I’m not speaking to Vitamin. It is going to rain all night and she won’t let me put her rainsheet on.  The one she’s worn all winter without any fuss at all. I tried very hard to catch her but she was having none of it – too busy running away from me. And she knew exactly what she was doing.  It was a game to her and she didn’t care. I had put Fivla’s rug on beforehand, which actually is the more necessary as these days Fivla feels the cold and hates rain. At one stage, I stupidly put Vitamin’s rug on the ground so I could approach the old bat without her rug.  A rookie mist ..read more

All the animals had their breakfast and were in the fields I wanted them to be in for the day, so I made a dash into town (Lerwick) for some last minute messages.  The Eurovision Song Contest is on Saturday so I need to be prepared. I popped into Jamieson’s Knitwear and topped up the sheep field.  I was slightly disappointed to see that my “Lambie” Lamb (far right with the black blob on his back) made with the last of his fleece has not sold.  I might have to take him back.  He is special. But the Street was busy, which was good to see. There was a small-ish cruise ship i ..read more

A little known fact – Lambie has to sit in old bonfires.  It’s his thing. When he was younger, he did exactly the same thing but that one was still warm, so he sported a singed wool look for a while, which was a bit different.  This bonfire, hopefully, is not hot enough to do that. But yet Lambie insists on sitting in the old bonfire.  I guess it’s because he can.  I don’t know.  I did ask him. And Lambie seemed very happy.  OH said that maybe the bonfire was still warm but I doubt that as it we built it last week.  Daisy wrote, when I sent her the photo, a ..read more

Some photos from my wanderings around with my iPhone on Portrait Mode, which I now love. The Prettiest Fairy Pony in the Whole World (and, yes, I would fight you on that). Fivla Darling Maggie Maggie Edna in pensive mood Edna Edna’s daughter, Madge, who is mad as a box of frogs.  She is sporting the attached stick look. I could no more get near her to remove it than actually take flight.  She will have to live with her life choice. Madge Harrel-the-Barrel with his Honest-You-Should-Buy-This-Car face (and we all would. So you know, it wouldn’t come with wheels – they’re extra ..read more

Not much has happened today.  By choice, totally by choice.  My perfect type of day. So here are some random photos from my phone that make me smile or feel exasperated – mostly my criteria these days for taking a pic. Lambie has learned how to steal duck food. He squeezes through the gap in the gate and gets into the pen where the ducks/hens are fed.  So we took the food out and shut him in instead. So, being Lambie, he made beseeching faces until we let him out.  I was trying to make him take responsibility for his choices. Stupid, I know. He is a sheep.  ‘Nuff sai ..read more

This morning was spent at Turriefield sewing seeds like squash, courgette, salad leaves….. oh, yes and sweetcorn (those were interesting seeds). And then we took them all down to the polytunnel to place them in better growing conditions – under lights, mats and heat, though it was already very hot in the polytunnel and everything else was taking off. Then we did some rearranging and relocating previous already-growing seedlings – there is a strict rotation to cater for their every requirement based on the stage they have reached.  That makes sense.  I am learning. I brought home w ..read more

Today was Water Day just because the sun was shining and, once I make a decision of what I am going to devote my morning to, I like to stick to it. First I did the ponies’ water, then the water buckets and sink by the shed.  The latter are used by the ducks. Next up I tackled the filthy duck pond, which was desperately in need of a good clean. Then, Pepper and sat in the sunshine getting a good dose of Vitamin D waiting for the pond to fill. It took ages but we didn’t mind.  We deserved a break from all that hard work.  My back hurts afterwards. Eventually, I wrapped up the ..read more

Last night, just before I went to bed, I looked out of an upstairs window to see Fivla all by herself. The others had left her relocating on the other side of the track.  In her head, it was miles away and she looked very lonely.  She could either walk through a mire or up a steep hill and she didn’t want to do either.  But being alone is also a miserable place to be. So I put some outside clothes back on and went to rescue her, urging her round to go round the track to eventually find them.  She went, albeit grudgingly and really struggled with the muddy bit. I didn’t lik ..read more

To town today as we have visitors next month and I want to be all efficient and have everything ready in the freezer so I can do minimal cooking at the time. First I stopped off at the feed merchants and bought animal supplies, and then went into town to get supplies for cocktails (Eurovision is looming too – hurrah!) As I drove into the car park, which is next to the pier, I saw this magnificent ship. Well, obviously I had to go and have a look, even though there was a sign saying I couldn’t. So I ignored that and crept in past the barriers, hoping no one would stop or ask me to go away. It ..read more

The ponies get called up to the wee paddock for teatime as there is not much on their track and I feel bad for them worrying that they will all now get ulcers from the hunger eating them inside.  (And if it rains, I worry they will all melt). So I dish out soaked ad-lib fibre-block which they quite like. The old ladies like it most and that’s most important. I am trying to keep the weight on them while getting the others to lose it. Previously, when I served the fibre block dry and unsoaked (which it said on the packet you can), Storm ate it until he got colic and it was a vet job so n ..read more