Fireworks for Frodo?

It's that time of year again - all gunpowder, treason and plot. Add to this, a lot of standing around in a muddy field, in cheap wellies, that suck the cold right into the soles of your feet, while you 'ooh and aah' as the menfolk set off the rockets. Sounds ungrateful, but firework displays in general always last that bit too long for me, and I'm usually one step ahead, thinking about a warming cup of mulled something or other, and a baked potato.

It's also 'tupping time' on the sheep farmer's calendar - when the ram is put to the ewes. We all enjoy the arrival of woolly lambs in spring, and in a way, this is the start of the whole lambing process. There is a lot of preparation of animals- from sorting and selecting, foot trimming, worming and 'dagging' - (which is trimming up the mucky fleece around sheeps' bums.) Amazingly, I could write at great length on this subject, but for now, I shall merely mention that we did all that we should at Dove Farm.

The saying goes, that if the tup (ram) goes in on bonfire night, then you get lambs on April Fool's Day.

We re-introduced our chap, Frodo, to his 'ladies-in-waiting' on 3rd November, which is the night we held our own mini firework display. Can't say it was exactly 'fireworks' for Frodo. He was certainly keen to get started, though the ewes were distinctly under-whelmed. There was a lot of excited 'giggling' from the ewe-lambs over the fence, which was greatly appreciated by Frodo, an easily flattered, pedigree Ryeland ram. He paced up and down the fenceline, allowing the excited youngsters to 'baa' round him, whilst casting a backward glance to the ladies in his own field, who looked on with mild interest, but nothing resembling desire.

I guess all reticence is worked through in good time, as Frodo has not disappointed us up to now. If all goes to plan, we look forward to a crop of strong healthy lambs at Dove Farm from April fools Day onwards. www.dovefarm.co.uk