Tag Archives: Shetland

New Fencing

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I would’ve loved to have stayed in bed today but I couldn’t.  Things to do, people to see……

And it was also a beautiful day, which helped hugely too.

Because I knew the weather was going to be good, I had arranged for two kind friends to come and help OH and I with the electric fence for the track.  A huge job.

The plan was to take the old wiring down and start again but this time properly.  It was easier now I knew exactly where the track should be.  Did the horses/ponies try and escape while we worked?  No, they just stood there and watched.

They said helpful things like “you’re doing that wrong”.

Ditto the Shetland ponies for whom all this work was for.  They were probably trying to work out where the weak spots in the fence were.

Firstly we took down all the old fence wire which had many joins and bodges and bits tied round and round and then we put up a new springy gate, keeping the old one as well (belt and braces) and I walked round the whole track with 500m of  jumbo heavy duty electric fence polywire featuring 6 stainless steel conductor strands (muttering words like “bring it on, boys. This is war!”) I took a backpack with me containing nore spools of electric fence wire and we used two in total = 500m of track – good to know.

So now the track is fenced off with just two continuous pieces of perfect brand new wire and it works.  No joins or breaks or bodgy bits anymore. No weak bits, boys.

That should stop their misbehaviour.

Because there is always misbehaviour.  They just can’t help themselves.

And a huge thank you to Alan, Andrew and OH who were invaluable with all their electric fencing skills. A huge job completed.  We made quite the team.

Carrot Justice

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I’m not very good at injustice and Waffle not having his carrot yesterday was weighing heavily on me all night. I barely slept a wink for the worry.

So this morning after breakfast, I popped down to the sheltered bit of the Shetland ponies’ field to find Waffle and his friends.

I had counted out six carrots so that would be one for Waffle….

And then one for everyone else.

They always ask so nicely.

It was very windy.

(why does Albie look so tiny next to Silver? I always thought he was never that small. Perhaps it’s their positions and therefore deceiving)

    

And then I went back round and gave Waffle an extra carrot to make up for yesterday.

I don’t think anyone noticed as luckily as no one is very good at counting.  So please don’t make me go back down there and “settle up” again.  They’ve all had carrots now and they are all happy, even Waffle.

 

Sorry Waffle

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This morning was a disaster, weather-wise. I know this when I took the dogs out albeit briefly and the sky fell on our heads with hail, rain, sleet together with a cruel biting wind.  It was a miserable existence for us all and we came home very quickly.

Later, I went outside again, when the weather had calmed down taking a few old carrots with me wondering who would like to eat them. I didn’t have to look very far.

Albie, Tiddles, Newt and Silver came up immediately. But one little black Shetland pony was miles away preferring to stay on the other side of the burn.  That would be Waffle and I kept his two carrots in my pocket waiting for him to come over, but he didn’t bother.

And it was good to see that Tiddles was making good use of his rug.  That ain’t coming off until July at the earliest, in his little head.

So far and yet…. so far.  Come on Waffle.

So I gave up and the others very happily ate Waffle’s carrots.

Sorry Waffle, I owe you (note-to-self remind Floss to tell Waffle that he’s had two carrots for breakfast).

First Fluting

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As you know, I am trying to get my life back in order now the caudal epidural steroid injections are kicking in.

Today, my fluting partner, Mandy, came round for lunch – a quiche with unidentifiable filling (was it basil or spinach, no one knows!) and then we retired to my wee shed for a play.  Despite the injections which were lower down my spine, I find holding the flute increasingly difficult as it exacerbates my brachialgia – the pain in my neck, shoulder and arm.  But I plumbed in my Painpod (EMS/Tens machine) strategically placed the pads, turned the zapping power up and we had a go at playing something nice and easy.

As we played, we saw out of the window the sheep drifting past. They like music and we played a few pieces in between chatting and many cups of tea.  We haven’t seen each other since before Christmas so there was lots to catch up on.

And then we realised that we actually had a proper appreciatiive audience, which was nice.  The others were out of shot.

And, as it’s Muzzah’s Day, I even had a cuddle this morning off Lambie which, as Floss remarked, he hasn’t been near me all the times she’s been here.  So that was the icing on the cake.

Back to the Vegetables

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Today, feeling stronger, I returned to my usual job of packing vegetables.

There was lots to do and the old muscle memory kicked in as I filled poly bags with salad and other leafy veg, labelled them, distributed and counted what was going where.

The sun was shining, although it was bitterly cold, and I was well-prepared – I took my Christmas-present hand-warmers with me and they were a god-send in the cold packing shed.

Later this afternoon, there was a bit more running around and I am now lying in bed considering what painkillers to take and how strong.   I am beginning to think that I probably over-did things today. I must learn to say no and to pace myself.  Flossie can’t stay forever picking up the pieces.

Still, I have Monster with me lying on my bed.  He came indoors soaking wet, so I dried him off and I took a quick picture of his audition for the Nativity.

No one is talking to Pepper (again). She tried to kill a duck.  Not our best day then.