2 December 2023

Getting to the End of August

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Right - it's December now, and these photos are from August - time for me to get a move on! I've picked out just a few photos from August to talk a bit about.

We lost Teddy to his old age in the middle of August, so this photo from my last (attempted) family portrait is extra special. This was taken in early August when we were very busy dodging showers to get the grass cut.

 
Jess posing for me.
 
 
Susan being cute on the garden wall.

 
 
The pets, meanwhile, continued to live in the Dump Field. Here's Tilly.
 
Blue Belle paid a visit one evening. She liked the grass.

 
 
 
As per usual, Blue Belle was very interesting for the sheep.
 
 
 
 
There following week there was a beautiful, full rainbow when we were checking the sheep. Thankfully, I had my phone with me to capture it.

 
In the middle of August the pets returned to their usual field. Fern was happy to be home.
 
 
Fern and Poppy keeping Sybil company.

 
Poppy.
 
 
Olive.

 
Dad and I continued to battle the elements when it came to getting our haylage and silage made.
 
 
 
 
 
Fly was my assistant on this day. She kept the seat warm for me.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I took a break from silage to catch three of my ewes and take them to the tips. I considered not bothering to breed Tilly, Astrid and Primrose, since it was only going to be the three of them, but in the end I decided to just go for it. So on the morning of the 23rd August the girls met the boys, and that evening I went to see how they were settling.
 
Tilly's and old hand at this by now.

 
For Astrid and Primrose this was all a bit strange.

 
 
 
 
 
This was one of the boys - the one with the spot on his face. Pretty easy to tell them apart that way! They're both Texel/Cheviot crosses.
 
 
 
Here's the other one.
 
 
It wasn't long before I was behind the wheel again. It's become something of a tradition for me to take photos while this field is being cut or baled, and, well, you can see why.

 
 
 
 
Jessica was helping me this evening.
 

And as for the end of August - it ended up throwing one of the biggest surprises my way. More on that in the next post. The day before the surprise, my dad and I weighed lambs - Fred was ready to go. The next morning he was off to the sale.

 
 

It's so strange to think of how different my circumstances were between the photo above and the one below, of Fred in the trailer and about to set off...

4 November 2023

Twenty-One Days in July

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The following photos were taken over twenty-one days in July.

Frida.

 
Rosie.

 
Sybil and Ethel - friends since they were born.

Ethel - unfortunately losing her cute, pink, Dorset nose. 
Rosie.

Those two again.
 
 
Flossie.

 
Tilly.

 
The pets' summer home had a nice view.

Another day, this time in the morning, I went out with a long lens on the camera to try and take some photos of the pets from a distance. This is Titch.

 
Tilly.

 
While the adults were standing in the middle of the field, the pet lambs were happily chewing their cuds around the feeder.

Another evening, this time a more cloudy one. Josie and Susan.

 
The grown-ups are a bit more wary of dogs.

 
Frances.

 
Astrid and Flossie.

 
Fern with an itch.

 
Astrid wanted me to remember she is still here.

 
When she was clipped, it was revealed that Astrid has a perfect stripe running down her tail.

 
Susan's new favourite habit to cool off after a run: