Just messing

Storm Aiden or similar meant no outdoors time so I got a few minutes to play with my models and mess about. These are 10mm scale 

 

Building work

MBAOSPW has many ideas, always to be acted on in the interest of survival, the latest being wouldn't it be a good idea to have a book case at the top of the stairs. This we all know is code for its about time you fixed the damage caused by those cowboys who fitted the bathroom, re decorate the landing and lay a new floor to stop anyone falling onto you while cooking. So in a brief lull of paid work yesterday the final part of the lets put a bookcase at the top of the stairs was enacted and a new floor laid by yours truly. Sharp eyed observers will note new floor in newly decorated and repaired landing and total absence of bookcase. That is because once yours truly had finished and had wrestled the bookcase up the narrow stair case not built with any intention of allowing the free passage of furniture MBAOSPW decided it looked better in RRMk2's bedroom, which as we all know is code. 

Speaking of building work my latest obsession (The Australian Light Horse charge) has resulted in me building a model of Beersheba Mosque as a backdrop to the little men I've painted to inhabit the world.

Meanwhile the iron will applied to my desire to lose 1/3 of my body mass is being tested by the boys who are celebrating lockdown the sequel by baking

lots on non diet cakes.

So while they eat I paint and pretend that the last thing I want is a chocolate  cup cake covered in unicorn icing. 

 

Magic is loose

This is Magic, a lovely and very elderly pony, actually he is a unicorn but that is another tale, anyway this is he 6 days ago doing what he does, wander about, eat, pooh, repeat.

A gentle soul who's owner abandoned him which is why he ended up here with another pony, Benjy (who isn't here at the moment as he's gone orf) two Kuni Kuni pigs and an African grey parrot 

in the type of deal that only happens to yours truly. Conversation went do you want to rescue some pigs, answer not unless the come with an African grey parrot. 48 hours later guess what, and tow and a half years later Magic is still looking cute and pottering around thinking elderly pony thoughts.

 Until today when he died peacefully under the oak tree on Oak rise. Not sure how old he was, probably over 25 years so we cant feel too sad for him, he was a much loved addition to the clan of equines and we were glad to have had him retire here. 

wonky donkey and no through roads

Mork and Mindy were (much to their annoyance) rounded up for a hoof trim in an opportune gap in the weather. This is a 6 times a year task otherwise their feet go all wonky and you cannot have a wonky donkey. 

Once Mork had finished kicking both yours truly and the farrier I decided to take some of the K9s out on the hill which is festooned with autumnal colours. 

In the setting sun the countryside looked amazing and even more so was the fact that we had found a never before seen trail to follow.

This led to much excitement from the intrepid dogs

and their leader.

But.... problems soon became apparent and lack of photos is due to either steepness/slippyness and/or yours truly fending off gorse bushes/excited dogs leaving no hands free.

This was about the point we decided to bale out as the path was well and truly badger sized and there was no way a 65kg dog with the brain capacity of an opal fruit and a fat bloke in orange shorts were going to negotiate the maze like quality of the way forward.

Still it was exciting 

and one of the group was super excited as he managed to get through the tunnels and back again unscathed. 
 

Lapdog

 Spotty Mk2 having a moment 

Little and None

Benjy the little shitland has been feral for long enough and as luck would have it attention turned to his wherabouts on a dry day so we set off into the wilderness to find him. Has to be said this was prompted by a series of facebook posts about this lovely wild pony who enjoys walkers company and eating the contents of their pockets.

It was a low cloud low visibility day 

but undeterred we made it to the ridge and lo and behold

as we skirted the pond

and took in the sights 

the errant equine was spotted with his friends 

by the monkey puzzle trees.

Naturally he knew what my plans were so he always managed to stay just out of reach even though I had a blue bucket of allure. 

Even the wild ponies got closer than he did

so after much patience expended, defeated we headed home.

Taking in the autumn colours

which was a small reward for our efforts,

unless you can only see in black and white. 
 

baled out

Finding storage space that isn't full of animals or airfix kits is pretty much impossible here at HQ. So the monthly exercise of finding where to put 60 bales of hay before they are turned into pooh is just that, an exercise. It has to be somewhere accessible, but not so accessible that the critters help themselves to it, and dry. 

Faced with this again yours truly had the brilliant idea of using the sick bay which now does not have to house unexploded goats, and the tack room which is full of tack. This entailed evicting massive spiders and moving the tack to the annex. 

Then taking down a partition wall, repairing the stable door the sick bay end and screwing it shut

and sweeping it clear 

before filling it with lovely fresh hay. Simple. 
 

Benefits of Zoom meetings

 Well... it was a boring meeting 

Can you fix it

 Without referring to the Harry Belafonte ditty from way back I have a feeling that this bucket is past its terms of usefulness. 

Free food

 

Not sure how this happened or whether its a reflection on the lack of gardening skills but the tomatoes planted in the greenhouse did not bear fruit of any kind, yours truly put this down to lack of sunlight rather than lack of ability. 

Meanwhile out in the lane where plants are mercilessly tormented by the passage of cars, large dogs, kids in go karts, bikes, fat ponies and a myriad of other challenges

tomato plants have spontaneously appeared, not only grown but have produced lots of baby plum tomatoes.  

Weight training

Instead of cycling or walking up the bonsai mountain todays exercise was weight training taking the form of moving 45 15kg sacks of dog food and a 102kg of tinned meat into the store, 

 No doubt which dog breed is his favourite. 

What a difference a day makes

This is Spotty Mk2 who 24 hours ago was a dashing handsome chap but as can be seen he is doing a pretty good elephant man impression after a swelling grew and exploded across the living room floor releasing a foul smelling sticky goo. JUst so happened that we had just put the phone down after booking him in to the V E T so a quick redial and he was rushed in emergency admission. 

Turns out he had a grass seed in his head, which is curious given that after 3 previous vets trips they could not find it (despite a big clue like, oh hes been playing in the hay, look there is an entry wound, may be a grass stem etc etc) Instead he had 3 courses of anti biotics, anti inflammatory drugs, scans and biopsies and lots of pain over the last 4 months. 

He is getting better but for the first time I am actually quite cross with the vets. 
 

Walk of life

So technical issues have meant that the last 3 posts have disappeared... so to recap.

Its that time of year when yours truly plays the pied piper and walks across the Bonsai Mountain 

followed by 65 school kids and half a dozen or so teaching staff where they all

get to see the great outdoors

and climb the bonsai mountain.

This time from a new angle as the Covid 19 stuff means no buses for the kids to get to the usual start point.

The kids love the chance to miss lessons and for some reason I have become a bit famous for my less than true stories as we wander, the best one this year being The Monk and the 3 Badgers written by a monk who was moonlighting as a stone mason in 3 quarries where the rocks were too soft, too hard or just right. His story became..... well they guessed, can you?

One of the children happened to be the apprentice who amazed all his class mates by his horse whispering skills.

Benjy his pony is still at large in the wilderness but trotted over to his bestie to say hello.

Lunch was a small affair on account of Covid 19 weight gain

end of play saw all of us return safely after 7 fun miles in glorious weather.