Life without Newt is very quiet, calm and orderly (one Newt = the small brown dot in middle distance of the photograph). We had a lot of rain last night so Newt was stuck the other side of the ditch, refusing to jump over like he has done every day of his life. He did […]
Still Stuck, sort of | My Shetland
Went to Leradale nice and early this morning as I had to get onto Lerwick later. Newt was still stuck. So, having fed the others, I made the decision to get him over the stream and give him his bucket ration. And suddenly I saw this small brown hippo cantering towards me. He had worked […]
Bert’s Happy Tail | My Shetland
Some sheep wag their tails when they are happy. If I don’t see Bert’s “happy tail” every morning, then my day is ruined. Bert wags it when I scratch him on his back, then I say out loud “there it is” and I can happily continue with my day. That’s the routine. It works. If […]
Spring, Most Definitely Spring | My Shetland
Oh yes. Spring is on it’s way. I was surprised to see my banks of primroses starting to appear. I think it is early but I am happy to be wrong. But they lighten my heart and make me think Spring is finally on its way despite the many recent meteorogical set backs. Winter […]
The Contrast | My Shetland
The contrast from this morning – blue sky, sunshine, and happy faces. Well, more like gormless faces, but smiley ones nonetheless. Shovel that food in, Kolka! You go girl. And then this afternoon, after I had spent some time in my shed making a sheep and taking photos of Pepper in her new collar (now […]
Hail and Snow Today | My Shetland
We have a digger digging here at the moment. Poor digger-driver has a long list on my to-do list. In case the digger-driver turned up today to dig, I kept the old folk in their field bringing them haynets to hang on the gate. One of the digging jobs is to scrape all the mud/poo […]
Minerals and Vitamins | My Shetland
The Minions have started a new régime. Having talked to someone who has thoroughly researched this science, we decided the ponies need extra vitamins and minerals in their diet. Rough grass plus a Himalayan salt lick, is not enough. As the majority (well, I can’t find one) of mineral/vitamin licks are molasses based which turns […]
Northern Lights Last Night | My Shetland
On Facebook last night, folk were raving about the incredible Northern Light display in their part of Shetland so I popped outside in my dressing-gown on my way to bed just to see if we had anything going on. The aurora was dancing in the south end of the island so not necessarily going be […]
Revolting Ponies | My Shetland
Looking at the Minions today, I realised just how revolting they are. They all need a jolly good brush and the fault is all mine as I confess I have not been very diligent with my brushing routine. Ok, I haven’t been near them with any form of grooming tool all winter. Dirt keeps you […]
Down in the Dumps | My Shetland
It has rained a lot today and I am feeling very down in the dumps so, having fed every animal I own, I spent the day indoors catching up on other stuff feeling sorry for myself. The animals were very unimpressed with my decision but they, like me, were also fed up of being constantly […]