A couple of weeks ago Sarah took Anne (my mum, Sarah's grandma), MJ (my good friend, Sarah's Godmother) and me to Longleat for the day. It was a wonderful day out, and very interesting to see how a huge tourist attraction should be run.

July seems to have been the time for days out, as there was a Lundy Collectors' Club day trip to Lundy - and of course I couldn't resist that! Sarah and Luke came, too, as a thank you for looking after the farm while Chris and I went to Lundy in May. The journey out was decidedly choppy - I can confirm that the bit about seasickness in Midnight on Lundy is pretty accurate - but it was worth it, because the day turned out to be glorious and the return trip was much calmer. Here are couple of pics (of ponies, needless to say!). The foal is the latest arrival, called Bill. He's Charlotte Louise's foal, by a Connemara stallion.

We managed to catch 'blue number five', the naughtiest ewe on the farm, by leaving the feed shed door open. Of course, she couldn't resist the goodies within. Chris sheared her, and she trotted off - pride dented but otherwise unscathed - bleating for her two lambs. They followed her call, caught sight of her and ran away again. For several days they followed her at a safe distance, unsure of the naked ewe who appeared to be impersonating their mother, but they're now joined up and are suckling from her again.

We've always known that several lambs become prematurely weaned at shearing time, but we always thought it was because they all get hopelessly mixed up in the shed, not because they don't recognise Mummy with her new hairdo!