound, Shetland, during Storm Amy yesterday. Now that I can believe, as I had a stonking headache all day and went to bed feeling very grotty indeed.

I have made the decision that the old horses/ponies will stay in their sheltered field for the time being as there is more bad weather to come this week. Tis the season and we are used to this. The other Shetland ponies may get increased hay rations when it is bad but I am trying hard to hold off on this practice as they easily get used to more food and hang about asking all the time rather than going out and getting a job.

Icelandic Horses in the wind Shetland ponies eating Icelandic horse More Shetland ponies eating

Meanwhile, today I think is Edna’s last day. She has been getting lamer and lamer for a while now and nothing is helping her. Despite many examinations by vet and other sheep experts, there is no diagnosis and nothing helps her. She has finally reached the stage where she can’t walk, and therefore keep up with the flock. The light and her brightness are fading from her eyes and I know what that means. The vet has been called to put her to sleep tomorrow and I feel sad about this. Edna is my friend and a dear sweet soul. How Madge (her very attached daughter) will cope, I do not know either.   We will play it by ear with her. Tomorrow will be a miserable day for us all. One I knew would happen but not so soon. I will ask the vet if she has any magical cure/potion but I am not hopeful as we have tried I think just about everything already.

Think of us. It was not an easy decision to make.

 

 

Shetland Wool Week 2025 Makers’ Market

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The weather has been gross – a driving wind gusting F11 last night (F12 tonight – which is, I think around 73mph plus) with sporadic but violent horizontal rain.  Horrid for everyone.

Surprisingly, there were smiley faces all round this morning when I went out with the buckets.  My only aim was to make sure Bibble ate his anti-cancer pills.  Anything else was extra.  But I found a sheltered spot and put out the food and they all tucked in.  Haakon even enthusiastically piggy-paced up the hill, putting in a headshake and a little buck.

The container was as usual invaluable. The ponies were very thankful for it.  They got extra haynets and told to go out and make an effort, which they did.

So, this morning, as it was a Saturday, Mandy (my flute duet partner) and I decided to do something different and we headed off for town to the Shetland Wool Week 2025 Makers’ Market.

There were lots of “Lovely Things” and this year the theme is kits.  You can buy kits (instructions and wool) for everything that involves Shetland knitting. 

We wandered around and then rewarded ourselves with hot chocolate and cake at the Peerie Shop Café, which was delicious.  It was strange, Lerwick was almost in a fine weather bubble – absolutely no wind or rain until we drove back and climbed the hill out of Lerwick. Then the bad weather hit us full on.

Pink Fish Sheep Company

Back home for some flute duets in the afternoon.  I think we massacred Haydn today and then I went back outside to feed anyone who was lurking about.  The ponies were waiting for me so more haynets and I told them there would be no more until morning.