Spring has sprung at last and lambing is over! Most of the cows have calved, too, with just our pet Primrose to go.
As you can see from this photo, West Ilkerton wasn't immune to Royal Wedding fever:
Why I should follow that photo with this one of a rabbit I do not know, but here it is:
Rabbits have been in short supply here for the past few years, but now they're back, fighting fit and poised to take over the world. Needless to say, they're breeding like rabbits.
The deer are also multiplying somehow - perhaps the rabbits are giving them lessons. Sarah took this photo, on the field we call Opposite, in mid-April. You can see that some of the stags have shed their antlers. Now, in mid-May, all the stags have shed their antlers. It's amazing how difficult it is to find the antlers, though - especially a matched pair.
We had some great lambing assistants this year. Chris' goddaughter, Tiggy Waterer, came to help for the first five days. She was a tremendous help, and we wish her the best of luck with her GCSEs. When she's a famous vet we'll be able to say she did some lambing experience with us! Then Shannon Hagger came to stay for a few days, and Seb Smith (our nephew) came to stay for a week. The Hagger family are regular visitors to the holiday cottage, and Shannon has decided to study agriculture. She fitted in immediately, and was a great help at a very busy time. Seb, who was with us for a week last year, was thrown in at the deep end and did Sarah's early morning shift and lots more besides. Sarah, meanwhile, did her final year dissertation - some of the time!
Lambing Team 2011: Shannon, Sarah, Seb and Chris
We sold most of our tame lambs (with apologies to Sophie and Alice!) but we still ended up with some which had to be rescued from the fields at a later date. Here's our niece, Alix Walton, feeding the tame lambs:
Now that lambing's over there's time to enjoy ourselves a bit. Chris took this photo of (l to r) me on Bella, Sarah on Winaway and Frances Steer on Tempo on Ilkerton Ridge. We'd just been on a lovely ride up the Hoar Oak valley. I can always make the excuse that I'm looking at the Exmoor ponies when I go out for a ride! We now have 30 ponies and 3 foals (the early foaling mares must have got in foal to Ziggy before I sold him last year) We haven't got close enough to the foals to see whether they're male or female yet.
Mare and foals on Ilkerton Ridge, May 2011
As you can see from this photo, West Ilkerton wasn't immune to Royal Wedding fever:
Why I should follow that photo with this one of a rabbit I do not know, but here it is:
Rabbits have been in short supply here for the past few years, but now they're back, fighting fit and poised to take over the world. Needless to say, they're breeding like rabbits.
The deer are also multiplying somehow - perhaps the rabbits are giving them lessons. Sarah took this photo, on the field we call Opposite, in mid-April. You can see that some of the stags have shed their antlers. Now, in mid-May, all the stags have shed their antlers. It's amazing how difficult it is to find the antlers, though - especially a matched pair.
We had some great lambing assistants this year. Chris' goddaughter, Tiggy Waterer, came to help for the first five days. She was a tremendous help, and we wish her the best of luck with her GCSEs. When she's a famous vet we'll be able to say she did some lambing experience with us! Then Shannon Hagger came to stay for a few days, and Seb Smith (our nephew) came to stay for a week. The Hagger family are regular visitors to the holiday cottage, and Shannon has decided to study agriculture. She fitted in immediately, and was a great help at a very busy time. Seb, who was with us for a week last year, was thrown in at the deep end and did Sarah's early morning shift and lots more besides. Sarah, meanwhile, did her final year dissertation - some of the time!
Lambing Team 2011: Shannon, Sarah, Seb and Chris
We sold most of our tame lambs (with apologies to Sophie and Alice!) but we still ended up with some which had to be rescued from the fields at a later date. Here's our niece, Alix Walton, feeding the tame lambs:
Now that lambing's over there's time to enjoy ourselves a bit. Chris took this photo of (l to r) me on Bella, Sarah on Winaway and Frances Steer on Tempo on Ilkerton Ridge. We'd just been on a lovely ride up the Hoar Oak valley. I can always make the excuse that I'm looking at the Exmoor ponies when I go out for a ride! We now have 30 ponies and 3 foals (the early foaling mares must have got in foal to Ziggy before I sold him last year) We haven't got close enough to the foals to see whether they're male or female yet.
Mare and foals on Ilkerton Ridge, May 2011
posted by Tortie | 5:49 AM
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