On Christmas Day we moved the ewes to stock piled forage; they are finding decent feed here and we feed hay sporadically. The rams were sorted and put out with ewes about ten days ago. Once again we sorted Jethro (Corriedale ram) to a specific lot of ewes and the remaining Clun Forest rams are with the main flock. Right now, on a day to day basis, there is more work with guardian dogs than with sheep as Birdie and Lily have both come into heat and are testy with each other. Both are being rotated through stays in the kennels.
We are at the peak of minimum daylight hours which means long dark mornings before outdoor exercise and chores even begin and long dark stretches again in the evening. Time that is filled with all the general tasks of taking care of home and persons and a string of kelpie dogs, and what time is left over, with creating and writing.
As this year closes I feel a certain calmness, a sense of returning to neutral. Return to the basics of our natural color and style and in so doing find our centre once more. A return to the calm place of simplicity without loss of personality, something I hope to take with me as we pour into the new year. Watching the sheep presents the same simplicity while exemplifying the profound personality animal and nature always possess. In the cold weather of winter watching the sheep comes in short stints and I grab it when I can – while unrolling hay, while waiting for guardian dogs to finish a meal.
Return to Neutral. 18 x 11 inches and just three breed fibres in this one: Border Leicester wool, Romney wool and a wee bit of Clun Forest wool from my flock was used for tidying edges. It now hangs from a branch but I forgot to take a photo before it left for the local art gallery shop. It is for sale and will be added to the gallery page shortly.