The first casualty...

..of the year. Lizards, that is. We have them all along the barn wall and the last few days they've been sunning themselves. The kittens watch them all the time. I can understand the fascination, it's very theraputic watching them. Of course the kittens don't do it for the relaxation!!

Today, I decided to take Anky for a walk through our fields. This was an unusual thing for her. She was fairly calm until we went through the gateway towards the bottom field. She then started to get restless, shaking her head,trying to turn away towards home, which is exactly what she did when I rode out alone on Thurs.
Suddenly she rushed past me and set off trotting around me. Her eyes were saying OMG, whats going on! She really couldn't cope with it. I couldn't just stand still as it would have started a pulling war, but I had her on a long line so I tried to move with her, keeping the line slack, which was really difficult. I didn't say anything, just tried to keep my movements fluid and relaxed. After quite a few revolutions she started to look toward me so I slowed my walking and quietly came to a halt. I stood very still and she slowed to a walk and then halted about a yard away from me. I remained very still and she didn't move either, it looked like she was starting to relax. When I was sure that I had her attention I slowly turned away from her and lowered my arm a little and asked her to follow. Her eyes were calm and she followed me quietly down the field. I can't say how good it made me feel when I saw the calmness in her eyes and the relaxation in her stride. I think we've made a start.