Category Archives: Sheep

Damned Midges

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Today was bad, very bad.

Outside was thick with midges because there is no wind, not even a slight breeze anywhere. We all wore full anti-midge gear.  No bare skin anywhere.

Some of the sheep went into their field but the oldest three – Lambie, Bert and Ster refused preferring to find a spot that they could spend their day.

Bert and Ster chose an rickety old shed with a dirt floor.

While Lambie hovered outside his bedroom, where the puddles are, because that’s where the midges congregate most and he could get more sympathy for any passers-by.

The horses were miserable.

The ponies were far away and miserable – trying to find the highest point in their field where they might catch a breeze.

And the dog-walk was short.  We brought back with us Barrel and Madge who joined the midge misery.

Lambie had not left his spot.

Later, when we were going around doing the afternoon feeds, there was a slight wind and everyone had visibly cheered up.

At last Lambie had found a purpose in his life.

And now the midges have all moved to the house!

Augean Stables

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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.

 

 

A Sudden Shower

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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.

A New Piece of Kit

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I will admit that I do find stabbing away every afternoon making my hand-felted sheep quite difficult at times.  I have a terrible habit of tensing my jaw while gritting my teeth and this is not good.

And then, a few days’ back, it suddenly dawned on me (and I have no idea why I didn’t know about these things), that I could possibly buy some contraption that could do the stabbing for me.  Surely something had been invented.

I did my research, watched endless YouTube videos, and looked at various options and decided on this nifty piece of kit – A professional hand held needle felting machine.  The seller was very helpful and I liked the fact it came from Ukraine too.

Oh yes, this bad boy is going to change my felting life.

And it does!  Obviously it took a while to get used to a new method and I soon realised that my days of bingeing on Netflix series were well and truly over as it is also has the potential to be a very dangerous piece of kit if I’m not concentrating 100% on it – think tattoo gun only 1″ deep, ouch, ouch, ouch!

The “felting gun” operates from slow to fast with a “volume knob” and my afternoons are much easier now. I don’t soley use it and alternate between using the gun and then stabbing by hand with my original needles to make my sheep.  Each method does a different job.

Does it cut down the time (each sheep takes about 2 hours to make)? – not really, but it does make things much easier. I 100% recommend this piece of kit.  It is well worth every penny.

I also listen to the radio in comparative safety with no lapses of concentration.

Sharing and Not Sharing

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Some share better than others. It depends.

(This morning I found Fivla and Vitamin in the wee shed together so I popped both their buckets in).

Waffle is a kind pony and will always share his bucket with care-in-the-community Albie who seldom eats out of his own bowl by himself.  I give Waffle’s bowl extra so no one misses out.

Lambie, of course (and did you even need to ask) cannot share.  He hates it and gets very upset, so he has his own private dining room which makes him happy.  He can then eat in peace.  The other sheep all swap bowls every few seconds which upsets him hugely and he just stands there feeling put upon.

This afternoon, Pepper would not share.  Despite being a non-eating day (she has since rallied and had her tea), she still stole Ted’s fishy shed-treat but, feeling sick, just sat with it. Upon her return to the shed now, however, I heard crunching and it’s vanished.  Poor Ted. Snooze and you lose.

Also, Waffle came up on his own when he heard me open the gate to take the two haynets into the paddock.

The rest came cantering up a few minutes later.

Newt was not sharing.

But the rest were (Silver wasn’t interested so doesn’t count).

Also later on today, I found he old ladies having a discussion about the wee shed (again) – apparently a constant source of oneupmanship or is it oneupponyship?

(Fivla was not budging).

So, in conclusion, some animals share, some don’t and some won’t.  It depends.