Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Thursday 7 June 2007

Horsing Around







I sat on the bench this morning, coffee in hand, soaking up the morning sun as I took in the sea views. It feels like we are basking on a Mediterranean island just now, the weather is gorgeous. It is in total contrast to the torrential rain we had at the weekend, and it is hard to imagine the gales and storms that battered our house during the winter months. I think that is one of the wonders of living in the Hebrides, it is quite common to experience all four seasons of weather in one day sometimes. Last night as I looked out across to the Paps of Jura, there was a layer of sea mist encircling the lower levels of the hills, it looked quite magical.

Dribbles, one of our pet lambs is very ill just now, I don’t know whether he is going to survive. He has got a very bloated and gassy tummy and wouldn’t take his milk last night. The children are quite devastated, now if you are familiar with my previous blogs you will be well aware that we have had to nag those children to feed the lambs. I have often been left balancing three bottles, one clutched between my knees as I juggle to feed three hungry lambs alone, because they are all too busy at other things. Of course the first sign of tragedy though and their love for their pets is renewed once again. Suddenly they are very concerned and I fear we will be going through the whole grieving process soon, unless of course poor Dribbles, who has already cost the happy farmer a tidy sum in powdered lambs’ milk and cake, makes a dramatic recovery!

My eldest daughter has fallen head over heels in love too, but no need to panic, she hasn’t brought home a long haired spotty teenager….. Yet, no her love is for Hansel, her horse. She even caught the early bus home the other night, skiving her band practice, feigning to have forgotten her saxophone, so she could get home to go for a ride. I was not too impressed, but then as I watched her tenderly grooming and fussing over Hansel I did forgive her. What a carry on though. My cod liver oil capsules are disappearing from the cupboard, good for the horses coat don’t you know. My sponge from the kitchen sink went AWOL, he needed to be sponged down after the ride. Apples and carrots are getting chopped up, polo mints disappearing from my handbag; he even got treated to a slice of my birthday clootie dumpling last night. With his hooves all oiled and his coat well brushed she saddled up and took off at a rate of knots through the fields. At this point I tend to hide my eyes, but you can’t escape the thundering noise of hooves on dry ground as the two of them fly across the field.

Until next time…

11 comments:

muddyboots said...

sunshine? you have sunshine? please send it down here,as it's grey & overcast & chilly. so much 4 global warming, mote like global freezing!

@themill said...

I think I've gone off you Posie - it's grey and bl**dy freezing here today.
BTW You're tagged!

Elizabethd said...

The sun is obviously shining on the righteous in Scotland and France. We have lovely weather today, 26 degrees.

Woozle1967 said...

Finally get round to catching up with you! Have been in the garden and not tied to laptop for a change! We give Diamond codliver oil too but he has it in liquid form and a dollop goes in his dinner (lots cheaper than capsules if bought by the bottle/container from horse/pet feed man!)xx

Suffolkmum said...

Where you live is so beautiful - love the house (and the horse!). We could do with a bit of sunshine here - I'm obviously not very righteous.

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

what gorgeous pictures. think you have earned your sun after the weekend. best of luck with the lamb.

Exmoorjane said...

Lovely to catchup on your blog, Posie..... Ah, pony love.....I spent my entire childhood yearning for a pony so can quite understand. Oh COURSE you don't need your cod liver oil tablets as much as Hansel does....how silly.
Sorry to hear about the lambs - quite agree that sheep will find any way they can to die (sure we've had this conversation before somewhere else!). janexx
PS - luck you with the weather - horrid here.

Bluestocking Mum said...

Envious indeed-it is very overcast here and even the birds are not singing much.

Poor little Dribble btw

warm wishes
x

snailbeachshepherdess said...

What is it with cade lambs? Mine died of pneumonia just as I bought a new bag of milk! Just how ungrateful is that!
Lovely pictures, glad you are having the weather...grey and oh so cooooooooool here

Maggie Christie said...

We too have been basking in lovely sunshine. The sheep are on their favourite field with lots of grass and they have been treated with the anti-fly strike stuff. All is well? No, they're bored. They drew straws or whatever sheep do. Some kind of ovine Russian roulette, I suppose. One corpse. Bl**dy things. Poor Dribbles, he can't help being a sheep! Fingers crossed for a dramatic recovery - followed by name change to Lazarus!

Handyman Logan said...

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