Jonathan: Gale to Severe Gale force winds during the night and this morning – looks like it will continue for a few days.  Thankfully not raining when I went to the croft to check the livestock, and so I went on to Princes Beach for an exilerating walk with Tilly. A storm of sharp shell sand swirled and scoured along the beach, making it painful to walk back into the wind to the car.  After a coffee back at the house, I went round to Eòghann’s to help move two Eriskay ponies with their foals from about a mile along the road to behind his house.  For the first time I myself caught a pony (actually she just stood still!) and put a halter on her and then led her back along the road with her foal tagging along behind. They are very hardy creatures and happily stay outdoors all year round, even in the harshest weather.  But they do not like walking into the wind – perhaps simply because it is hard going, and they would really rather just munch their way along the grass verge, taking all day to get there!  Quite soon I will be getting a long-term loan of an Eriskay pony with a view to putting it to work with me collecting and hauling seaweed from the shore: more on that in good time.