Sunday 3 April 2011

Well it's that time of year again!!!

Well it's is that time of year again.
Lambs have been popping out everywhere.
We put Sandy the dad out a couple of weeks early this year to catch Myran the matriarch first,
We have had 14 little packages so far 5 girls and 9 boys, 1 set of Triplets to Sharon one of our founder sheep she had two big boys and a dot of a girl who I called Dotty, what she lacks in size she makes up for in noise as she is the loudest of the lot.
We have had 4 sets of twins 6 boys and 2 girls, the rest have singles.
Myran going on past births usually has 1, but I think looking at the size of her she may have 2 this year.
She is lying in the sun in front of the house this afternoon, like lady muck.
I say sun what there is of it between showers that is.
Hopefully the rain will stay off for a while, as it is great entertainment watching the lambs gadding about the field racing back and forward to see who is the fastest.
They are such inquisitive little souls, I love watching them out of the kitchen window, I could stand there for hours watching them play, you know they are healthy when they are running about and playing.
It makes your heart burst with pride when I see new life come into the world, I love them all to pieces.
They are all showing off and have their own personalities.
I go into the shed in the evening and watch them all settle down, the Triplets snuggle up together in the corner whilst mum stands guard.
Some of the Twins sleep on mums back when she lies down, I found one in a pen that belonged to the next door pen, she must have been laid on her mums back and mum must have stood up and coped her over the gates into the next pen, boy her mum was mad and making such a racket because she was not with her.
The 3 Tup rams I kept back from last years crop are making a nuisance of themselves at the moment, everywhere you turn one of them is following you about, I think there dad encourages them as he is not much better himself.
They will be going away soon until later in the summer when they will leave to be sold for breeding.
Cheviot's are such beautiful faced sheep, they look at you with doleful eyes as though they are reading your mind.
Nelly is one of the smartest, if I shout her name she comes running to the fence for tit-bits, I
usually give her the carrot and turnip peels, she loves it, but a couple of the younger ones have twigged on to this also and they come running to the fence to try and get there before Nelly, they have no chance as she is fast on her feet and most of it is gone before they get there, she is like a hoover to watch.
The cows have been busy too, we have had another two calve since the new year, Miss prissy and Eddy.
Miss Prissy got her name because she walks on her tip toes like a lady la-de-da so hoity.
Eddy got his name because he is like Eddy the eagle he thinks he can jump the cattle grid, which he has tried to do on numerous occasions instead of using the gate like the rest of the heard.
Luckily the grid is more of a deterrent as it is not really deep so any animal that goes in it can scuttle out of it.
It is only there so people can go over it instead of getting out of the car to open the gate and drive through, it also stops people leaving the gate open and letting the cattle back in the park, which is what used to happen a lot in the past.
Then you would find cattle in the shed if a door was left open, or worst still in my garden eating every bit of greenery they can find.
The weather has been hit and miss so far, we have had a lot of rain over the past couple of weeks, but when it is dry it is beautiful, you can see things starting to bud, our crocus and daffodils have popped out and the blue bells are coming up now.
In March last year the heaths were burning in the night sky all around us, this year I have not seen one at all as yet as it has been to wet to burn anything.
I found a couple of ticks already on the Cullan our collie, horrid things, Freachan the Jack Russell loves to be in amongst it when you are trying to find ticks on the collie he is so nosey.
The cows have started to stay out on the odd night it has been mild, but they are still coming home in the morning, it has been a long hard winter I cannot believe it is April already, where is time going, one minute it is Christmas when you next blink Easter is nearly upon us.
Some times I wish I could stop the planet and get of the merry -go -round for a while, to sit back and smell the Roses.
But we all seem to have no time for anything that is important and held up by inconsequential bitty things that hold us back from doing what we desire, things that make the heart and soul feel good about, like enjoying the smells and sounds of nature, standing in the sun and watching the animals grazing and relaxing in the warm heat, and as I have been doing this morning watching the lambs run around the fields and playing.
Well nature moves on and the grass will soon burst into life, the heather will fill the air with it scent in the Scottish Highlands, and I have to go and clean the byre, I will leave you with some pictures I took this week.
Just as I finished inserting the pictures a hugh wind came up and the heavens opened, the mum's came running over to the shed with the babies for shelter, how's that for smart!!