Diary

Too close for comfortRSS feed

Posted: Tuesday 17 April, 2012

by Rosemary at 9:48am in Sheep 1 comment Comments closed

On a small property like Dalmore, nowhere is very far from the house, but this year, the sheep nursery is in Home Field, which is directly in front of the house and our bedroom window. This morning at 3.30am, when I thought the broken nights were over, I wakened to the sound of Jura bleating like mad.

Since she was just turned out yesterday, I thought I'd better go and check that all was well - I suspected that she had just "lost" her lamb. And so it was that I was out in jammies and wellies, in the dark and the rain, with a flashlight, looking for the "lost" lamb. To be fair, it was pretty horrid - windy and sleety - but Jura was soon reunited with lamby.

I had a good look at the Stringys but they were both with mum and their tummys were full so, having made sure everyone was mothered up, I went back to bed.

At 7am, it was pouring rain, windy and cold. Jura's lamb and the Stringys looked a bit fed up, so we've brought them back into the lambing shed (not cleaned out yet, just in case). The older lambs were either in the trailer or under it. The Stringys have had a bottle and they all seem fine now - ewes are munching hay - but they can stay in probably until tomorrow.

Off to Forfar now for more milk powder smiley

Comments

DAVID & LYNNE MAHONEY

Tuesday 1 May, 2012 at 8:44am

HAVING BOUGHT A RAILWAY LAMP FROM YOURSELVES,WE'RE NOW BEST BUDDIES AND ALSO BEING CROFTERS WE HAVE THAT IN COMMON TOO. WE HAVE 27 ACRES,FIVE FIELDS,A MOOR/WILDERNESS,AND A WOOD. 32 SHEEP BUT DIDN'T LAMB THIS YEAR AS GIVING THE OLD MOTHERS A REST AND THE TUP IS TOO MUCH FAMILY TO USE ANYMORE,SO NO JAMMIES AND WELLIES. JAMMIES AND WELLIES FOR THE FOUR HORSES THOUGH,ON ODD OCCASIONS. HAVE DONE PIGS THREE YEARS RUNNING AND WE BOTH AGREE ''NEVER AGAIN''. THEY DID TASTE WONDERFUL AND WE MADE OUR OWN BACON,BUT NO AMOUNT OF RYLOCK OR ELECTRIC FENCE COULD HOLD THEM. HAD THEY BEEN IN STALAG 13 THEY WOULD HAVE TAUGHT US HOW TO GET OUT OF A PRISONER OF WAR CAMP.HAVE HAD THE SHEEP IN FOR THEIR INJECTIONS AND SPOT-ON ON THEIR BACKS AND ALL HAPPILY MUNCHING IN OUR BOTTOM FIELD WITH THE HORSES. GRASS IS STRUGGLING TO GROW AS YET. WE'VE NEVR HAD A TRACTOR(SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR FIRST PURCHASE INSTEAD OF ANIMALS.) SO GROUND IS A BIT TIRED,AND NEEDS AT LEAST A HARROWING.RAILWAY LAMP WILL GO ON END OF RAILWAY CARRIAGE I'M TRYING TO FIX FOR BED AND BREAKFAST,BESIDE THE SIGNAL BOX/GREENHOUSE AND THE 20 FOOT SIGNAL. LOVE THE WEBSITE AND HOPEFULLY QWE'LL SWAP STORIES

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