Tag Archives: Shetland

One Arrives, One About to Leave

3 Replies

It’s been an exhausting day for everyone.

We were up an hour early to do the animals and then I drove to the airport to collect Flossie, who is taking over from Daisy (98 mile round trip).

Meanwhile, Ted went to the vet for his scheduled “dental” – he had to stay for the day and ten teeth were removed while the rest were cleaned.  Poor thing.  He’s just come home and seems relatively bright and is managing to eat soft food.

Anyway, I shall be sad to see Daisy go. Her help has been invaluable and she keeps me on track as to food, rugs and general looking after.  I need that.  And I think a wee dog will be miss her hugely as will her science companion, Monster.

So now it’s Flossie’s turn again – back to lugging buckets through the mud in hellish weather without a single complaint.

And she gets to work from home too during the weekdays, subject to the internet working.

Life goes on, apparently.

We’re Not Talking to Pepper

4 Replies

No one is talking to little Miss Pepperpot this evening.

Not even her BFF, Monster.

I know Pepper was with me this morning as she helped me make Flossie’s bed for her return home tomorrow to help me around the place as it’s Daisy’s time to leave.

And Pepper was here to scoff her tea down as fast as she could and then, when Daisy and I went out to put the ducks/hens to bed and let the sheep in, no one had seen her for 30 minutes or so – each thinking she was with the other. She wasn’t anywhere. She had gone.

We asked around.

I checked my phone for any messages, shouted and whistled (two fingers in the mouth kind that gets you a taxi anywhere in London) but nothing.  No little orange dog.

And then I grabbed the car keys and off we both (Daisy and I that is, no sheep) to look for little Miss Pepper.

The first neighbour we saw said he had seen Pepper a few days’ back (really? we didn’t know she had gone) and had sent her home then but no, he hadn’t seen her today.  The next neighbour’s home was quiet and so we tried our third neighbour and guess who came bouncing out.  There she was “helping to fill haynets” along with a kind offer to happily keep her all day.  I won’t lie, at this point I was sorely tempted.

I do wish she wouldn’t do this.  I really do.  We are very lucky with our neighbours who know what a little terror/runaway she is.  She just likes visiting folk and maybe I am just her taxi collection service.

The Best Rugs

2 Replies

Not much has happened today which, as you know, is how I and my back like it.  No drama, no fuss.

Everyone behaved at breakfast and that always makes life simple.  Afterwards, I spent my morning on the phone to a physiotherapist who phoned to talk about my GP referral (he never mentioned that). We had a good conversation and I felt I was understood and a plan might be made. You never know.  I am optimistic.

Then some games with Pepper, which involved me trying not to be chewed while someone tickled her tummy!

 

Pepper is (mostly) adorable and very pleased with herself because a few days back, she caught herself a mouse!  All her very own work too.

Because Pepper wanted to bring it home, I had to swap it out for one of the sheeps’ biccies to get her to give it to me to dispose of. Fair exchange is no robbery in this house.  She was a very good girl about this otherwise she would run around with the mouse in her mouth, tail hanging out like a gruesome lollipop!

The old horses and ponies are doing very well living in the centre of the summer track.  The two year old grass there is slowly being eaten down and will hopefully last a little while longer.  My plan is to keep them in their rugs (either a rain sheet or a 50 – 200g fill depending on the weather) while they live outside in bad weather 24/7.  That way, their rugs will do the job of keeping them dry and warm. I think they are happier like this and have wintered better.  They move around more too.

Anyway, that’s the plan.  It’s not a very cheap one, though.  I have learned the hard way that you get what you pay for.

A Little Known Fact

6 Replies

Now here’s a little known fact for you……

If you open up the little shed in the paddock leading to the big hill field, it fits five Shetland ponies perfectly adequately.

I did not know that and now I do.

The shed wasn’t particularly a squeeze for the ponies and they all looked pretty comfortable and relieved to be out of the driving sleet/slushy rain.  I don’t think there were any fights either because, as a herd, they don’t get truly narky with each other.

Anyway, I think they were all very grateful judging by the mess they left behind them.  We mucked out once they had left.

And I did see a locum GP who allayed my fears of cauda equina and said it was probably “just nerve damage” so that was good. He also advised me of the serious symptoms and I told him I had a bag packed, just in case. So I am relieved.  I wish he could’ve referred me for an MRI scan (apparently beyond his remit) but he referred me back to the Orthopods instead, who hopefully will do this, though last time my appointment was cancelled and I was referred to the physio dept who phoned and asked if I had tried Mindfulness.  For once, I had no words.

 

The Family Photograph

1 Reply

My morning’s after-breakfast job was to try and sort out OH’s ancient but much-loved (and now fully backed up, yay!) Macbook which had gone on the fritz again. I thought I had mended it a few days’ back but obviously not.  It’s the cursor – it keeps freezing on one account.

Anyway, this time I brought in the experts!

Once mended (hopefully, don’t make me go into Terminal or look for plists to delete), Monster needed to rest.  He thought he’d worked hard.

I love how the way Ted stands like a sentry nearby and you can almost hear Monster saying “I got here first and you’re not getting the bed”.

And then Pepper was wandering past so I asked her to sit as well and I would try for a family photograph.

Perfection (though I wish Pepper looked a bit more enthused).

And, so you know, I want to rename Monster “Bao” or “Baozi”, as in Chinese dumpling. I don’t know why. It just came to me.