I am a great believer that sleep is when your body does its best healing so when Pepper finally switched off this afternoon, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

But mostly she is awake, trigger happy and desperate to be off. Anywhere.

And then at about 3.30 p.m., the trigger arrived in the form of Monster who was looking for someone to give him his tea (tea-time is 4 o’clock and not a minute sooner – he knows this).  I opened the shed door to his pathetic scratchings and Ted rushed off into the house. Pepper was now awake and rather wishing she had gone off with Ted because she could go hunting, which I am trying to discourage what with her poorly paw.

Anyway, I tried to ignore Monster but the paw was out, the prodding adding to the pathetic mewing.

Shouting in case I hadn’t got the message. The very loud message.

Wanting just a few more moments of peace, I picked up Monster and dumped him on the chaise-longue (read dog bed).

I can so no to Monster very easily but not that enchanting little Pepper face with the pink bandage (pink really suits her).

I went into the house and gave everyone their tea.  Phew. Monster will live to see another day.  I think we are all thrilled there.

Out again, I fed the ducks/hens and gave the ponies their hay but this time in piles so they could enjoy it rather than spend hours fighting it out strand by strand from their very small haynets.

I just thought they might like to have an afternoon treat.

As you can see, they’re not exactly fading away either.  All I do is give out food, I think. That’s my job.