Sweet Peas and Roses

What better way to relax for 10 minutes than a pot of tea in the fruit garden, and the scent of sweet peas? I hurt my back at the beginning of the week, and have spent more time at my desk than I would have planned to in this glorious midsummer weather. Thankfully my desk is against the window, and I can see almost all of my little garden from this spot!

This shady rose bower is a favourite spot in the midday heat, although my smallest child keeps collecting snails and relocating them to the old mossy table in there.

And here are Magpie and Beetle. Beetle got accidentally shut in my studio for 24 hours , and I only found him this morning. I expected him to be very hungry and thirsty, but it seems he was only starved of company. He has been very vocal all day, and is following the dog everywhere, talking to her and trying to lick her face. She tolerates this, but sadly, although Beetle obviously adores her , I don't think the feeling is mutual!

And now, off to watch Glastonbury on television - the closest I want to get to the festival these days! Gone are the days of climbing the fence and sleeping in cardboard boxes beside a campfire for three nights. Now I can't bear the thought of so many crowds - I have become very hermit-like in my old age!

Midsummer nights

I love these long hot summer evenings. Walking on the hills this evening I stopped to watch the hay being baled and brought in all around me. The grass is nearly waist high, pinky seedheads puffing pollen at me as I wade through. As the sun sets in an orange glow, the hills looked as though they were burning, an echo of the real flames that licked across them as they were swailed earlier in the year.

The forecast is good for the next couple of days, and everyone will be baling through the night. Even I suddenly have a glut of grass on my poor, dry hill pasture. The small ponies are grumbling at being shut away from most of it.

I've almost finished the painting too. It is still continuing on with the transformation theme. Can you see that this is my crow girl again?

A Sneak preview!

I've had my head down all week working like a woman possessed on my latest painting. Here's a sneak preview of how it's coming along!

Thankyou!

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for all your helpful comments on my last post. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to reply to everyone individually, (too busy dealing with animal stresses this week!) but I REALLY do appreciate your kind words and advice.
The buttercup rash has completely gone on three legs - it's lingering still on the fourth, but I'm working on it. Thankfully, it doesn't appear to be bothering Red in the least.
Today's good news is that Marlene has come into season, so not in foal!

I also found time to do a quick painting of a bloke with a stoat on his head. And a small boy masquerading as a chaffinch. My sister and I are organising an Open Studios event for Chagford Arts Festival in about three weeks time, so I am desperately trying to finish some work to exhibit!

Buttercup Rash

These few days of gloriously hot weather have brought a problem with them. A couple of days ago I saw that Red's legs had suddenly flared up into what looked like a very bad case of mud fever. He is an appaloosa, with pink skin on his muzzle, so I do sometimes have to apply a bit of sun cream on his nose ( which he hates), and it would seem that the very strong sun combined with the buttercups being out has resulted in a bad case of buttercup rash. I had only encountered this on pink muzzles before, but this time Red's legs were covered in crusty scabs from the knees down, and his pasterns were particularly bad.
So, what to do?
I couldn't find a great deal of information about this, so I've gone for some common sense treatment. First, I brought him in and thoroughly washed his legs with hibiscrub (anti microbial), as the scabs were weepy, very much like mud fever or greasy heel spots. This took nearly an hour to do each leg, but, surprisingly, he didn't seem to mind at all. Usually he fidgets when having something done, but he almost seemed to be enjoying this. Then, after thoroughly rinsing them, I left him in the barn for the rest of the day, away from the sun, as, if I am correct, buttercup rash is due to photo sensitisation of the skin.

By the evening, it was time to turn him out. He is already in the field with the least buttercups, but it is impossible to remove him from them entirely. I had intended to put Aloe vera gel on his legs when they were dry, but actually, the skin felt so soft, and there was no sign of new 'weeping' from the rash, that I changed my mind. Instead, I put brushing boots on all four legs to protect them from the sun, and the buttercup pollen, and barrier cream on the exposed bits of his pasterns.

So, the plan is to keep him out of the bright sun while the buttercups are out, and I am hoping this will solve the problem. Still, if anyone has any other experience of this, I'd be glad to hear what has worked for you!