SHEEP ALL LOOK THE SAME? DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT - April 2013

So you might think all sheep look the same. It's easy to see why, and there certainly are some family resemblances ...

... but we now recognise individuals, and of course we have had to name them...

Our favourite has to be 'Chav Ram', a young ram with attitude.

Then there's his father with his magnificent mane - 'Lion King'.

I swear to you that is not a falsey attached with Velcro!

'Fleecy' is frequently found in our garden. She must be the only sheep who can't jump. But she finds a way through or under whatever she can. Clearly her ways through are a bit of a struggle, hence the state of her dodgy fleece.

'Basil' is the only sheep with a fox's tail...

Every other sheep has a tail like this ...

And this? This is 'Lippy'

Now don't those lips need lipstick???

The lambs have arrived and certain ones are regulars in our garden. They can fit through holes which their mothers can't, but then their mothers can jump fences they can't. The most regular culprits are 'Johnny 5' (name taken from the escaped robot in the film Close Circuit),

and these two who are branded 41, but both named 'Naughty One'. They are the naughtiest of the bunch. 

I wonder which of the above nuisances are responsible for nearly devouring a pot of rhubarb Richard had kindly donated? Fortunately I managed to salvage it before all the leaves disappeared.

Herding the sheep together and off our land is not easy for two of us. Yoda must be aware of this because he has now taken up the role of sheepdog! Every time we go out to chase them away, we can guarantee Yoda will be there too doing his job.

As time passes, herding gets easier. There was a time the sheep would run all over the place, into any difficult to find place, except through the gate. But now, not long after the sheep have spotted us and Yoda, with a little persuasion from us and a bit of a moan from them, they make a hasty exit down our drive and through the gate.

There is a young bull in a field along the lane. For some reason I found a resemblance between him and Rihanna - not OUR Rhianna, I mean THE Rihanna. So guess what? He's now called 'Rihanna'

Rihanna and Yoda aren't sure what to make of each other. Here they are having a face off.

I am so grateful that there is a fence between them, especially when Rihanna chases Yoda. I am a little daunted though as the rickety gate at the far end of the field is very low and I'm pretty sure wouldn't stand up to an angry or playful Rihanna!

We haven't spotted a difference between any of the jackdaws yet, so we haven't named them, but they have started nest building. I wonder if a fleece lined nest is an indication of what to expect from the summer ahead?

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Meanwhile, our own nest building continues to go from strength to strength. The lower part of the house now has windows.

Yoda and Dobby of course are very curious about it all, and insist on coming to look at it with us. We closed the door on them to prevent them walking through wet concrete.

But there was no stopping them with a two inch high gap to squeeze through ...

Next blog - How do you Know if a Goose is Gay?