Are Ewe my Mummy?

Rosie asked me over to her farm just to keep my eye on things for a few hours while she was away for the day. Apart from taking the dogs out for a walk, the main thing was to feed a little lamb with a bottle of milk. But which lamb? The top lane ends with two adjacent fields, and another beyond them – all filled with sheep and lambs!

Inca and Malachi stopped at the gate on the left whilst I opened the gate ahead and, at that very moment, a black sheep (of the family) and her lamb came down from the farther field.

“Come and get it!” I called, holding the bottle aloft.

Horrified, mother and baby ran back from whence they had come. I turned my attention to some other mothers and lambs higher up in the field to the right, but for each of my steps forward the multitude stepped backwards and were reversing up the pasture.

I felt a bit silly going back to the gate where Rosie’s clever Labradors were waiting patiently for me. Even before I had opened the gate a chubby little lamb was making a beeline for me… In a flash she was beside me, nuzzling her face against my legs and she looked up at me endearingly as if to say “Are ewe my mummy? I hope ewe are.”

What a wonderful feeling it was to be surrogate mother to a loving, cuddly little lamb, even if it was for just those few minutes – it puts quite a new meaning to being sheepish. I wonder if I shall ever be able to eat lamb again…

And if you’d like to see the lamb having his bottle just click on the link below.