I was up early a few days ago here at Struan Farm and opened the bedroom window to say good morning to the pet lambs. It turned out that only Cookie and Buster, the two older lambs, were at the back gate waiting patiently for their morning bottles. Curly and Tootsie were nowhere to be seen, or heard, after I called out for them. Usually if they're in the vicinity I can hear "baas" and they can hear me to know to come home.
Suffice it to say that the pets have started to wander from their home base of the back gate, exploring further afield around the farm.
This particular morning it was raining and I was concerned. The gates between the paddocks around the property were open, so they could have wandered off anywhere during the night and gotten stuck. Cookie and Buster are starting to eat grass and are bigger and stronger. But Tootsie in particular is still quite little.
And so I hurried to dress, made up bottles, and donned rain gear and gumboots. (Note: no time for coffee.) By the time I got out to the back gate everyone had arrived and was ready for a feed. The two little wanderers got a lecture from me about the need to "baa" back when I call out. They tell me that they've read the memo now and will try to improve. The next night Tootsie wandered off, so I had her read the memo again.
Yesterday morning the rain was going sideways and the winds whipping the trees. There were no lambs to be seen or heard, anywhere. I called out, and debated whether or not to go out and try to find them. This time I wasn't quite so worried, I had my coffee first. They are big enough now that they won't starve if they miss a feed.
Guess what?
They all turned up! Everyone now knows the drill. (See Tootsie scrunched below Buster and Cookie, peering through the fence.)
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