I had to go over to Jo's to collect some horse food and she wanted a hand to get them in as it was so cold (2 degrees) and raining.

But as I drove over, it began to clear up a bit and if I squinted, I am sure there was a small piece of blue sky - just enough to patch a sailor's trousers!

So we went into the field and were immediately greeted by Little Herself and Mum, Vitamin.  Oh, deliciousness on long, long legs who is very keen to make friends.

I got bounced at and you can see the family character of shove the nosey in the camera (Mum, half-bruv Indy and now Lyra!)

Lyra is very smart.  She holds herself well, with a huge amount of "LOOK AT ME!" about her.  Very nice.

She also very keen to annoy her mum who is remarkably tolerant at being jumped on!

Little Himself has not got a name yet.  It just hasn't arrived yet but I am sure it will.  He is more aloof but give him time.  He is not 48 hrs old yet.  He is cheeky with his Mum but she is keeping him well away from everyone and was not best chuffed to be in the stable last night, either.  This weather is not giving up so we had no choice.

I wonder when they will be allowed to meet?

I woke up this mornin', feeling really meh, aching, sick and grotty.

So I decided today I would try and rest.

But the phone rang (09.30, would you believe it?  I mean who gets up before 10.00?) and it was Jo saying we had another arrival.

Muness Melinda had foaled having given absolutely no indication that she would - no significant udder, nothing.

Jo had brought her and her beautiful colt foal into the stables as the weather is still revolting - wind and rain - and bebbie was cold.

I rushed over to meet our new addition.  He is luffley and instantly I feel better and forget about feeling meh.

Last night was a humungous night of shite - weather-wise.  The wind was gusting 60mph, it was cold and from the window it looked like someone was throwing buckets of water at the house.

I was just going to bed at around midnight when the phone rings.

Of course, I answer it to be asked if we had anything that might help a Shetland pony foal that had just been born in the field.  They had got the mare and bebbie inside but the foal was not in a good way - shaking, cold and going downhill fast.

I told them to come over immediately and as they walked in, I shoved into their hands a tube of Foal-Stim (Red Bull for foals!), a space blanket and an Emergency Kit.

Meanwhile, having left the mare in the stable (apparently she was very peaceful and knew something was very wrong), the foal had been taken into the house, put in a dog basket in front of the fire where "Dad" sat with towels and a hairdryer trying to warm him up while they came out to me.

They used the space blanket, gave the Foal-Stim ("magic stuff") and within 15 minutes the foal was trying to stand.  Excellent!  He was put out with his mum and she took him back with no problems and he is now "fighting fit and feeding himself".

"It was amazing how fast the stuff worked. When I got back to home, Dad had him b4 the fire, trying to warm him up.  He looked like he was nearly gone….gave him the stuff and within 15mins he was trying to stand! Mam is very delighted with all our hard wark ;) .....  Space blankets are brilliant, did the job for our foal last night"

So that is perfect.  He is called Swarthoull Valentino and everyone is happy and very, very relieved. 

Meanwhile, I have ordered more tubes of Foal-Stim plus 10 space blankets off Ebay.  This weather has no intention of turning or getting any warmer.  Apparently it might stop raining next Thursday!

Oh yes, and Madam Lyra is out with all the Mummeees now. 

 They formed a circle around her and she was very happy surrounded by adoring mothers!

Well, here it is and it nearly killed me - my new venture.

I have taken over a very successful website called - Shetland Ponies From Shetland - from Barbara Tovgaard.

http://www.shetlandponiesfromshetland.com/

The site needed to be totally rebuilt and so, in the wee small hours sitting in my garden chair in Jo's shed, I sweated like an exhausted Egyptian slave building the pyramids, only I didn't because it was so ruddy cold.

What can I say?  It is work-in-progress and if you find any howlers, break it to me gently and I will sort them out.  I am still waiting for some pony photos for some Studs, more information but the gist is there and I think it looks rather smart.

