Weekend Sheep Blogging

This weekend was spent trying to rid myself of the last few evidences of my bad cold and flu. It struck me that it was exactly this time last year, before our great USA/Canada trip that I fell just as ill. I guess this means that next year I should get a pre-emptive flu shot sometime in May. I guess this also means I am getting old :/

Richard had a surprise for me as he told me last night that the Agricultural teacher at the school he teaches in, said we could go and visit their lambs. This is one great thing about being in the country - the schools are large enough to have lots of land. His school has a few paddocks and even stables and a riding ring set up!

I love all creatures great and small and it is nice to be able to pet animals you usually only see from a distance. We got up close to the paddock where they were grazing peacefully.


We had filled a bucket with what is called "sheep nuts" (err oookay I thought... poor male sheep wandering in pain somewhere) It turned out to be a mixture of molasses, soghurm, wheat germ, hops and other sheep goodies. The sheep instantly recognised it and came baa-ing in great excitement to the gate. We were mobbed!!!!



I tried to spread some out on the ground, but yet I also wanted to get close enough to pet the lambs. They were really skittish though and came close enough to sniff at you but if you even moved a muscle, they went galloping off... and half a dozen other sheep would gallop off in great panic as well, without ever knowing what the matter was.

This cute lil lamb was trying to muster up some courage to come closer. Baa ram you!!
Here lamby lamby lamby....

In the end one lil lamb did come up and nuzzle some food from my hand! Its nose felt soft and velvety. I noticed that there wasn't any strong smell which was quite nice. One big sheep (the one you can see in the foreground in the last picture) was so brave that he just come up and allowed himself be petted so he could eat straight from the red bucket. We called him Einstein for he was truly a genius among sheep!

Sadly these lambs will be chops at christmas time ... it has made me consider not having lamb anymore as they are such gentle creatures. Well, perhaps until someone else makes a nice roast ;)