The Reluctant Five

Yes, not the Famous Five, for these five are not famous, nor show any potential of upsetting the original Famous Five (but I fear if I make too much comparision I will have the copyright police sending me some fantastic and highly legalissed e-mails. Which I don’t want, obviously.

The Reluctant Five are not new on the croft, they joined us back in September. Five ryeland ewe lambs from nearby. Since before having ever owned a single shoop (for that is surely the legitimate, grammatically correct form for a single sheep), a work colleague had mentioned to be that I must get ryelands. Add on a decade and I do finally have ryelands.

Getting these sheep came after a spell of the classic of going from ‘we love sheep’, to ‘who bought them things in?’, usually said in the tail end of winter when the grass isn’t growing, the fields are covered in snow, and you have no idea when spring is going to arrive. So the last lot were sold, and it was planned to go about a year sheepless. Uh huh, it lasted only a few months. And we have sheep again.

Now these girls have settled in well. One has even been nicknamed Little Miss Crumpet (being a bit of an air head and got herself stuck twice). However, the recent snow fall meant I needed to quickly change which field they were in. And this meant walking them along the road, past five neighbouring houses, past a field that they couldn’t resist, and various new things that they just weren’t sure about. Which is fair enough, so we went slowly, very slowly, with me walking and talking behind them so they knew I was there (with their wool over their eyes, they can’t see much and voice is needed; and I did not pull the wool over their eyes, it is their natural placement of wool). Which meant, if anyone heard me, I had to talk like a commentator in a sing-song voice for about half an hour as the Reluctant Five and I meandered up the track. Sniffing (them, not me), checking out the new smells as they went very hesitantly. And what do you talk to your sheep about as you get them to move? Good question, I just hope no one over heard me, that matter is between me and them.

The Reluctant Five are now up closer to the house, have been guided to where the hay and nuts can be found, the wool lifted from around their eyes so they can hopefully see just that little bit better. They seemed content with their adventure and what probably feels like they have just reached the north pole by the most unadventurous sheep know to go on an expedition.