I have swithered all morning.  The weather is disintegrating and I don’t know what to do for the best.

Question:  Do I get them all in for the night while the weather rages?
Answer:  I just don’t know.

Pros:  I would worry less and could sleep well knowing they were safe and warm inside.
Cons:  The Icelandics are not fans of coming in – they stress and want out immediately, which could easily lead to colic.  They are also not very good at eating hay, especially Kolka – teeth, or lack thereof.

So I went down to see the horses to find out just how windy it was in the valley with the dry-stone walls.

They had been having their mid-morning rest but the sight of me possibly carrying carrots was enough to spark their interest.

I threw my carrots and spent a good few minutes crouching behind the walls to see just how windy it actually was.

Verdict:  Not that bad, actually.

So I decided that, when I put the old ladies to bed at 3.30 p.m., I would call them and if they came running up the hill because they were fed up, then they could go into the school for the night.

Meanwhile, in Container Land, the old ladies were out with the others – Albie is back inside as he is actually a hippo and needs to slim down.  Anyway, the containers give good shelter both inside and out and we moved the hayboxes to a wind-proof area and filled the container with new bedding.  Fivla and Vitamin jogged into the shed at 3.30 p.m.

And, yes, I shouted for the Icelandics and they all looked at me and said “no, thanks” so now I have a sleepless night worrying while I listen to the wind and rain.  Why not rug them, I hear you say?  Because rugs in a F10/11 can lead to disaster.  They’ve made their choice.