My dad bought him as a lamb early last autumn, for the grand sum of £101. (We rarely spend more on a sheep because they have this annoying habit of trying to die all the time.) He's a nice boy, and by nature he's very calm and relaxed. I had planned to take photos of the tips but a sudden change of plans meant I had only around fifteen minutes to check on them so I had no time to put on the telephoto lens I had brought with me. I even had a bucket of meal to shake to try and get their attention. As you can see, there was absolutely no need for the telephoto lens as he was right beside me and not a bit scared. I was able to keep him occupied with the nuts while I opened the gate.
Once the tiny gate was open, I picked the bucket up and took it with me as I stepped gracefully over the stream. I expected him to follow, but he didn't. Instead he stood and stared at me.
To my surprise I turned around and there were Sunny and Jim, also lured by the sound of the rattling bucket.
When he saw his friends were closer to the bucket than he was, the Texel decided that he should follow me after all.
A pause at the stream to check for crocodiles.
One big leap over the stream later, he claimed his prize.
...And then was immediately pushed around by everyone else.
Even the chunky, older, Texel Lleyn joined in.
It was every man for himself.
Sunny may be the smallest but he puts up a good fight.
Jim lost a whole lot of condition over the breeding season - that either means that he was too busy to eat much, or he's rubbish. We'll know the answer in the next few months...
He's good at the photobombing.
In the meantime, I hope he puts on some weight. Eat lots of grass, Jim!
Good boy!
Nuts hoovered up, the tips still didn't run away. I was amazed - usually when I visit a field full of tips, they run to the opposite end. These boys are the quietest tips I've ever seen.
Sunny, what are you doing?
Same question applies here.
Sunny is very sweet, though.
I have a soft spot for the little guy.
I still like this chap even though he escaped.
The red heads are just in case they escape in the opposite direction, onto more fields or the road.
This is the only tip here that's of our own breeding - that's why you can't really tell what breed he is. Keeps things interesting.
I crossed the stream and left the Bog, and they kept staring expectantly at me.
Handsome Sunny.
We fixed the place where we think the Texel climbed the wall the following day. Hopefully no more great escapes.
I love the photobombing sheep.
ReplyDeleteSunny and Jim are very handsome.
ReplyDeleteKeeping my fingers crossed for Jim that he was just too busy.