I am fully aware that my life sometimes comes across as a frenzy between work, gym and cooking with a little bit of social and relaxation thrown in. Yet sometimes I get to enjoy something completely different and this week has been one of ‘firsts’. On Tuesday evening we whizzed to London after work for ‘Immersive Theatre’ (which I’ll tell you about another time) and this morning we went to a local farm to experience ‘Lambing Season’.
We all threw on our oldest clothing (because lambing can be messy business), wrapped up warm and pottered down the road to the local farm to meet some new friends.
As this was my first ever experience of lambing season I was unsure what to expect, the farm we visited ensured that sheep are kept inside the hay covered barn’s. Once the sheep has given birth, the mother and her babies are given a set area to live for the important first few weeks.
As you would expect, the mother’s where consistently protective of the lamb’s, however we where extremely fortunately to be able to hold of a few of the two week old lambs.Â
Cuddling a lamb is not unlike cuddling a small dog or large cat; they are mostly calm, some are ‘chatty’ and I think you’ll agree they are very photogenic (and surprisingly keen to pose).
I watched a new born lamb stand for the first time, It was a very moving experience as the dear little animal tried to steady itself on wobbly leg’s. The mother provides no introduction or assistance however it appeared to be very instinctive, I found myself beaming with joy as the lamb had success only to decide moment’s later that it was all rather hard work and laying down was a far more suitable option.
All the sheep where marked accordingly to note if they where going to have one, two or three lambs and often those that are only having one lamb will give birth to a much larger lamb than those carrying three. I was resistant about seeing the birthing process, I’m often weak of stomach yet curiosity got the better of me and I can advise the whole process only takes a few moments.
G’s little nephew came along to show us the ropes, it’s the second time he’s been and I think it’s great for children to see how life work’s at the farm.
Have you ever been lambing/to a farm before? When was the last time you tried something completely different?
Katie
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