Initially we were happy to take in retired ewes at the end of their working lives, and give them a happy ending in retirement with one (or two if twins) of their lambs. It is very special to see them settling in, and they seem to sense that lambs get to grow old here.

However, when the first cohort of ewe lambs were of an age to wed, we thought perhaps they may enjoy a taste of normality. We certainly were excited at the prospect of seeing lambs born, and raising them from their very earliest days.

Oswald Senior (we named him such to give him encouragement, and a hint) arrived, at six months old too young to hire out, but old enough to be of service. Knee high to a grasshopper, yet his Flehmen response kicked in as soon as he was in at the gate. Think of Elvis Presley’s lop-sided smile, and you have it! So gentlemanly, he froliced with Aebbe, Ita and Amma in the gorse by day, and seemed focused on innocent pursuits. However he must have come alive at night, because 152 – 154 days later Aebbe gave birth to Marwenne, Ita to Oswald Junior, and Amma to Winifred.

Winifred’s head was twisted, and she was too floppy to stand. Her mother Amma frantically and lovingly tried to lick her into shape. We called the vet at 1.30am, and were told that their story had three possible endings: nature would take its course; we would hold Winifred to Amma so she could feed for a few months, then Winifred would live a normal life but with skewed head; things would right themselves. Fortunately, while we held the lamb to her mother to feed a few times through the night and in the morning, by twelve noon I went out to find mother and lamb resting in the sun, with upright heads, looking pleased as punch.

Our primary business is giving homes to already existing animals, so we have resumed taking in retired ewes. In 2022 two seven year old sheep who had endured very difficult births came to us, with their offspring. Hieu with Audrey (modern form for the Celtic Etheldreda, but less of a mouthful), and the exceptionally friendly Nonna, with twins Bega and Boisil – who were small enough to crawl under the wire into the pig field, to be companionable there!