An important part of my life are the sheep. I never intended to keep sheep, but a retired shepherd in the village moved into a town flat and wanted a home for two very old sheep, Daisy and Joey. I didn’t expect them to last very long, so I took them on.

After a year, I acquired Lucy and Lottie. Here I am moving the four sheep to their new grazing, a job that needs doing every 4 weeks or so.

Tragically, none of those sheep are with me now. Daisy and Joey outlived the two younger sheep, finally dying of natural causes in 2008 at the ages of 16 and 18!

Having a chat with Joey	Daisy aged 16

Tragically, Lottie died of bad fly strike in 2006 and Lucy also died of pneumonia the same year. She had appeared with me in an article on the Sunday times style magazine.

I now have new sheep however, Molly, Billy and Robert the Ram. I borrowed Robert to get Molly in lamb and when I learned that he would be slaughtered when sent back to his farm, I was horrified and offered to keep him. He’s had endless trouble with his hooves and limps a lot, but he’s a docile, lovely creature.

Rob the Ram

The snows in February were a trial. It was especially tiring having to feed them constantly as there was no grass, but we got there!

Sheep feeding in the snow	Yes, they eat a lot!

In April, Molly had two lovely lambs, Timmy and Tommy. It was a joy to see them born at 8pm by the light of a torch.

Molly has her lambs		Timmy and Tommy

Ron has retired from farming, but he gives a hand in spring to shear my modest flock!

The sheep are part of the family. I let them into the garden when they run short of grass, and love them outside my kitchen first thing in then morning!

 

This fleece of Milly's will be washed and then sent to the spinner.	This is the raw wool, lovely and soft, ready to be either knitted as it is, or dyed.	This was a simple top I knitted fair-isle style, from wool I dyed using vegetable dyes.

Colin the Cockerel	Me and my new hen, 'Henrietta'	Sheep and chickens happily graze together