The 1st of April, All Fools Day, and we are having old friends to stay. As I trot up and down to get the Wendy House ready for tea I notice that Katy, the ewe that is due to lamb, is in one of the little red portable shelters. In a previous life they were used to shelter missiles waiting to be loaded on to aeroplanes and they still bear the word EXPLOSIVES down their sides. Now they make easy-to-move shelters for sheep. Our Shetland sheep rarely use them, in the snow they still slept outside, but they always have their lambs in them. I hope it’s not going to be an explosive afternoon! Last year lambing was a bit of a disaster, too many lambs and not enough milk, so I ended up having to feed Bill, and I am more apprehensive than usual. This apprehension is added to because it is mid-morning and my ewes usually lamb at dusk or dawn. After taking the tea cups down I have another discreet peep at Katy. She is pawing the hay and straw in the shelter as if making a nest – things are definitely happening. I change into some clean old clothes, not my best for our visitors, just in case I have to help out with Katy as she is now looking a little distressed. Her daughter, Sally, who I kept from last year, is very upset and constantly bleating, but her mum takes no notice.
Our visitors arrive and the tour of the garden starts, yes, with the sheep. Katy is lying down and puffing, and Sally is still in full voice. After a cup of tea or two and some nibbles and cake all is suddenly quiet. Sally has finally stopped yelling. We nip across to the shelter and one long legged lamb is standing in the corner and another has just been born and Katy is carefully cleaning it. I silently pray there are no more to come and our guests say what a wonderful show we have put on for them.
The two little boys, Tom and Jerry, are fine and Katy is a great Mum. Tom is all legs with a tight curly coat and Jerry is stocky with a long ruff coat. Spring is sprung and all is well in my little world!
Wendy Bathurst