Lamb-Police Incident # 2

James arrived pretty quickly in his cheerful blue van (see: https://www.facebook.com/#!/morrismeats) and drove down the lane and into the yard. We walked through to the Alpaca shed, and looked at the injured lamb, which had made itself comfortable in its 'nest'. He picked it up and examined the wound. He thought it was a dog bite, he explained, evidenced by the way the skin was torn downwards. Not uncommon unfortunately in a village where commuter's houses are surrounded by agricultural land - easy to get carried away by the sense of freedom that one feels in the country, and to think that it would be a nice idea to allow your dog to enjoy that freedom too. James carried the lamb around the house, into the yard and into the back of his van. He farms 300 acres close to us and said that he would add 'our' lamb to his existing little flock of orphan lambs to recover. After we'd had a chat and said goodbye I watched the van drive up the lane with 2 things on my mind:

1. I'd been responsible for the 'Tymawr Farm Flock' for less than an hour and had already reduced it by 20%!
2. Jo was pregnant, and we'd read about the risks to pregnant women that are associated with lambing time. I had just spent a lot of time in close proximity to a lamb. With a heavy heart I stripped off all my clothes in the yard and trudged naked into the house and straight to the shower......

With that inauspicious start to my farming career I drank a glass of (shop-bought!) wine, and went to bed, reflecting that I'd learnt a lot and hopefully made a new friend.