SUPERMARIO AND THE KNOTTED BALLOONS.

If an astrologer had described January as being a time of personal bombshells, I would not have entertained the suggestion.  Well....it was.  It took the whole of  February for me to stabilize. Like all eventful times though, the repercussions go bubbling on.  They, (the repercussions) certainly kept me occupied and busy, the distractions were useful.  

Sculpt of a boy [having a power struggle] with a serpent and a lion- in the forecourt of The Canongate Church on The Royal Mile Edinburgh

All that said, I am still humbled by those who have been forced from their homes by wars  and the aftermath of storms and floods. I care about the people who are forced to the margins of our society by the uncontrolled actions of those we were meant to trust and those whom we are expected to trust.  There is much unrest in today's Global politics; these are dangerous times.

Smokey

I was alerted to some photos sitting in a biodegradable bag by my desk, because it was biodegrading.  The pictures have been sitting there a long, long time.  I originally found them just when, with a whoop of glee and self-satisfaction, I thought I had completed the long careful task of copying old originals and restoring them.  Glumly, I saw I had not. That is why, that batch of pictures sat and sat and..... well, you get the picture, they were waiting for a new burst of enthusiasm for working on, which never came. 

However, while tidying up my digital picture folders on  my computer - the first 'efficiency' stage - I allowed myself to be drawn in to recent memories. In Edinburgh during Hogmanay, what could Super Mario and his compadre have been up to with these policemen? Not selling them their knotted balloons, Surely?

Miscreants, do not end up here, at Edinburgh Castle, these days.  Tourists do and quite right too.

Here's a clock dressed up for the Christmas season in one of the Edinburgh stores. Another hour to go before closing time.

 Lambs have been appearing. One of the three Suffolk Ewes produced triplets.  A North Country Cheviot  ewe  was introduced to one of the lambs to help with the milk feeds. It was amusing to see the lamb scampering between its siblings and its two mums. Here's a very recent picture of one of the Suffolk ewes with her twins.

CHAMPIONS AND OTHER THINGS , EVEN.

The journey to the regional agricultural show was dire. It's 'interesting' enough that we have to cope with sea haar when it descends upon us, however, this time it was low visibility in long stretches of very low lying cloud. When we were above the cloud we were into clear visibility, and apart from lots of different kinds of traffic on two-way roads, (it would be so much safer to have dual carriageway) the cloud was an extra long-lasting hazard. It was a tiresome journey.

By the time we were close to destination, about 11am, I was fascinated to see various staked notices leading towards a church, one invited you not for evensong, but, 'even coffee'. Bar the fact that we were in a guided motorcade by this time, I might have stopped, even!

It couldn't have been wetter. My poncho did a sterling job but was overworked. The the show tents were busy. They were a great place to escape from the constant downpour. Every time I put back my hood, the rain started up. I gave up and left it where it was, safely on my head. A number of people enviously eyed my poncho and one person without a jacket, asked where I'd bought it, thinking I might have found it at the show.

Our farming neighbours obtained championship accolades for their sheep.


The lady farmer pointed out to me the overall champion was the one who normally stopped and talked to me through the chain link fence. She can get most demanding of communication if I am slow to respond. Today though, she had done her bit and wanted to rest on her laurels.


Young black Dougal with his mum. He was born on Hogmanay,(31st December 2010).

Look at Dougal now, at eight months old. Dougal came away with a respectable 2nd place.  He is already twice the size of the farmer's previous champion Suffolk lamb of August 2010.


I noticed the young lad bounding up to a different Suffolk Lamb. The lamb almost jumped the fence as he became aware of him. They greeted each other like long lost friends.

WORKING WONDERS

Today I was up at the farm, looking at the lambs that are being cared for as orphans. Some are not, their mums could not feed three, some ewes could only support one lamb. There were a few very small ones and a couple of cutely mottled black and white faced lambs that were quiet though were curious. The others were very noisy the moment a two-leggéd 'animal' came into view. I heard that these quiet lambs were not taking sufficient feed. It was likely they were probably affected by something like baby colic.

The lady farmer has an uncomfortable tum in the mornings. She hit on this simple idea; the morning product she used, which settled her tummy, she thought, might work for her lambs. With a big grin, Mrs Farmer told me that she went to the local store and bought extra amounts of it, and has found that Actimel has worked wonders.

The beautiful upright black ram which arrived on the farm last year has not left a great deal of evidence of his fecundity.  Another ram had to help out.   Clearly, he has been selective about the company he keeps and which woolly ladies he performs with.  Next year, it is threatened, he is going "to be put out with Angus".

PORTRAITS OF A DIFFERENT KIND

I managed to get some pictures of the Suffolks with their lambs from a distance. They still weren't in the ideal place. (see previous post for reference).

but they were a little more obliging today, than on my previous attempts to take their portraits.

It seemed one ewe was on the wrong path to find her own lamb.

There were also a new pair of wobbly leggéd twins, (different breed)on a first outing with their mum.