The field grass is growing very tall now and causing my electric fences to earth and stop working. So today OH went out with his trusty strimmer and cut it all back for me.

I followed on behind him with a rake (and yes, I managed to step on it more times than I can think) and dragged back all the freshly cut grass out of the track.  I didn’t want the ponies to eat it.

Albie was transfixed by our efforts.

I feel sorry for the ponies, though, they live in constant sight of long green lush grass which they can’t have.

A quick pit stop by the electric fence unit and OH kindly put the newly recharged battery back which had been charging all night (the grass had grown over the solar panel so it could never recharge itself and had subsequently run down.). The ponies had never mentioned this.

But the fence wouldn’t work, so we abandoned that task and went back to strimming and raking all the way around the track.

I love this photo.

And this is the home-straight – the ponies stood and watched hypnotised.

You just know they are thinking “you’re doing that wrong”.

Job done and OH had to go racing up the hill to rescue his petrol tank as Albie had plans for it *** sigh *** oh, Albie).  It’s a rookie mistake to leave anything near Shetland ponies.

And then hours were spent by OH at the kitchen table successfully re-soldering bits of battery connections but, on a plus, I ended up with my own electric fence tool kit.

I put it safely in a drawer.  Now, it’s just a question of which one.  The fence is happily zapping on full revs with no earthing or problems all thanks to OH.