Category Archives: Sheep

Shetland lambs by the door

Lambie and Bert Baby pics

This winter, I have the unenviable task of going through all my digital photographs as my hard disk is full and my computer is full. I will admit that I have been putting this job off for about ten years but the time has come and it must be done.

Yes, there are lots of photos to throw away, but there are also a few to keep too.  Amongst everything for 2015, I found Lambie and Bert’s old baby photos.

This is Lambie, probably a few days’ old.  He is still dirty.  He loved the open oven door.

Heat from anywhere was always welcome.

This is Lambie and his “Mum”, my darling BeAnne.  It has been very strange seeing photos of her.  I struggle and still can barely say her name out loud.

Lambie and our stallion, Taktur.

Lambie meeting the Shetland ponies. Seeing photos of Storm has also made me very sad.  There is a huge gap in the herd.

OH, Loki (another sadness) and Lambie in the garden listening to the music.

This was Lambie’s favourite box for being outside.  He hated fresh air but this was the compromise.

And when it became very obvious that Lambie needed a friend to teach him how to be a sheep, we got Lambert.

When he first arrived, ‘Bert was a hard nut.  He had lived with other sheep, like in a proper flock, and he thought Lambie was a total drip.

(he may have had a point!)

Daisy and I took them on a dog walk.

‘Bert’s favourite food was Daisy’s hair (he had an eye infection).

Yup, definitely a bit of a drip but a pretty one.

‘Bert and Lambie quickly became friends.

    

I love seeing these photos.  Other photos of animals that were loved but now gone is very hard, still.

A Tad Feisty Out There!

It’s a tad feisty out there.

These photos are from breakfast first thing. The light was not great.  The big ones are savyy and know never to lift their heads until all food is finished, or they will lose their buckets to the wind.

One of the sheds offered a sheltered wall and I hid the Vitamin and Fivla behind it.

For the others, they all stopped bickering and ate their food quickly. Even Newt shared which is unheard of.

It was a day of wild hairstyles!

I could see that the container was used overnight (poo evidence) and was pleased the ponies have learned that they have options, especially when it is raining.  Even using the container as a wind-break in their new track is their favourite place to stand.

Around every corner is a sheep staying out of the fierce wind.

There is plenty of grass around the house and in fields so they make their own choices, usually leaving ‘Ster behind. He hates going under certain fences and then finds himself all alone in the world and I have to sort it out.  There is pitiful baa’ing at my front door.

During the day, the horses ignored the wind while Fivla and Vitamoobag stood at the bottom of the valley with a dry stone wall taller than them for shelter.  I know for a fact there will be no wind down there.

And at the moment outside, it is an ambient F10 with a bitter north wind.  I am bored of this now, thank you.

The North Wind Doth Blow

As I write, the wind is gaining strength but my plan is go day-by-day through this storm.  Like the train in Dumbo, “I think I can, I think I can“.

My only priority is that Iacs gets his pills daily and everyone else is safe, that’s all I want.

And if the electricity could stay on as well, then that’s a bonus too.

And, as I am now have a shopping list of all my requests, that all the outbuildings and our roof stay intact or at least on.

As I was on my way out of the door (going to work on a friend’s website), I found this lot had let themselves back out of their field – quite the woolly escape artistes, they are when they choose – and were posing for an album cover.

I’m not sure what the name of the band is but I expect they all know.  Something to do with wool or food.

The Shetland ponies have made camp behind their containers – a very sheltered spot with grass and bucket of water.  I am refusing to worrying about them.

They are tough and healthy – much more so too than last year.

Even Tiddles looks good.

So, that’s me, off to put the ducks and hens to bed for the night.  The wind is going up a notch overnight and then the fun really begins.  Buckets in the wind!

Let me count the ways I love winter….. ah yes, none.

Dark and Dismal

It’s been a dark and dismal day with constant wind and rain.

Ugh!

None of us wanted to go outside – there are days I would gladly swap lives with Monster.

Still, I donned my full wet-weather gear and plodded outside with buckets for all.  I honestly think there is nothing more depressing than trying to complete Wordle in a driving wind and drizzle (got it in 4, thank you for asking).

Later in the morning, on my way out (to see a friend and work on her website (Squarespace)), I went via the sheep shed to see who was hunkering down.

Surprisingly, they were all outside on the long-side of the big shed which was offering full shelter from everything.  Sensible sheeps.

I had a quick chat with Lambie.

And immediately I could understand the advantages of this well-chosen spot.   Everyone was there, except for Gussie and Dahlia who were long gone into their hill field, either eating or resting.

Of course all the Minions had shovelled themselves into one of their containers.  When I went inside, it was warm and dry.  I think they spent the day there – their choice – and I hung up some haynets when I got home later.

And so Pepper and I set off on our expedition to the other side of the island to build this website, which we did with a modicum of success and Pepper behaved beautifully.  Ted stayed at home with OH as he would’ve only let the side down.

Not Fivla’s Day

Today was not Fivla’s day.

It started badly when I brought her her breakfast bucket and went downhill from then on.

Fivla likes to eat on her own if she can because she likes peace and quiet and is always the first to be picked on.  She’s an easy target. One of life’s victims.

The others were eating by the fence so a little bit away.

And then Gussie sauntered up.  Ever the pig (in sheep’s clothing), he thought he would have Fivla’s breakfast. He had already eaten his own.

And, I was shocked to see, that Fivla let him!  I could see she was very unimpressed with giving up her breakfast to a sheep but as usual she didn’t put up a fight and acquiesced miserably.

So I distracted Gussie and told him to leave Fivla alone, it was not his breakfast.  He took his telling off well and let me distract him from thoughts of food by tickling the top of his head.  Hugging was out, though.

Meanwhile, the others continued to eat and I realised that I needed to get between Kolka and everyone else as she is also a huge thief and bully with other horses’ food.  My only imperative at breakfast-time is that Iacs should have his anti-cancer pills no matter what.

So while I was standing now protecting Iacs (and possibly Haakon) from the vulture-like circlings of Kolka, I looked over to see Fivla was still in trouble.  This time it was a two-prong attack.

But this time, Fivla held fast.  She had a new strategy – to not raise her head out of the bucket until every last bit of food had gone.  I don’t honestly think Gussie got any and, if he did, they were only the dregs anyway.

I need to have words with young Gus-Gus.  His manners leave a lot to be desired.