More white stuff!

We've had a bit of a mixture, weather wise, this week with everything from sunny days to gales, horizontal rain and snow.  Fyta is making the best of the sunshine and is looking at a neighbour's dog two fields distant - great eyesight!

Of course it is winter so we have to expect snow any time and this overnight fall came at the start of the week.  Faro is looking for more sugar beet from the human!

Haylage is being consumed in great quantities with hay being sidelined - pity, as haylage is much more expensive!

The boys all jealously guard their food, whatever it is.  This is Fyta eating his sugar beet and Fergus has finished his bowl and would like some of Fyta's............

Fergus is swiftly reminded by Fyta that there is no way he is going to get any more!  No spitting, just a threatening move of the head and a camel noise as a warning!

It's easy to see where any of the animals have lain outside overnight when snow or frost is around.  In this case this is where Faro and Fyta where lying whilst Fergus enjoyed being under cover in the field shelter.

And finally..........crisp winter's mornings always give pleasure.  The sun is just coming up from the east behind the photographer and shining on the hills to the west whilst the boys are having their haylage breakfast in and around the shelter.

Mite be a problem..........!

We were a bit concerned about a scab which had appeared on the inside of Fergus's left rear leg.  We suspected mites and arranged for the Vet to visit but Fergus (left) and Fyta don't look over excited about it!

Here are all 3 of the boys, penned and waiting for the Vet.  We usually pen all three to keep them calm then release two before working with the third.

Fergus wearing his halter, checking out the Vet's equipment for taking skin scrapings from his lower legs to identify the mites.  We put Fergus flat on the ground whilst doing this and he was well behaved during the procedure.  Treatment started two days later and will continue.

After the Vet's visit Fergus (front) was unconcerned as were Fyta and Faro.  Grazing re-commenced immediately.

A late afternoon photo of Fergus (left) and Faro taken mid week at the top of one of the sloping paddocks.

Today we changed the boys' field shelter and the one they have used for the last 6 weeks will now be cleaned and disinfected.  Here they are enjoying the replacement shelter.

And finally.......... the rhubarb is making an appearance once again, getting ready for Spring.  The fruit bushes are covered in buds too but Winter isn't over yet and we can expect frosts and maybe snow in the coming weeks.

Storm Brendan pays a visit!

The 'dynamic duo' - Faro (left) and Fyta, the best of pals and always together.  Where one goes, the other will be sure to follow.

The start of the week saw Storm Brendan raging over the north and north west of Scotland with very high winds and accompanied by horizontal rain at times.  When the wind blows hard, the boys 'go to ground' in a dip in the ground and sheltered by a nearby hedge.

Whilst Brendan was doing it's best to create problems for humans, we decided to give the boys some extra feed of sugar beet.

Fyta making a meal of his beet!  He usually tips the bowl over with his foot after a few minutes and eats from the ground.

When the wind and driving rain and sleet get too bad there is always the field shelter to which the boys can retreat.

Fergus forgets all about the bad weather and concentrates on eating his hay.  As the boys grow older we note that they spend more time in the shelter during bad weather - clever boys!

And finally................this photo of sunset was taken late this afternoon, looking towards the south west - perhaps we'll have a calmer day tomorrow.

A cold and windy week.

Fyta, well fleeced up for the winter, keeping an eye on the human and hoping that he brings some tit-bits to eat.

Fergus, still limping very slightly after last summer's injury to his front left leg.  It doesn't appear to bother him however and he keeps up with the other two boys on their wanderings around the paddocks.

Faro in his classic 'ears back' pose.  He presently has a wet right eye which he often has in winter and sometimes a teardrop will roll down his cheek.  We bathe his eye if it appears to become a problem.

Haylage time for Fyta (front) and Faro with Fyta showing just how much he enjoys munching his way through the feed.

And not to be left out, Faro poses too with a mouthful of haylage.  The boys have been on Verm X granules with their feed this week.

This has been a wet and windy week with gales so the boys have been eager to get at their feed when it is offered.  This picture was taken today.

And finally...........it's always a great sight to see bulbs pushing their growth through the surface at this time of the year reminding us that we are slowly working our way through Winter towards Spring.

New Year greetings

A happy New Year!  Another year, another decade but just another day for the boys as Faro comes to the fence to check out the human activity.

Fyta (left) and Fergus decide to be 'nosey' too in the expectation of juicy carrots being available - maybe!

I think the boys have made a New Year's resolution to eat as many of their favourite carrots as they can!

This has been an exceptionally mild week with temperatures sometimes up into double digits.  Very unusual for this part of the world at this time.  The boys are unconcerned by the mild weather - as long as there are carrots, they are happy!

A long range shot of the 'old soldier' Faro, who like the other two boys will be 14 years old soon and we will have had them for 13 of those years.  How time flies!

And finally............ the Grumpy Gardener was 'excavating' some seasonal veg in the garden this week. You don't see parsnips like this in the supermarkets!

Best wishes for 2020 - and beyond!

An unusual photo of Fyta showing his furry ears and his 'topknot' as he gets stuck into his carrots and Swede (turnip!) Fergus can be seen in the background.

Fergus has never been the fastest thing on 4 legs and these days he is even slower, but he does make a big effort to get to the 'goodies!'

All three boys, with Faro in front, enjoying their daily tit-bits.  The weather has been very mild over the past few days so the boys can graze easily.

The human has barrowed another two bags of haylage down to the hay store and this creates a bit of interest as always.

The two bags of Silvermoor haylage are inside the hay store and the boys now expect a handful of this tasty stuff.

There is plenty of hay in the store for the winter but the boys prefer the haylage, probably because it's sweeter and more moist than the dry hay.

And finally............. as long time blog readers will know, we usually have a Christmas jigsaw (or three!) on the go over the festive period.  This is the first, 1000 pieces completed over 3 days.  We send our best wishes for a happy New Year to all with the hope that the coming year (and new decade!) will be peaceful for all.

A happy Christmas blog.

Well, I suppose it's the time of year for snow!  The early part of the week saw a heavy snow shower which only lasted a couple of hours but gave enough snow to make the boys wonder where all the green grass had gone!

This may only have been a small drop of snow but the freezing temperatures kept any melting at bay for a couple of days.  The boys get bored quite quickly when snow is on the ground as they cannot graze.

Fergus making his way to the haylage pile where Faro and Fyta are already tucking into their feed.

When the snow comes, so does the sugar beet - this gives the boys some extra feed when grass is not available. Fergus is on the left, Fyta in the centre and Faro is on the right.

Fyta loves to be a messy eater.  He has dumped the sugar beet out of the bowl and eats it from the ground, just as he does with his granulated feed in the afternoons.

And finally........... a long range shot from this week of the snow covered Strath Glass hills, to our west.  Robbie, the Grumpy Gardener and I wish all our blog readers a very happy and peaceful Christmas wherever you are.