Our massive flock of three sheep haven’t had much of a mention in this blog so far, so when I was watching Zebedee watching me from her lookout post the other morning, I thought I’d better remedy that omission.

Zebedee watches from her lookout every morning to spot signs of life – usually a light going on in the bathroom or kitchen – and then knows that breakfast-time can’t be far away. It can be a bit unnerving sitting on the loo being stared at by a sheep!

Zebedee on the lookout post

Zeb, as she’s usually known is the sister of Annabelle – or Annie – and they are about as alike as chalk and cheese, born some 11 or 12 years ago to one of our original Rylands. Annie (named after a sheep screensaver cartoon)  is gentleness personified, will eat out of your hand and has been a perfect mother to lots of lambs.

Annie

Zeb gets her name from the Magic Roundabout character and is still often seen bouncing off all four feet, she has little interest in lambs (or maybe that should be little interest in rams!) and on the odd occasion she has produced she goes off the idea of motherhood very quickly.

This morning, more in hope than anticipation, we had all three scanned for lambs for this Spring. Despite the fact they haven’t been on their usual Club 18-30 ‘holiday’ (we all know what was meant to take place on those!) we had seen a loose ram in the field with them in the Autumn – it had waded the river when there wasn’t too much in it. Lo! and behold, Annie is due to lamb in about a month, which fits exactly with when we saw the ram, and Sadie, the youngster, about a couple of weeks later.

Waiting for breakfast

Sadie is the one on the right of the picture, sometimes difficult to tell apart from Annie at a distance, she hasn’t yet become as friendly as Annie, but has plenty of years of practice ahead of her!

Sadie is our youngest, now in her third year and last year had to have a caesarian and we also lost the lamb, so we are hoping for an easier and cheaper time this year!