Looks Like Rain, Smells Like Rain, My Guess is: It's Rain.

[glenatron]

Today it rained. Really rained hard. And constantly the whole time we were with the ponies. The kind of weather that makes you wonder why you thought keeping them out 24/7 was a good idea.

After postponing over christmas when we were going to be away, we have now divided the field into two, one third that the ponies can trash in winter mud and two-thirds that can recover from the trashing it's already had. Unfortunately the water trough is in the two-thirds so we're going to be carrying water across morning and night for the next few months.

Putting up an electric fence is apparently a fascinating but terrifying passtime:

"A Barrow? I demand to know what is in it!"

"Fence posts? Humans, you have disappointed me again. I hardly need to point out who will be first against the wall when the revolution comes."

"Get out the way! She's got electric tape!"

Once we had finished and given the ponies dinner, it was apparently allowed to stop raining. Great.

I should maybe point out that in fact Lou did all the fence work. I mostly took pictures.

The good news is that Othello has been really well behaved lately, it's as though a little light bulb has gone on and he has suddenly realised that the optimal way to approach a human is not actually to amble up to them and give them a solid bunt with your head. Today he was friendly and niffly but not in the least bit bolshy or pushy. It was actually very cute. On Thursday morning, when they had their feet trimmed, he was actually more polite to lead than patchy Joe pony, the ultimate gentleman. Admittedly Joe, having not been handled by me for quite some time, was really trying it on, but Othello was being great and made me very proud. He didn't even need to be sedated to have his feet trimmed.

Presumably he's ill.

The many pictures here were facilitated by my new camera (a Christmas/birthday present from my parents) having arrived during the week. It's great - very small, so light I can put it in my trouser pocket and they don't fall down (major failing of my old camera) and it's lens goes back to 28mm, which is proper wide angle and ideal for taking pictures of pony that make it look like he has an enormous nose.


Dead flowerheads in the garden, playing with the Macro lens and the wide angle sky.

I've got a wide angle lens and I'm not afraid to use it! Othello in slightly better weather.

I was rather pleased with this abstract effect - turns out zoom plus camera shake plus trees equals intriguing picture.

Comments

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

When Curly first didn't need sedating fo the farrier I called the vet out because I thought he must have been ill too *laughs*

I love the last photo, beautiful colours.

Ponies just LOVE helping out with electric fence building! Mine help me all the time. Last time Lizzie got IN the wheelbarrow. OK, so only her front 2 feet but she was very pleased about it. My ponies are convinced if we are messing with the electric fence that we are creating them more grass. I suspect yours have the same ideas about it all.

You have some lovely ponies there.

Its very nice having such helpful ponies :-)

C.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I'm glad ours haven't thought of trying to climb in the barrow yet, though it is a big two-wheeled barrow and they are chunky cobs so it might be a bit much effort to get up there. The thing is that much of the time it's full of hay and thus the best thing ever and sometimes it's full of nothing but disappointment (but goes away full of poo, I think ponies probably believe that is a precious resource that we depend up on harvesting) so when it comes in filled with something else it's the source of great intrigue and much standing in the way and looking indignant when the barrow bumps into them.

Last summer Joe had to spend a bit of time in a small pen cos the grass was growing too lush for his native-pony constitution and when the pen was going up he wandered in and then couldn't get out because he was in a pen surrounded by electric tape. It didn't appear to matter that the tape was lying on the ground and hadn't actually been attached to the polls yet, he was taking no risks...

[kittyfantastico.livejournal.com]

Great pictures, Ben. Hope you and Lou had great holidays. Hopefully, we'll avoid avoiding each other next time I'm in the UK?

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I can't guarantee anything, as I'm very good at avoiding people by accident (much better than at avoiding people deliberately) but we'll try. I bet we'll miss you next time we're in Canada too...

[kittyfantastico.livejournal.com]

you better not!

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I think we're in the other bit. Apparently Canada has several.

[kittyfantastico.livejournal.com]

bits? yes, we have lots of bits. But if you're going to be in the Toronto bit, I can be there.

[http://users.livejournal.com/blitzen_/]

great photos. i love the macro one of the flowers.

the pic of othello close to the wheelbarrow is gorgeous too.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

It would be a beautiful and poignant silhoette, if it wasn't a wheelbarrow he is staring into...

[spirithorse21.livejournal.com]

Love the photos! glad to hear that Othello is coming round. :D

[skye-ds.livejournal.com]

We LOVES our electric tape fences round here, we does! Sjouke, Da Boy, Little Baby Bigfoot (Friesian studcolt) respects them like nobody's bidness. Even when 100 feet of them are down on the ground, causing the entire fence, stallion pasture AND mare pasture, not to be charged (after a tornado hit the ranch).

My 60' round pen is 3 foot fiberglass step in posts with electric tape (thereby very portable and serviceable as a traveling stallion pen). Da Boy wouldn't even have to jump it as at this point he could simply step over it. But nothin doin!

And, Yay for Othello!!!

:-)