The Last of the Flowers

Daisy and I went for a lovely walk with the dogs in Clothie – my separate five acre croft land that is a little way into the open hill grazing.

Having climbed the hill, I sat on an old windowsill of the derelict croft house and admired the view, happy that the postman had dropped off an important parcel (for an exciting craft project I am about to start).  I watched him driving off back up our track.

The grass is nice and high in places. This is the old horses and ponies’ winter grazing for a few months.  The dogs found it hard work to walk through and had to bounce over it to see where they were going – I hoped this would use up lots of energy and tire them nicely out, while we didn’t have to walk very far.  It did.

The beautiful abundant summer flowers are now all dying back.  Summer is beginnning to feel over here.  It has been a very good year for them.  So much colour.

I found a good patch of Devil’s-bit scabious which is my favourite. It was competing with the buttercups and hawkweed.  Interestingly, the horses and ponies won’t eat it.  It always looks delicious.

Daisy and I wandered around our field for a bit while the dogs did their own thing. Last time I was here, Pepper came home with a dead polecat that she had hunted down.

Given any chance at all, Pepper is a keen hunter, always on the look out.  I don’t discourage her because a) it is my own land and b) it is one less polecat to try and kill my chickens and ducks.

It’s My Birthday!

As a child, I always thought “the Glorious Twelfth” was named solely in honour of me and my birthday. Apparently, I was wrong.

Also for today, I get a solar eclipse (it is currently cloudy so I’m not sure if we will see anything) plus the Perseid meteor shower – again, because it’s my birthday and no one else’s.  I would like the clouds to lift now, please.

An added extra this year is that Daisy has come home for a week.  She is here to help me so it is pure coincidence she arrived today (but a lovely coincidence).

Everyone was very pleased to see her, including me.

 

After Gussie had got over his stranger-danger feelings, he made best friends with Daisy.  In fact the sheep were all over Daisy.  She is now Queen of Sheep and I am their mere slave.  Lambie gave me a perfunctory birthday glance.  I was grateful.

OH is currently out of action for a few weeks and it means I won’t have to look after everyone by myself.

So happy birthday to me, and I shall eat more cake because it is allowed and I am a grown up, apparently.

Augean Stables

Skippy is back on the road now, which is great news and so I thought I would use this morning to muck out the sheep shed which I have noticed was becoming increasingly smelly.

I told myself I would only take a couple of Skippy barrowfuls out and pace myself throughout the day…..

So I ignored myself and cleaned out the lot. I might be paying the price for it now but I don’t think I would have embarked on this Herculean task (think Augean Stables) if I hadn’t got Skippy.

This time I tried a new method putting down deoderiser powder first, then two bales of shavings and lastly a bale of straw. I even cleaned their breakfast bowls, such is the love of a Muzzah.

Later, I got the sheep in and, as Barrel was following me around (possibly because of the ginger biccies in my pocket), I took him to see his newly cleaned up bedroom.  He just wandered around saying everything looked and smelled different.

I hope they all appreciate my hard work.  Lambie will probably refuse to go in. I know him.

But I’m off to look at my library of painkillers.  I knew this would catch up with me.

 

 

Today’s Jaunt

A few snaps from yesterday evening because I thought the weather was fairly impressive.

The rain came in fast and furious (and, yes, the sheep came running home to bed).

As the shower was finishing up, there was a lovely rainbow over the shed.

But sadly no pot of gold, I checked.

Anyway, on with today.  I took the “Eggbox” to town to fill up with supplies and bedding for everyone.

It was touch and go at one point whether I would get the food shopping in, but I managed.  While I was at the shops, I somehow cricked my neck which was not helpful.

I was welcomed home, cricked neck and all, feeling rather grotty.

I had to lug everything out of the Eggbox and distribute it to it’s rightful place – note, important sheepie snacks.

New wellies (because the other pair are Floss’ and my pair sprung one of those leaks where you’re not sure if your feet are wet or not. They were).

Anyway, I spent my afternoon channelling my inner Great Great Aunt Kate and had a rest on my bed plus a cup of tea and some painkillers.  She was a great one for rests. In fact my whole family was.  It is a habit I could happily adopt too.

Afterwards, my neck felt a bit better so I did the afternoon chores feeling energised.

I even gave Newt his own personal little haynet as he is always bullied off the big ones.

 

My finger points to Tiddles who is our bully and not very nice to Newt.  They are not friends.

So that’s me in pain and hoping my neck will sort itself out soon, please.

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A Sudden Shower

OH took the dogs out for a walk this morning and with that the heavens opened.  Not just a small shower, but a sudden humungous downpour of Biblical proportions.   He came home with the dogs completely soaked.  Everyone looked very drowned.

Meanwhile, looking out of an upstairs window, I saw all the sheep suddenly gallop in the rain for home so, being the exceptionally nice person that I am, I donned my wellies and waterproofs and went out to let them back in from their day-time field.

I found Lambie had possession of the shed (his little nose poking out! ❤️)

He was not sharing either and didn’t care about anyone else.

“I’m alright, Jack”.

“Anyone else” were using the gable end as shelter.

So selfish!  So doesn’t care.

I opened the gate and those that wanted to, came home – ‘Ster, Barrel, Lambie, Madge and ‘Bert.  A few minutes later Maggie and Gussie ran in too.  Dahlia wasn’t around – probably talking to the hill sheep.

Obviously Lambie went straight to bed…..

….. while the others had a discussion outside.

Lambie is less territorial about the big shed and would let anyone inside if they wanted.  That’s their bedroom.

And then as quickly as the shower arrived, the day brightened up beautifully.

And last seen, everyone was heading out into one of the ungrazed winter fields.

The sheep look like they are all going exploring into the deep unknown of the tall grass.