Class distinction

We got all the free-range sheep into the yards ready for shearing tomorrow, and it will be just in the nick of time. The late spring has saved them from getting too hot in their woolly jumpers this year, but every day the sun shines brighter. So do the lambs. They are really curious now and investigate everything including the garden-under-the-fence, all the plum tree leaves they can reach and the fish in the bottom of the troughs. They were confined to quarters in the sheep shed overnight to keep them and their mothers separate from the general mob but this snobbery on our part didn't worry them. They'll meet and greet any new animal, sometimes several times.

The sheep for their part were delighted to meet their new neices and nephews despite their inability to mix. We had kept the two crowds separate to make putting them all back neatly in the right places simple the day after shearing. All the sheep took turns introducing themselves to the new little ones and catching up with their ewe cousins through the fox-proof prison mesh. Old friends reunited Several exchanges were had through the wire, escape plans were hatched and offers of smuggling files in hay were made. The lambs however were only annoyed at the restriction in play area until they all fell asleep, expecting to be let out for breakfast tomorrow just like any other morning...