My Sheepish Fan Club

Next door to us is a field with six sheep. They’re not part of a farm. They’re siblings, and each one belongs to somebody different in the village – don’t ask, haven’t a clue. They’ve taken to galloping up to me every time I pass, hoping for a snack. A couple of times a week they get lucky. A cabbage leaf or two. Some chunks of celeriac or carrot. Broad bean pods (yum!). They never fail to live in hope, sometimes as often as four times day. I call them my Fan Club.

Yesterday, out for a local walk, I passed another nearby field, with perhaps a hundred sheep. A few of them noticed me, and just like their sheepy cousins next door to us, they set up a baa-ing announcement. ‘Possible food alert! Come on guys!’ And every one of them turned towards me and galloped to see what I had. Which was nothing.

The baas turned to complaints, but still they followed me. Noisily.

On I walked. Oh look! Lambs! The first I’ve seen this year.

And my walk took me slap through the centre of their field. Lambs and mothers normally skitter away. But no. They followed me. They chased me.

I tried to video this thrilling event, but dropped my phone. So that tiny clip is all you’re getting.

I went on. I was quite relieved that the next field was filled with a young crop of winter wheat, silently doing its thing and taking no notice of me. And that’s how it went on. Another field of sheep. They ignored me. A riverside walk along the Ure which took no notice either, but prattled and chattered its way along to the next village. A quiet woodland path where snowdrops are slowly being succeeded by wild garlic and bluebell shoots pushing their way through the soil, preparing for a fine show next month. Then home, choosing the path that wouldn’t take me past our demanding sheepy neighbours.

For Jo’s Monday Walk.

PS. WordPress’s oh-so-helpful AI has suggested tags for this post. It recommends …. ‘Jesus’.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

45 thoughts on “My Sheepish Fan Club”

  2. Jesus?! Whatever next….
    This is SO rural England for me. I absolutely loved seeing sheep everywhere when I lived in TQ and thereabout. Two wonderful little videos to highten my joy. Thanks for that. Would you be kind enough to send them to me on W0‘app please? I need to have them nearby.
    btw, we will be visiting our ‚then-paradise‘ in summer, 7 or 8 yrs after our last visit…. can‘t wait, also hoping that no more of our friends have died by then. It will look like a farewell-trip if things go on as they did since 2020…. we then had to loose our already planned trip due to the lockdown, before we couldn‘t because we didn‘t know if we‘d still live in France or not. This is just unlocking (again) so many memories!

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    1. Oof! Ive just managed to do as you asked. One I made a mess of and sent it again. One you didn’t ask for sent by mistake. A real techie muddle! How very sweet of you to feel they made for happy memories. I hope at least some of your trips go ahead as planned.

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  5. LOVE your sheepish fan club! Thanks for including those videos. They were such fun. Also, I liked how the Ure prattled and chattered its way along to the next village, not to be outdone by the cloven hoofed ones….

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  6. The PS is hilarious. Aren’t you the popular one? I’m sorry but I didn’t get the link before I published, but you know that you and the flock will have a starring role next Monday xx

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      1. It’s always hit and miss, catching posts, hon. There were only a couple, then Jude posted and I spotted Mel at the last minute. Phew! It’s hard work, this blogging caper. But fun! I’ve just ridden out a storm, down on the coast, and am off to cook supper. Muchas gracias to you and the sheep xx

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  8. You clearly have some sort of charm over sheep, that they follow you as rats followed the Pied Piper. I know which I’d prefer! And how lovely to see lambs already 🙂 I loved your final note – I can see how AI might get to that suggestion, with all these following sheep!!

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    1. Well, maybe, but I do find most of the tagging suggestions on the inept side – or else they suggest things I’d included already. Either way … So. I’m the Pied Piper of Sleningford? Who knew? But I have carrot peelings rather than a pipe!

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  9. Well that was quite a walk! When we were in Norway we went for a walk up a mountain and part of it had sheep, each wearing a bell. They all came running and followed us quite a ways. It was very musical, but disappointing for them.

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    1. 😉 The silly things can’t tell the differnce between someone empty handed, and one who Comes Equipped. So there’s zero chance they could read. Welcome back o the blogosphere, Becky!

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  15. The sheep are adorable! I love seeing sheep in the fields. I lived on a ranch in Alberta and we had lots of cows, a few pigs and some chickens but no sheep. So they intrigue me. I love that they think you are the feeding lady!!

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  17. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Fonte da Benemola | Still Restlessjo

  18. Weird how I missed this one, but thanks to Jo’s link I made it. We used to have sheep here, but the farmer decided not to continue. Good in that the naughty sheep that always were escaping no longer eat my flowers, but I do miss the lambs. Cattle just don’t have the same appeal.

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