Our own Lambing Live

We took our lunch to the farm today. It wasn`t very warm .

Our main job was to make a start on the area around the entrance to the garden.

It was full of rubble, nettles and brambles.

The trouble was as soon as we arrived, I heard the first bleating of the year.

I followed my nose to the barn where the sheep have been under cover for quite a few weeks.

And there they were....the first lambs....and quite a few of them.

I stayed watching and filming for over half an hour and could have stayed longer.

Later Paula joined us, so I had an excuse to go back again.

We stood and watched as this baby was born.

Lovely to see the mum who had just given birth, being so attentive to the "older" baby who was trying to find a teat. I did gingerly step into the pen to wipe the birth fluid away from the new one`s mouth, as we were concerned when it was spluttering a bit. Later when we checked, it was on its feet.

Tim showed me where the triplets were .....under a sun lamp. The picture only shows 2 of them.

He was being kept very busy, checking mums and lambs and ferrying families to the fields.

He has a student to help him and Gemma and James will be here for a week from 20th, staying in the shepherd`s hut appropriately enough.

The fantastic sheep pens were made by Tim, recycling the floorboards from the village hall.

These boards were going to be burnt. Very enterprising.

I was thrilled to hear from Tim, that this is Ivy with her own lambs.

Some regular readers may remember that she was one of the first orphaned lambs I remember as I had the joy of feeding her once or twice.

A great reminder of the success of rearing the orphans, which is hard work.

We dragged ourselves away for lunch in the polytunnel and then set to and completed the digging of the entrance area. We found two old pallets by the compost heaps and used them as a fence.

We stood for some time throwing ideas around for how to make a feature here.

In the meantime Toffee and Treacle were back in the garden, after having had their myxomatosis jabs.

 And the violets are so good this year.....obviously unloved by rabbits.

A lovely visit today, and as Tim says, "It`s what farming is all about."