A Thanks to M&T Readers

I've been thinking about this blog. I enjoy writing it, even though I too often go weeks without a new post. Some of you may remember that I started it to keep up with my family in the States, a kind of group-email with photos. Then other people started reading, some lurking and some leaving regular comments. I appreciate both types.

Anyhoo, I also realised that I don't always return comments unless someone asks a question. If I get an email via the blog, I make sure to write back. I have never had anything but kind and supportive emails. I keep all of these in a folder.

As if that wasn't enough, I even get people sending me gifts - warm socks, a duck feather ornament, sorrel seeds and a lemon pie recipe, a tote bag with flat-coated retrievers on it, just to name a few. How cool is that?!? That someone I've never met would think to send me something, would spend time and effort (and money - not too much I hope!!) to send me a gift.

I think it's my turn.

When we moved to Herefordshire, I sent my best shorn fleece to a mill for cleaning and carding. I've been spinning it a little here and there over the past 18 months. For Christmas last year, I knitted some of the wool into hot water bottle covers for members of my family (those who live in cold states). I knitted an extra one for myself and a spare, which I would like to send to a reader.

As a long overdue thank you.

It's very good for warming cold beds or sore muscles.

If you would like to have the knitted cover (I will send a new water bottle too, if you don't already have one), simply leave a comment on the this post. In particular, I would love to know what you'd like to read more about, read less about, or what you might like to have explained more thoroughly, with photos. Questions are always welcome. If you prefer to remain a lurker, that's cool too. All readers are gratefully received.

I will leave the comments open for a couple weeks, then chose a name at random and send on the hot water bottle cover. It's only a small gift, but it's a product of the farm, like this blog. And it will travel better than goats cheese or turkey eggs.

I will keep writing and, as my sister sent me a GoPro for Christmas, I will post more videos. I thought maybe some training videos of the dogs, from how we train the gun dog basics to the more advanced training. Lots of people have dogs and their own experiences of training them, their own successes and failures. We all have successes and failures in common!

Speaking of successes, failures, and photos - here's today's new mother and babies

Still sticky and muddy from the birthing ordeal!

That's ewe 0042, the one I kept back from a sale of breeding lambs, She is my best quality ewe and produced two ewe lambs last night. Like Grumpy, she started lambing just before I was due at work, but I can forgive her. I had to help both lambs out. The temperature was dropping quickly so Mike took over when I left for work and put the family in a small trailer bedded down with straw. 

After work, I fed the ewe by torchlight, topped up her water, and felt the lambs' ears to make sure they were warm, felt their bellies to make sure they were full of milk. The new family was safe and well, so we all slept soundly. At least until the next flock check at 6am.

Between flock checks today, I took Dakota to the vets for some dental surgery, and to have a growth on her eyelid removed. Four teeth had to be taken out. All went well and she's recovering in her day bed. 

A dozy, post-op Dakota

Her vets bill was double what my cull ewes made at market last week (the cheque arrived today). I wish there was a National Heath Service for dogs.

I'm not work for the next few days, and the ewes seem to know it; they were all laid down and chewing their cud on my 6pm check. No evening lambs tonight, when it would be convenient. At least the weather is set dry for the rest of the week.