Between us, we now proudly have 14 girls.
Between them, a total of 40 legs.
Luckily, the days of parent funded trips to Clarks are long gone!
In July last year, following months of research (mainly Emma) and extensive preparation fencing the field with just under 200 fence posts & sheep wire (mainly Adrian), we took delivery of our lovely Soay Sheep.
They were around 9 weeks old; first time away from their mums, and very frightened. The nettles, thistles and swaths of grass towered above them; enveloping them as they snuggled together in a bewildered huddle.
We chose Soay sheep as they are (apparently) the easiest way to keep the grass cut – and have lovely characters.
Having watched them come out of themselves, to varying degrees over the past three months, although most are still very shy, they now really do feel part of our family. It’s lovely to look down to the field and see them at the gate, or by the resurrected old water trough. They have grown considerably, and reshaped the landscape in our four acre field (mammoth nettle patch), bringing the horizon down to ground level by munching through an inordinate amount of grass, nettles – and even hawthorn.
In addition to our eight ewes, we have pretty Peter, and Zebidee. Peter is castrated, but so utterly pretty that we had to have him, and Zebidee is our very stunning ram – name inspired by his Zebra striped horns.
Next Spring is awaited with excitement –
lambs?
“The simple things are often the most extraordinary things in life, and only the wise can see them.”
Paulo Coelho
The Oaks 