A bird-tastic weekend

A red kite in Quarryfield (the first we have seen down here), house sparrows nesting in the box we put up in the sheds, and a bullfinch looking through our kitchen window.  We must be doing something right for wildlife.

A short break

With lambing over, we left the farm in Ann's capable hands, the dogs with Robert John, and headed off to Turkey for a break.  A few observations:

#1 - don't climb over the straw bales and drop down into the gap in the corner unless you are tall enough to get back out again, or if you do, have a phone with you (fortunately Ann is resourceful and eventually used the fork stuck into the straw as a ladder)

#2 - if you are going to groom a husky, do it outside (thanks Rob)

#3 - it's impossible to be manly when a ruddy great big snake crosses the path in front of you (Ian M), or when you come across pretty much any kind of oversized insect (me) - I don't care what it is, just make it go somewhere else

 #4 - bats can do the breaststroke reasonably well, but do eventually need rescuing from the middle of the Mediterranean

Time to slow down

It's almost over - just one recalcitrant ewe hanging on to the bitter end, wandering the sheds when she could be outside sunning herself and her lambs in the lush grass (needless to say it's an Exmoor horn; she may look cute, but the devious madam is a cake-head).  And of course tame lambs are a-plenty...there are always tame lambs.

It was bleeding hard work this year and I'm not sure we have come down from it yet.  Between the two farms we lambed almost 600 ewes, some days no sooner had we got pens cleared than they were full again.  It all seems like a bit of a dream now (not exactly a nightmare, but you know, one of those where you wake up slightly disturbed and disoriented, and start looking for missing lambs under the bedclothes).

I have special personal thanks to Sally, for being calm and the best possible lambing partner; to Soggy and Daiz for their hard work, usual dippiness, and the minions (guess who had never seen Despicable Me?); and to Ian and Farmer Rob, for trusting me to do the right thing when I am elbow-deep up a sheep's back end.  We've had 'em every-which-way - my personal favourite, just a tail hanging out.  Also to Sonny for running amok, and the other poor dogs for their forebearance.

Of course, we can't forget Ann - who has some sanity issues in that she likes getting up at 2am, then 4am, then 6am to do the night shift.  We are extremely grateful!

Without further blather, a few photos (unfortunately, I don't have one of the rat Daisy sat on and killed, but that was one impressive bit of vermin control)...

"What are you looking at?"  (One of our Exmoors - they make nice mothers when they focus...)

The Lamb Express out to the fields ("Quit pushing, I've banged my nose!")

Time to find mum again, who incidentally, is only interested in grass.

The day team

Fred tries to hide - a dog with no responsibilities.

[Our friend Simon popped into the sheds one afternoon after a run and happened upon various gruesome sights ... namely a difficult birth, a wet adoption, and a generous amount of amniotic fluid, goop (the official term), and general wetness.  He then witnessed a double make their way into the world without too much drama, and was dead chuffed...so in honour of his first birth, and because we were all a bit shed-crazy, we accidentally named the lambs instead of giving them numbers.]

Introducing Cathy and Simon

Underway again

 

Lambing kicked off on schedule over at Ian's dad's place, and I was drafted in to give a helping hand for the first week (that'll teach me to have annual leave outstanding at the end of the year!)  Sally and I did the morning shifts starting around 5am...checking for new births, feeding, penning, strawing ... and acting as midwives as needed for the badly presenting lambs (legs back, completely backwards, head down, tangled with twin, just too gosh-darned huge etc).  It mostly went well, but I do now have an even greater dislike of dealing with two-tooths.  They have spent too long away from any decent interaction with people and are completely nutty - however, my rugby tackles are improving no end.

Anyone want a tame lamb?

A farmhand selfie

Back at home, Ian has been preparing for our own lambing (only about 350 ewes!) and we have just had our first - a nice double and a robust single.  I am happy that most of the two-tooths are at the other farm, so things may be a bit calmer, but we do have some first-time-birth ewe lambs (last year's crop) - we've not done that before, so it will be an interesting comparison.

Aparently the boys missed me, but perked up when we had a visit from Ali (my university friend), Ali (a friend of both of us from work), and Pipit (a terrier who thinks she is bigger than Cody).  At one point I gave Fred a bone biscuit, which Pipit then nicked from his mouth and ran off with it.  Fred was most afronted, especially when she got the best spot on the back of the sofa, so he decided to get his own back by sleeping in her bed.

Pipit, sunning herself on the forbidden sofa.

Fred, not quite fitting....

We did make time to go to Braunton Burrows for a run about on the beach (leaving poor old creaky Fred at home) - the wind was up and we had a bit of a sand-blasting.  Skin feels great!

Ali x 2, collie x 2, and a very fluffed up Cody

Sonny, sporting the latest Fat Face headgear - cool pup.

More tales to come as the staff arrive tomorrow (Irene and Daisy - are they mad?) 

A pleasant walk in the country

A few weeks ago it was scanning time, and the last of the sheep had to come down from the higher fields.  Rob was visiting for his half-term break, so Ann and I thought it would be a nice amble down the hill for him, while we drove the back route to guide the girls across at Kensall Cross.  Sonny performed admirably, getting the flock to the gate, and off they went... rather more enthusiastically than we had expected from a group of heavily pregnant sheep.  Rob and Sonny took off after them, while we jumped into the van and did a rapid cross-country rally - only to see the last of the girls dash across the road as we came round the corner.  Bugger.

So off we went again, to head them off at the pass - well, not the pass exactly, but we needed to get to Tony's gate before they went into the wrong farm.  Just made it.  Not long after, a very hot and bothered Rob appeared, not amused.  He'd wanted a pleasant walk in the country, gently guiding the sheep down bucolic lanes.  He hadn't actually seen a sheep once they set off, and had pretty much run the whole way to try and catch up.  Sonny thought it was delightful.  It didn't help Rob's mood when I took of my leggings and managed to flick them round his face as he was bending down...covered in **** he was.  Ooops.

All of the girls bar a few are now in the barns and lambing rapidly approaches - 22^nd of March is D-Day.  They are happy to be inside, not just because they now get fed cake.  The weather has been on-and-off pants.  Least favourite moment so far this year - mending the roof while the rain bucketed down on us.

No, not the log flume - my drive to work!

We also managed to finish our mammoth hedge-laying challenge by the deadline of 1^st March (those pesky breeding birds...).  The new chainsaw helped (yes, we have already killed one chainsaw in our time down here).

The fruits of our hedge-laying labour

Twice the work because it's a double hedge...

...but just look how much wood we have for next winter (hey dad, logs!)

No doubt someone will want to see a picture or two of cute lambs later, so watch this space!

A well-earned rest for the rams

This weekend, the rams were brought back to Ann's splat for a well-earned rest after doing their duty...and the ewes are each sporting a red, blue or green patch of fleece (the colour-coding showing us when they are likely to lamb).

 Beginning of April!

Who you lookin' at?

The weather has been reasonably kind this year, and there has been good quality grass for longer than 2013.  But the time has come to give extra silage, and move the sheep into smaller groups and lower fields.

One man and his (over-excited) dog....

...who is the reason we always have to wear leggings.

Rob came down for a weekend and finally plucked up courage to drive the quad across Big Field.  Or perhaps it was just a handy way to ensure that Ian did all of the heavy lifting?

When the rain let off for a while, Ian and Ian were seen to be sporting the latest in farming chic from the stylish House of Stattersfield - scarves knitted from our own wool.  It's amazing how I can put a dirty fleece into an old cake bag, and a few months later it re-appears as clothing...thanks Ali!