Happy birthday two ewes!

Yes indeedy! Our girls have just had their first birthday and from today they are now officially hogget and not lamb. We shan't be amending Lambretta's name to suit because Hoggetretta is a horrible name and it doesn't sit so well with her silly sister Vespa either. They have grown up in splendid isolation, away from the influences of their dreadful mother or any boy sheep and so they are just as sweet and innocent as they were a year ago. They still have races up and down the hillside with that curious 'trampolining' gait specific to silly young sheep, which involves all four feet hitting the ground simultaneously before leaping recklessly into the air, often just above a fairly precipitous drop. Really they remind me of merry-go-round horses when they do this, but also, much of the time they remind me of flower girls at weddings, who just walk very closely just behind the bride. As soon as I enter the sheep paddock they are beside but a little behind me, gently shoving and nibbling at my clothing. I love them to bits.

Their friends and allies, the hens, have been laying really well all year and so most of our meals have been frittatas, which means that we haven't consumed much in the way of freezer contents and there is certainly no room in there for two silly hogget girls. I am told that from some time next week, the vegetable garden will be throwing cauliflowers at us at a rate of knots and cauli-cheese will then become the regular dish of the day, another stay of execution for the woolifers!

The ground beneath their feet will be happy when they are gone, but for the time being I am happy that the freezer is too full for us to call upon the services of Takis the fireman.

I have been updating my tags to be more consistent and useful, the job is not yet complete and will take some time, but worth doing I think.