It's not a good idea for me to do anything except shower before my coffee in the morning here at Struan Farm. I know this, so I shouldn't have set off outside to move the ewes first thing this morning. But I did.
They were all standing beside the next paddock gate when I went out to unlock our front gate. Rosie and Ruby baa-ed to get my attention and came running up to the fence, advising me that the mob had munched enough in the Cottage paddock and wanted to be moved. There were murmurs of assent from the crowd. They are a precious, happy lot. They've had an abundance of feed this year and aren't used to eating things down as a result. Fresh, premium grass, it's only the "creme de la creme" for us, thank you very much.
But before I could open the gate I had to walk down the Old Road to make sure the "Taranaki gate" John has rigged while new fencing is built was actually closed. Nephew Mike has been working on the fencing, and sometimes doesn't close the makeshift gate when he's done for the day. So I got my requisite walk in, in the drizzling rain. Turned out the gate was closed.
After I walked back up I sang out "C'mon girls," opened the gate, and the mob joyfully ran through. Hardly anyone hesitates around me anymore. Rosie stopped for a quick rub. They moved in record time. I was now heading toward coffee. But then I looked down and saw something white moving around the pond. Oh.no. Someone had wandered along inside from the other end, where John is doing new fencing, and was trapped by the dam and the bush.
I knew I couldn't leave her there, despite my severe under-caffeination. She was agitated, as sheep often get when separated from the mob, and was running hither and yon. I called out to her and walked down to the pond, opening the gate near the dam. She continued to dither, so I decided to walk around the pond to come up behind her. This would prompt her toward the gate if she had any sense. She did. She ran out the gate and up the hill towards the gate (now closed) that the mob had just run through. I trundled back up there. She ran away. I opened the gate and walked away, back and around.
She ran through the gate into the paddock with the other sheep, literally LEAPING in the air as she did so. Yes, we were both overjoyed, for very different reasons. I managed to get back up the house for my much-needed coffee, and she was reunited with her sisters.
All in a day's work here at Struan Farm.
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