If you want any links to your website, let me know - frances@fstaylor.co.uk - I would prefer them to be Shetland Pony or Shetland related and if you can think of anything/one I have missed, give me a shout.  I want to promote the SHETLAND PONY FROM SHETLAND! (can I shout that loud enough?)

Lots of ponies for sale, some real crackers that I am having to sit on my hands not to buy too! When I was site building, I kept thinking to myself, "aww, that one is luffley, oh, I want her....."

This website is going to be updated constantly.  It is a window into the Shetland pony studs on Shetland.  We want to make it easy for folk to see our fabularse ponies!

Right, I am off for a bit of a lie down now.

PS. here are some gratuitous pics of little herself since I bet some of you want to see her!

All Vitamin ever wanted, was a her own bebbie to love.

And now she has Lyra and she is so happy, content and not needing anything else. Lyra is delicious and they are perfect little mother-and-daughter team.

Vitamin is a superb mother, very vocal and keeping an eye on every situation. Nothing gets passed her and Lyra is bossed around, being taught what is right, who you can talk to and who should be avoided.

She could have no better parent than Vitamin.

It is lovely to see and makes me think Vitamin has been very lonely without a bebbie to love for too long but it is such a difficult decision to make. 

Anywho, she is happy for the time being. Lyra is just the most delicious little person ever.  Bounce, bounce, bounce - "hello world, hello sky, hello birds" - bounce, bounce, bounce.  

I've not been over to see Lyra today as I wanted to get on with my long over-due chores here and catch up with stuff, like conquering Washing Mountain, websites, etc.

But amid the boredom, I thought I should go for a ride - purely for the physiotherapy, not for fun you understand.

Today I met Lyra properly.

At first, Vitamin was not keen to introduce her daughter so I followed them around the field for a while at a distance taking pics hoping she would bring her up to me but she didn't. 

From this.....

to this in 36 hours - bloomin' amazing! (the films are of her birth from start to finish - absolutely fascinating, imho)

Lyra likes to canter around Mum.  There is the odd buck but mostly canter, canter, canter round and round, flopping down for a rest in between and the odd meal!

An absolute delight to watch for endless hours.

Vitamin seems much perkier today. She is out with Lyra in their own paddock and seems settled, content and very very happy.  Perfect.

I stayed up all night just to keep an eye doing half hourly checks only to find at midnight Lyra stuck in a small ditch by the oil tank that is surrounded by rosa rugosa (a Shetland rose).  Vitamin was standing beside her and you could see Lyra thinking "I am thtuck"!  I didn't want to interfere as Vitamin seemed to be ok and talking her out of her situation (she is very vocal to her daughter).  I took Vitamin a bucket of water too as I thought she probably wouldn't want to go to the other end of the field to find it and had nothing since Lyra's arrival.  She took a grateful swig and I decided that if they were still there in an hour, I would wake up Jo and we would get them out.

Luckily they were in the field by the next check-up so Vitamin's instructions had worked.

Lyra is delicious.  Perfection on legs.  I spent the new dawn light hanging out of the window taking photos and watching her learn to canter like a little rocking-horse, skippety around Vitamin and generally be beautiful.

She is peeing and pooing fine and drinking well so what is going in is coming out.

A far cry from two years ago.

I know they are vile photos but people need to see when they decide to breed from a mare.  There is success and there is failure.  It is not all flowers and champagne.  Not at all. 

I was just packing up to go over to Jo's for my nightly vigil when the phone rings and Jo's hushed tones say "I think she's started".  I slammed the phone down, packed the car and drove like the clappers the 15 minutes to get to Jo's back garden.

When I arrived, Thordale Lyra, a beautiful black filly foal, had just arrived too.  She is beautiful, absolutely perfect.

Jo had to cut the umblical cord as it was wound around Lyra's leg and she didn't want her to get a hernia.  She sprayed it with iodine solution - you see the Foaling Bucket is of great use.

Vitamin didn't mind Jo's intervention and was exhausted.  She didn't have the energy to get up for quite a while.  The afterbirth was whole and perfect too (very important information). Jo helped Lyra meet her mother and it was a special moment.