All nine are in lamb. Of the three gimmers, Niamh and Nova have singles and Nellie has twins. Of the six ewes, Luna, Lucy and Juno have twins and Jura, Jinx and Lyra have singles. I'm a wee bit disappointed with Jura and Lyra, who both had twins last year. Jinx has had three single tup lambs previously and I expect the same this year.

Maybe I didn't get the flushing quite right this year . Ah, well, live and learn.

And so long as I have thirteen healthy lambs and nine healthy ewes at the end of April, I'll be well pleased.

Dan and John have been cracking on with the January jobs list . Yesterday, they put up the new pedestrian gate at the North entrance to Dalmore, replacing the old pallet. When we moved here, there was no gate, just a metal barrier - fine for horses and stopping your tractor being stolen but no good for stopping dogs or sheep. Or probably Bugsy.

It's quite a wide gap, so we put up a wooden field gate months ago, with the pallet to fill the gap.

Scabby pallet gate

Now it not only looks better, but it works better as well. As is the way, the loop-over catch for the gate was "borrowed" from the gate into the apiary, which is now tied with rope .

Beautiful new gate

Dan also did a little bit of fencing in Sheepfold and raked up the loose stones in the Triangle, before I broke an ankle. I'd done about 1/3 of it, but he has finished the job. Finally, he started trimming the hedges, starting with the mainly beech hedge on the road - my job is to clear up the cuttings . Once we had clarified the required standards, all was well. There's still a lot to do and the trimmer is really heavy - who needs a gym membership?

He was very good - we had a bit of a trial run on Wednesday. He got his saddle on then I threw haynets round his legs and over his back, before hanging them on the saddle and moving him around a bit. He sometimes reaches back for a mouthful of hay - it's like a picnic.

The sheep were funny. When Bugsy takes out the hay, the sheep crowd round us, on both sides of the hayrack as we unload. After all, Bugsy's not that much bigger than them. Today, they lined up along the far side of the rack. Be interesting to see if they maintain a respectful distance or if familiarity will breed content.

Smokey pulling rhododendrons

This was quite different to anything Smokey has done before - although he's pulled a log and a carriage, he's never pulled anything that didn't immediately follow him, and then that followed him in a rush. I was a wee bit anxious because a) it was new and b) I haven't really done much with him lately.

However, he got his harness on. It's a kind of Heath Robinson affair and a mix of driving harness, French collar, other bits of tack and baler twine. The French collar was bought last year since it's hard to get a properly fitting full collar, especially over t'internet. I used his normal roller instead of his driving saddle, since I was leading him so didn't need the terets for the reins, plus the back end of his driving harness - back strap, crupper, breeching. We don't really need the breeching because there's nothing to brake but the trace carriers are useful. The collar is attached to the roller and the breeching to the collar with multicoloured baler twine . The traces are 12ft long and made of heavy yacht rope with lops at one end and metal carabiners at the other. I use a normal snaffle bridle with a Liverpool bit but have his rope halter on underneath with his 12ft rope attached.

Once harnessed up, we got him round to the wood, backed up and attached. First bush broke - it was dead and the wood snapped, Same with the second. If we get any new growth, we'll treat it with Roundup. The third one was alive and took a bit of pulling before it came away in a rush. That gave Smokey a bit of a fright and he shot forward about five yards before stopping for a look.

We've not had time to get out there again but I have been doing a bit of work on his basic obedience - just a wee reminder for him. Once Christmas is past, we'll get him out again although I might go back to the heavy log for a session or two just to consolidate his confidence.

Christmas Wreath

I'm just about to order some hedging plants to improve the windbreak at the orchard. Now I'll be trying to select shrubs and trees that will yield materials for these.

He's had more charcoal, a few oatcakes then a wee feed and some hay. It's a lovely day here, and he really wants to get out. Yesterday, he was quite happy to be inside.

Off to grant his wish now, and let him out. He's a very lucky sheep

However, John fixed it yesterday, so this morning, Bugsy was out with hay for the ponies and the ewes. Next week, we'll have the cattle to do as well. Over the holiday period, I'm planning to get him going a bit further afield - like the local shop

I'm so cross with myself. There was a pot grown rhododendron in a sink at the back of the caravan; Dickie and Leo have been in there for a week and haven't looked at it and then today...

To be honest, I hadn't even registered that it was there, although I do know that rhododendron is poisonous. Ironically, when we were walking the fences this morning and looking at the place where the pigs are going, I noted that we had to remove the rhododendrons there, for that very reason. Anyway, it's moved now. Horses and stable doors come to mind

Anyway, Dickie (and Leo) are in the byre. Vet's been (it's his work's night out tonight too ). Dickie's had pen & strep, a vitamin injection, a steroid injection and an energy drench - plus two doses of activated charcoal. We've got stuff called "Birp" (truly) in case he bloats and he's to have more charcoal tonight and in the morning. If he's not eating tomorrow, he's to have more of the energy drench, which is the same stuff that's used for twin lamb disease.

On the positive side, he's a big sheep and we think he has only eaten six small leaves. He's also not slavering as much, he did seem to be burping and he was fighting the vet - these are all positive. It really comes down to how much he ate, relative to his weight. Is it enough to kill him or just enough to make him sick? We should know more tomorrow.

Poor boy - I'll be picking ivy leaves and breaking out the oatcakes tomorrow to try and tempt his appetite.

If we can afford it, we'll make one big order for timber as it saves on the delivery costs. With our notes made, I'll be updating the spreadsheet and making up the order for pricing on Monday.

Dan's also told me to prioritise the various fencing jobs - not all that easy, to be honest, and it'll need some thought. Partly it depends on whether any more gets blown down by passing hurricanes.

Feel the tidy!

Wow, what a lot of space there was in the barn when we finished! That's only one pile - there's loads more around the holding and a HUGE pile stacked out in one of the fields. We put it out there when we first moved here to clear a space and did intend to have a bonfire but in these times of austerity, we thought  we'd better use it more sensibly .

We won't be cutting any more before Christmas but hopefully the men will crack on with it over the "holiday" period. It's so nice to be tidy