Pepper is not enjoying her house arrest one little bit and I feel so sorry for her.  But it has done her leg a world of good as she is far less hoppity, and has almost forgotten to limp….. almost.

So, feeling that Pepper’s mental health was important too, I took her on a very short, barely noticeable little teensy-weensy dog walk – just down to the burn and back, to look at the wild primroses and say hello to any horses and ponies we might meet on the way.

We didn’t go far and it was very clear that Pepper was not going to be held back.  She raced off despite me saying no.

Still, I said hello to everyone in this field.

And thought to myself that the wild primroses this year were looking truly spectacular.

They grow either side of the burn on steep hills so no one really bothers to go and eat them.

It must be that, or they just don’t like the taste.  I don’t know – I’ve never tried.

(So obviously I now go and Google whether primroses are edible and apparently they are – but this is according to AI so possibly not actual science-based truth and more likely a huge lie since they also think Lambie is a cat, when he was originally called Pongo so I rest my case.)

Google Search –  “The flowers have a mild, slightly sweet flavor and can be used in salads, garnishes, or to make cordials and wine. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, similar to other leafy greens, and have a slightly more bitter flavor than the flowers”

Anyway, the wild primroses are everywhere and we will not be eating them for supper.

Ted – fully cured of his poorly-paw.

And Pepper who is still limping a little so I am trying hard not to give in to her desperate pleadings of more walks.

A certain flekkit sheep is ten years old today.  Awww, Lambie.

There have been times when I never thought we would see this day.

But despite Lambie’s best efforts, here we are.

And I almost was allowed to give him a birthday hug because ten years old is a special milestone birthday for any sheep.

However, I did get to kiss the top of Lambie’s head and sing happy birthday to him.

So, Happy Birthday, Lambie.

My gorgeous and handsome boy.

Who can be totally exasperating (*** sigh, oh, Lambie ***)

And don’t foget his best Winning Smile. xx

And this is how Edna and Madge arrived.

January 2020

Every day, Floss and I drive over to Sandness.  Recently we have been seeing a lone sheep talking to folk. So two days ago, on our way home, I stopped the car, and asked if anyone owned the sheep.

The older sheep was very tame.  She came straight up.  She was very obviously someone’s caddy (bottle fed).  When she put her front feet on my shoulders, stared into my eyes and said “help me”, I knew I had to do something…..

Her friend was shyer, so we put more food on the ground for both of them.  They were both very thin.

Yesterday, we fed the ewes again and I asked a few more questions. No one owned them. The first one had turned up in December and then a few weeks later the other one appeared.  Neither had tags though holes where tags had been – they had been ripped out and the sheep dumped.

I phoned around including our Grazings Clerk and told him I wanted to offer them a home.  He agreed this would be best.

So today we took the van and stopped off where the sheep were.

Floss and I were nervous about whether they would load but no, they both walked straight in, no fuss, no discussion!

A quick drive home and we welcomed them to Thordale.

They girls are very good about following so, as there was about to be torrential rain, I took them into the stable and put down more feed plus some hay.

After my lunch, I went back to the stable, sat down on a horse-rug and waited.

While the older ewe is very tame – like a kind gentle big dog – the younger one is apprehensive.

This old ewe is a sweetie.  She is lame on her front left (holds it up while standing) and limps. I think it is arthritis so I offered her the TurmerAid and she wolfed down a good quantity. That should help.

She also quickly plonked herself down.

Friend sheep (who I think is her daughter) kept her distance.  She is coughing so tomorrow I will drench them both.

The vet is coming on Monday to check them over and we will discuss how best to deal with any potential pregnancies.

They are not thrilled with hay and I want them to be eating all the time, so once the rain had done its worst, I let them out to spend tonight outside if they want.

I am glad they are home now.

As for the Boyzens?  Well, after breakfast, they went “down the pub” and when they come home tomorrow morning, we will make the introductions.  Well, that’s the plan.

I just couldn’t keep driving past. They need to be loved.

‘Ster is not well.  He keeps himself to himself and is currently on a ten day course of antibiotics (intra-muscular which doesn’t bring out the best in any of us) for what we think is a urinary tract infection.

Over the past few months there has been a smell of pee which has recently become noticeably intense.  So yesterday my sheep-wrangler, Morgan, sheared ‘Ster’s under-belly only to find nasty things going on – everything was caught up in the wool and his bits were ulcerated.  Poor, poor boy. This explains the smell.

But hopefully, now with fresh air around his bits, antibiotics and pushing fresh water, things will get better. ‘Ster did a lovely pee this afternoon, which cheered me greatly.  If I had to describe it –  a light pinot grigio in colour, lovely and clear too with a good gush.  That’s what we want.  He has been quite the loaner too but just now he asked to rejoin the flock, which I took as a good sign.

Also, Pepper is three leggedy.  Yesterday, she went on a dog walk on four legs, and came home on three and we don’t know what happened to cause this.  First thing, I took her to the vet and, while nothing obvious was found (no crepitus, no snatching of her leg) there was a little reaction around her elbow.  She is now on regular painkillers and house arrest.  The vet did ask for her to be caged but I said Pepper would hate that and so the compromise of just house-bound was agreed on with the caveat that we would see how she got on.

She has also been replaced by a chicken.

While Pepper as she gets along fine on her three legs, we need her to get better, not just make do.  She does not agree.

So, where were we  (apologies for the cliff-hanger)?

Ah, yes.  So Lambie and Bert were best friends and along came ‘Ster and war broke out resulting in Bert leaving to go and live in the hill for nearly a year.

And the thing is, living in the middle of the hill as we do, I would often see Bert go past.  I even went over to the hill sheep’s shearing pen (crö or cru) in September to ask Bert if he wanted to come home but he just said no thank you, he had his own friends (the hill sheep) now.  So I had to leave him there and it broke my heart.

While Lambie and Ster were very happy growing up together, it didn’t seem right that Bert was not here.

I would be lying if I said either Ster or Lambie missed Bert.  They didn’t but I did.

And then, one day in October 2016, I said to Ster “I really miss Bert” and, with that, Ster left – it is pretty easy to escape from here if you want to.  Lambie, of course, was thrilled because his dream of being an only sheep (child) was finally coming true but I would leave the small gate open into the hill just in case Ster wanted to come home again. Two days later Ster came home accompanied by a very thin moorit (brown) sheep.   I could hardly believe my eyes.

This sheep was emaciated and I didn’t honestly know if it was Bert or not.  He was distrustful and wouldn’t come near me but I sort of knew that it must be Bert.  I spent the day digging up his old lamb photos and looking at this emaciated sheep and wondering.  Could it possibly be?

That day was very strange – magical, so special and Bert was finally home.