Barbie blackbird

At some point in its life, our blackbird has been heinously exposed to "I'm a Barbie girl" on the radio or playing from a child's window.  In amongst his repertoire of chirps, warbles and whistles, repeatedly he sings the first line of that song ... which inevitably has left me with an extremely annoying ear-worm and a reflex action to follow with "In a Barbie world".  Farmer Ian is being stoic, but that may not last much longer...

For those of you who don't like puppies, look away now

Peace and quiet is a thing of the past ... the monsters have arrived!  Scout and her brother Harry moved in on Saturday - in 18 months Harry (aka Pudgely) will have the run of the land at Farmer Rob's, but in the meantime we'll get him up-to-speed on the social niceties of life.  Ned is having a wonderful time (reverting to puppydom very happily), and is also making some great progress with sheeping.  Joey's contribution is to add to the piddle puddles in the living room.

Scout - half kelpie, half collie

Harry - half collie, half...oh who we kidding, no kelpie genes got in there, did they?

Scout tells Ned a funny shaggy dog story: "It was this big!"

Noisy neighbours, reprise

Ned relaxes with a book and a cuppa.

Our loud bovine neighbours have gone to greener pastures - literally - and we had a few days of relative peace.  They've now been replaced by dappy sheep and lambs in the fields across the valley, who seem to think that bellowing all night long to try to find each other is reasonable behaviour (especially when standing mere metres away from each other).  Closer in, the 13 Acres ewe-lambs are behaving themselves impeccably, while even closer the birds are having a morning riot.  Strangely, the cheeping sparrows and R2D2-beeping swallows don't wake us...but once awake, boy are they noisy!  Clucking pheasant hens, squawking Mr Squawky, cooing doves.  And the occasional military helicopter that flys up the valley to bomb North Molton (not literally...I hope).

The bluebells are out!

Amazing hedgerows as late early boomers collide with early late bloomers.

Dear old Joey got a blanket.  So Ned insisted on one too. [Wonder where the lino went, Ned?]

Noisy neighbours and perfect mornings

Lambing is over!  Farmer Ian has finally put out the last ewes with their lambs, and the cattle in their various guises (cows, calves, heifers, steers etc) are out and rampaging...what a joyful sight to see them making the most of the sun.  One sheep has yet to lamb - and she's going to have to do it outside.  So now the sheds are almost quiet - not quite, but almost - tame lambs.

Stampede!

These two have been pen-mates all winter, and are inseparable.

The only downside to having the cattle in 13-Acres is that sometimes they are noisy neighbours.  I do not appreciate a forced and very poor rendition of Clark's Trumpet Voluntary at 2am, thank you very much.

We cock our snoots to you and your lack of appreciation of fine music.

Sheep have been on the move up the hill to summer grazing.

Perhaps Mike is overdoing it for a single unimpressed ewe?

Ned - getting to grips with this herding malarky.

Ned has been enjoying himself with his new-found Sonny-inspired quad-bike obsession, and while not a huge amount of help yet with the sheep, he is slowly getting the idea.  He has also been making friends.

Ned and Fern, on a play-date.

Ned and Scout...the former unimpressed that the latter will be coming to live with us (yes, you read that right...)

I'll leave you with a perfect morning.  We are moving ewes and lambs up to Raceground, the sun is warming our backs, the hedges and meadows smell sweet, and there is not a soul around. Classic FM is playing the exquisite second movement of Leopold Kozeluch's Piano Concerto 6 in C Major over my phone, with yellowhammers and skylarks taking counterpoint. Most of Devon has disappeared under low lying clouds. I will lovingly hold this memory, nurture it, and save it for a rainy day.

Ned wonders why we are dawdling...

Spring? Spring!

After pretty much giving up on spring ever arriving, I saw four swallows swoop across Quarry Field on Saturday - was so excited, called Farmer Ian and whooped.  The bumble bee on the early purple orchid also gave the game away.

Lambing continues, with the last fifty or so wandering the rapidly emptying sheds.

"Aren't we supposed to sleep in everyone's dinner?"

Wee Neddy got his first taste of herding, through necessity rather than design.  While not perfectly executed, no-one was harassed or nipped, and all of the sheep and lambs ended up in the right field - so while there is a lot of work to do to get him up-to-scratch, his buddy must be looking down from the Great Romping Grounds with no small measure of pride. Sonny's last resting place is under a hazel at the top of the garden, with the most amazing view of fields, sheep and Dartmoor.  We visit for a chat regularly.

Irene has now gone back to Bedfordshire, and it seems very quiet here (apart from Joey's incessant claw-tapping as he laps the kitchen table).  Before she left, we rustled up some smiles for a Team Lambscombe selfie...

Second Stockman Ian, Tame Lamb Mother Irene, Farmer Ian and Rat Squasher Daisy

Sonny

Not long after publishing yesterday's blog, we lost Sonny in a farm accident, just over a week after we said goodbye to Cody.  He didn't suffer, and everyone else is ok physically, but it'll take a long time to recover from this horrible heartbreak.  He was such a lovely boy and enjoyed every minute of being on the farm.  I can't say more.  Just a goodbye Sonny ... and sending you to the great romping grounds with more love than you can imagine.