Poor Gracie

 With only three weeks to go until lambing, preparations are well underway.  The ewes are beginning to get a bit grumpy and like their own personal space with old black welsh mountain 47 being the worst.  She does not want any other ewe any where near her and waddles around, head own, butting any other sheep that ges get in her way.  The three ancient, toothless sheep are still a bit on the thin side and are having extra rations which they love hopefully, they will only have a single lamb each as I don't think they will cope well with twins.  Apart from that everyone is looking good with the exception of poor Gracie.  On Thursday I was greeted by Gracie with a huge prolapse - as this is not a topic all will want to read about I will put the next bit in a separate paragraph (feel free to skip!!)

So - Gracie is the daughter of one of my favourite sheep who sadly died a couple of  years ago.  Last year Gracie lambed for the first time and it was not an easy lambing and ended up with her having a caesarean.  Now, technically, after such a problem birth Gracie should not really have been put in lamb again and should have gone on but, being rather a favourite I decided to give her another year and that may have been a mistake.  Why she has prolapsed I do not know but putting it back in on your own in the middle of a field is not the easiest of tasks!!  After a lot of lubricating and pushing we were finally back in and she then had a spoon in to keep it in place and a harness to keep that all in and she now does not look too bad.  Now got to keep fingers crossed it does not pop out again and that I can get the lambs out when they are ready.  She will be going in a pen when she is closer to lambing so I can keep a very close eye on her.

Win is getting up again now and I am about to go and brave the mud to take hay an water round  There are murmurings of snow on the weather forecast but, although it does now seem to be getting cooler it only looks like yet more rain to me.....I may be wrong!