We had the longest sleep-in on record today, waking at 8.30am today instead of our usual mind-numbing 5.30am. Must be all this fresh country air. And today, it was very fresh. Like wind-blowing-off-the-snow fresh. With sporadic horizontal showers thrown in, just for good measure.
The weather didn't deter the kids though. They were out the door as soon as they'd eaten breakfast this morning, rain and all, to say good morning to the sheep.
Charlie joined in today with the sheep feeding, with no crying when the sheep 'talked' to him. He was very generous with his portion of sheep nuts (pellets). He also fed them to the dog. And then to himself. Obviously felt a little low on dietary fibre....
Grace demonstrated her new strategy for ensuring fair distribution of sheep nuts amongst the flock, which include a few lambs who are usually muscled out of the way by their elders. She puts out nuts at one end of the paddock fence, then as soon as the bigger sheep are scoffing their faces, she runs like crazy along the fence line, followed by the lambs, which she then hand-feeds. Once the others have finished their food, they all run to where she is and push the little ones out of the way. So Grace repeats her strategy again. And again. And again. You get the picture. Got to admire her dedication.
Yesterday I overheard her telling the sheep that they wouldn't believe it, but we were actually only pretend farmers. I'm can't be sure, but I'd say the sheep figured that one out for themselves the first time Grace fed them in an outfit she'd chosen just for the task - a white skirt and a sparkly blue top that matched her Pumpkin Patch gumboots. And if that wasn't enough of a giveaway, being fed today by a farmer dressed in pink and sheltering from the rain beneath a My Little Pony umbrella might have given the game away.
Following a quick cuppa up the road with Janette this afternoon, Grace went out with Cliff on the quad bike to check on the lambs and feed the working dogs. While I made tea, Charlie kept himself entertained feeding the family dog pieces of Nutri-Grain when he thought I wasn't looking. Oh, and tossing all the shoes and boots that stay at the back door, off the deck. Which I have just retrieved. All twenty four pairs of them.
Grace and I have just returned, frozen and pink-cheeked, from feeding the hens and collecting the eggs. There are always two eggs laid in the same nesting box, every single day.
Talk about creatures of habit. And considerate too. Nothing beats a warm egg in each hand on a cold day. Especially when you're bracing yourself against the icy wind-driven rain whilst crossing a sheep paddock with a flock of woolly followers hot on your heels. All too aware that any moment, one of them will probably butt you in the rear.
Talk about creatures of habit. And considerate too. Nothing beats a warm egg in each hand on a cold day. Especially when you're bracing yourself against the icy wind-driven rain whilst crossing a sheep paddock with a flock of woolly followers hot on your heels. All too aware that any moment, one of them will probably butt you in the rear.
