Lambing update

Picture the scene....... The laptop is precariously perched on top of a fence post, dongle tied to the fence rails and I am endeavouring to keep you up to date with the goings on of the lambing. It's lunch time, I've grabbed a quick bite and am en route to moving some twins, the bike is ladden with Moss, camera, shirt, jumper, jacket as well as one or two vital lambing supplies - oh! and then there is the laptop!! It will find itself safely hidden once I'm finished here and I'll pick it up on my return from shifting the twins.

It beggars belief but at long last we are having a spring, an early spring at that. Wow!! it's wonderful. I have no idea what the temperatures are but it is hot (although a cool wind), we are having sunshine through out the days which sees shep heading off after breakfast in a T shirt or vest - tremendous.

The first run of the morning I'm still clad in wellies and leggings. Sad I know but it is quite cool, some mornings there is a touch of frost, there is also the issue of wet dogs. Teh dogs pick up the dew on their coats and when they sit on the back of the bike behind me I find myself getting a very damp arse - not that pleasant really. Have to say mind that by the time I'm heading in for breakfast many layers have been discarded and I am only too ready to get shot of the wellies and leggings.

So? How's the lambing going? Well - very well. Okay there are problems, dead lambs, lambs not sucked, lambs to set on, thieving ewes causing mayhem. But hey! when the weather is good the problems don't seem to be a problem. Not finding yourself battling with wet and cold the spirits are lifted and all seems manageable.

The countryside is well forward, much grass to be had. The tiny violas are flowering out on the hill, last year they were trying to flower as I was about to leave the lambing, that makes them three weeks early on the year. I saw a fledgling thrush yesterday - blimey! Not out on the hill however, it was down in-bye at the steading (farmyard).

I had to stop the other evening on my return from the last lap of the hill to watch some pheasants. They had me in stitches. There were five cock pheasants and two hens. Obviously on of the cock birds was the boss and the two girls were his own little harem, this meant there were feathers flying as he strutted his stuff trying to ward off the other suitors. Life got slightly fraught for him, obviously out numbered he found one bird getting far too close to his girls and a humdinger of a bird fight commenced, this opened the door for one of the other male birds to dash in, serve the female and dash out again - it was so comical to watch, especially as when he dashed out again he didn't stop, just kept running across the field whilst the remaining birds continued fighting. That's nature for you!!

It would seem at the moment that there may be less twins than usual on here, that would be normal with other hill scanning results but as these sheep aren't scanned then we have to wait and see what arrives and it is early days yet, there may well be more twins arrive as time goes on.

So all in all life is okay, last year my tan reached up to my wrists, this year it is going to reach to the armpits. What a pleasure to lamb in weather such as this. Anyone who wants to whinge about the lambing this year mebbes ought to book themselves in to see a physchiatrist or consider retiring.

Oh! my faithful old car is off the road, no more trotting back to the North Tyne to see what's going on! There was a huge pool of oil lying beneath it after my last sortee over the border. Hence the reason I'm perched on top of a fence post with this laptop, no car to drive to a lay by. I have got it booked into a local garage and hopefully it will get fixed. Have to say I feel slightly embarrased, the garage I use at home is used to my rust bucket which smells and probably looks like a dog kennel, not too sure what the garage up here will think about it. Wonder if I could find someone else to take it in for me??

Well, must go and shift a handful of twins before it is time to head on the last lap of the hill again.