The day of the combined flock visit started so promisingly with a glorious autumnal sunrise, chasing away the early morning mist……and then the rain started! It was the first really wet day for weeks but didn’t deter a hardy number of visitors to Shropshire. It was particularly gratifying to see members from as far afield as Glasgow and Devon, plus the walking wounded who wasn’t going to let a fall from a horse that same morning and a damaged cruciate ligament prevent a visit.
The 3 flocks all run together and are using a total of 4 rams this year – 2 senior and 2 new junior rams – who had only been put out with their respective girls the day before, so there were quite a few colourful rumps on display. Luckily, all 4 fields were very close to the shelter of the lambing shed, where much needed warm drinks and sugary snacks were available to the hardy souls, much needed as a short walk down the farm track was undertaken to view this year’s lambs. Running alongside the pure Zwartbles lambs were a few Z x Border Leicesters, Z x Vendeens and Z x Teeswaters, although none were feeling particularly social in the wet!
Due to the incessant precipitation, a trailer tour of the rest of the farm, where a commercial flock of Lleyn and Lleyn crosses and a herd of Hereford cattle are kept, had to be abandoned, but the hosts Marigold de Quincey and Kevin and Anne Robinson would like to thank all who came and viewed the sheep.
