Monday 26 September 2011

The sheep are coming.



Any day now the pedigree Swaledale sheep will be coming for Winter. The three fields where they will start their stay have been made ready all but the blackberry briars, which are sticking out into the field. One thing is for sure - if there is a thorny briar a sheep will get stuck to it. So this afternoon the farmer is going round the hedges cutting back the briars and loading them on to his tractor bucket ready to put on the bonfire.

Tess and I had a walk round the field - she off the lead for the first time with me. When she was small she used to chase rabbits and not come back when called so I have since always taken her on a long lead. However, today I thought it was time she had a chance to redeem herself and I must say each time I called her she came back and got a stroke. So hopefully she has grown up now and can frolic about in the fields to her heart's content. She always goes with the farmer without her lead but I am not agile enough to go after her if she doesn't come when called.

I think the Little Grey Men (do you know the book of that name by BB?) have taken up temporary residence under our Scots pines - these look just like little elf houses to me. So tonight I shall be looking out for Cloudberry and Sneezewort.

15 comments:

Pondside said...

I don't know The Little Grey Men, but I do know elves, and they are certainly living under the toadstools here!
We have a lot of Himalayan Blackberry here, but it is a special treat for the goats and they devour and plant that pokes its head through the earth.

Unknown said...

Those tasty mushrooms are called Common Inkcaps - they are one of my favourites :) Don't eat them with alcohol though since they seem to have a crazy effect on you if you do.

Heather said...

That must be quite a lengthy job for the farmer, but very necessary. I look forward to seeing the sheep. I am fascinated by fungi - there are so many different shapes. I don't know that book but it sounds delightful.

Reader Wil said...

I have never read The Little Grey Men, but I read many books by Beatrix Potter and we have some books by a Dutch illustrator Rien Poortvliet called Secrets of the Gnomes.
You asked about Gouda. Yes it's not far from where I live and any time I have visitors, I'll go with them to Gouda to see the church, the houses around the church and the Cheese Weighing House.It's lovely.

Mary said...

I'd be cautious about eating these - especially after reading Tanya's comment!!!!!

Pat, please show us the Swaledales later - perhaps I saw their lambs when in the Lakes in Spring - or maybe they only hang about The Dales???

Tell the Farmer to take a break from those thorny brambles. He's such a hardworking guy, but I guess that goes with the territory. The benefits are enormous though!

Happy Autumn day.
Mary

Titus said...

Looks like a glorious day, if hard work for the farmer.
I'm incredibly cautious about mushrooms these days, though when I stayed at my Aunt and Uncle's as a child we seemed to pick mushrooms for breakfast every morning. I can't have been surer in my identification back then!

Tanya's comment has, of course, made me want to try the combination.

angryparsnip said...

I was just thinking about the sheep because of your last few posts. You talked about how cold the weather was getting and I wondered when the sheep and cows would be coming ? It seems like they just left your farm.
Your spring and summer seems so short this year.

cheers, parsnip

Gerry Snape said...

that's exciting waiting for the new sheep to arrive! and the fungi are stunning....I went out today to look for some more...but the fairies have taken them all I fear.
Hope it all goes well!

Penny said...

The year is turning,It is amazing how the time has gone, you are about to go into the long cool days aand nights, we are going into daylight saving and heat!

Unknown said...

Oh no...I didn't want to put anyone off eating them but maybe I should have said they can be POISONOUS with alcohol. Depends on how much booze is in your system though!

Dave King said...

I am always amazed at how quickly those little grey men manage to erect their houses. Super post. Thanks for it.

The Poetry Bus said...

So the sheep are coming, I hope the bus is too! Any sign?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for the comments. The toadstools are now just a 'mush' so sadly the elves have moved on.

The Weaver of Grass said...

No sign from the Poetry Bus yet but shall keep looking out!

Stuart said...

Yup, the mushrooms are Coprinus atramentarius. Generally edible, but not to be mixed with alcohol because they can cause a stomach upset in some people. (Another reported side-effect can be to make your vision slightly monochrome in one colour or another).

I got my first batch of hens this year: 4 hybrids that lay blue or cream eggs and 3 Barnevelders for brown eggs. I rather suspect I'm not going to stop at 7, however....