Lambs

Now that the clocks have gone forward and the evenings are lighter one of the joys of this time of year is an evening walk out of the village where I live to one of the nearby farms to see the lambs. This farm has over 350 ewes that lamb each year and with each one having an average of 2 lambs that's a lot of lambs!
There is something endlessly fascinating about these new lives, whatever they are doing - huddled in a corner of the field trying to keep warm, sitting watching the world go by, frantically wagging their tails as they suckle, running across the fields, headbutting each other, jumping with a 'spring' in their step.



The farmer has a system of keeping the newest lambs closest to the farm, gradually moving them and their mothers to the surrounding fields as they get bigger. Last week, on a walk with friends, we were invited into the lambing shed where the newest lambs are kept for a day or two after they are born just to make sure everything is OK. It was great to chat to the farmer's daughter and to hear that they enjoy the lambing season as much as I do!

On blogging

Why this blog?
Over the last three years I have had the privilege of living and working in some amazing countries alongside incredible people but when communicating with friends and family I often find it hard to express my experiences in a way people can relate to. I erratically write 'round-robin' e-mails but am conscious of not wanting to overload people with too much information. Often there is so much that could be said that I end up saying very little!
In the last few months whilst I have been back in the UK I have come across several examples of 'a photo-a-day' - at a local art exhibition, in a magazine article and on the internet. As some of the most enthusiastic responses I get to my e-mails or Facebook postings are to the photographs I occasionally add I was feeling inspired to sign up to one of the photo websites as a way of sharing my experiences. I thought this would also encourage me to take more photographs - it's something I enjoy doing and it is certainly true that a picture is worth a thousand words. However, after looking at some of the photo websites I not only felt somewhat intimidated by the high standard of photography on display but also started to think that one photo a day could prove quite a challenge.
So I have decided to blog instead. My plan is to blog at least once a week (or am I already setting myself up for a fall...?) with words and pictures of my everyday experiences. I hope this blog will enhance the one-to-one communication I have with people - I certainly don't want it to replace it as it is erratic enough already!
If you decide to use your valuable time visiting my blog then I hope I will be able to give you a window on my world.