Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

GDB2222

I am surprised. I thought sheep just run around happily, munch grass, get bigger. That sort of thing. What looking after do they need?

lostinrates

tomterm8 wrote: »

I can't imagine letting anyone of that age keep sheep on any land I owned. I don't imagine anyone who is still at school has the time to look after them properly. And if they fail to do so, in effect you end up having to step in. Actually, I can't understand parents letting their children own sheep at all. They are not dogs (and, even dogs are a big responsibility).

Yep, beginning to think it was a mistake. But I benefited from people helping me in a similar way when I was young: tremendously. I think I thought it was karmic payback! And yeah...I'm doing the sheep this week as it turns out.


I'm wondering if its the new think for stage mums? Don't put your son on the farm Mrs Worthington.

As it happens, I can do the sheep this week.

I have now spoken to his mother who was flustery and blustery.

edit re time: the same way grown ups have time outside work...you make it and sacrifice other stuff. I did for my animals and other extra curricula stuff.

lostinrates

GDB2222 wrote: »

I am surprised. I thought sheep just run around happily, munch grass, get bigger. That sort of thing. What looking after do they need?

Yep. And this is one of the reasons my welfare antenna is in overdrive these days with the back to the earth drive...how hard can it be...a few sheep and some chickens?

well...a lot harder than letting them out in a field to gamble! Sheep get out, they spend their lives plotting h to get out. When they are not thinking about how to get out they think about how to commit suicide.

You need to check them for various stomach churning things regularly and general maintaining...feet etc. These also should be having their fences moved more often.

tomterm8

GDB2222 wrote: »

I am surprised. I thought sheep just run around happily, munch grass, get bigger. That sort of thing. What looking after do they need?

We check our sheep twice a day. Every day. Routine maintenance involves worming them, trimming their feet, treating them for fly strike, injections for various treatments, and of course spending time with them so they are used to you.

In addition, all kinds of legal paperwork.

These are just routine tasks, but non routine tasks can happen at any time, for example they can escape over fences, tunnel under fences, purchase balloons to fly over fences (OK, this one is a bit unlikely, but always possible), and then head over to your neighbors to eat their vegetable garden, and they get fly strike (you don't want to know), become ill or be attacked by dogs.

If any of these emergencies happen, you need to be on scene immediately.

Beyond that, you need to be knowledgeable enough to select breeding rams, to treat ewes during pregnancy (knowing how to deliver lambs is vital, if you do it wrong you will kill both lambs and ewes), treat lambs immediately after birth (which includes knowing how to bottle feed them, which took 8 weeks of my life last year... going down every few hours, whatever the weather, to feed lambs).

During the lambing month it is important to check on ewes roughly every 2 or 3 hours during the night.

In addition, you need to know how to deal with Rams. Rams are dangerous if mismanaged. Every decade or so, they kill a shepherd. Much more often, people end up getting broken legs.

lostinrates

tomterm8 wrote: »

purchase balloons to fly over fences (OK, this one is a bit unlikely, but always possible),

Its more than possible if I know sheep. If they couldn't buy one they'd put both their brain cells together and work out how to make one.


These are just some of the reasons I choose not to keep sheep!

sss555s

Doozergirl wrote: »

Solution this afternoon involved Argos gift vouchers and a flash gun that will bounce off the ceiling. It's definitely solving the white light problem but now I've lost the nice warm natural light so it's on hold until tomorrow again.

The flash will make the brightness level less between inside and outside giving you a more level overall light.

The trick is to not point cameras into light or lights and try and have the light behind you shining on to the subject if possible.

A colour filter may give you a nice (warm) effect.

lostinrates

I'm on a roll now. Having addressed the sheep problem, and the reciprocal problem I tought as I'm in a ''tough b1tch'' mood I shall start keeping some more money that DH earns. we need to get a grip of our new financial situation and I think he'll have to self assess this financial year any way, so I've booked an appt with an acountancy/tax planning firm locally.

we've always held we wouldn't seek to exploit opportunities of legal avoidance of tax but feel a bit differently now. Maybe its the fear of the debt. Maybe its just like my dad says...everyone is left of centre till they get their first pay check/rise and imagine how much they could do with the extra...when some of us go hard and uncaring.

inspector_monkfish

Possibly an article in Daily Mirror tomorrow all about Daisy.

not my fave paper, but great for circulation and exposure

just depends if they get it in on time
if not tom, could be friday

lemonjelly

inspector_monkfish wrote: »

Possibly an article in Daily Mirror tomorrow all about Daisy.

not my fave paper, but great for circulation and exposure

just depends if they get it in on time
if not tom, could be friday

Do keep us informed will you fella?:)

National exposure now... Can only be a good thing.

I will break the habit of a lifetime & buy the paper if she is in it.:)

lemonjelly

Just had a quite exciting few minutes.

Found out that Public Enemy will play Fear Of A Black Planet at a local venue - I am so there. Saw them 2 years ago and was completely blown away!

Also, in the same 5 minutes, found out that Penguin Cafe are playing Birmingham Town Hall. I've never been there & it has been done up a lot, so that gig was a must. Went & saw Penguin Cafe in Feb & they were very good indeed. So looking forward to that one.

Also realised it isn't long until I go & see John Cleese, and a week after that, Derren Brown.

Talking of Derren, he has a new show on, easter monday, 9pm called DERREN BROWN: MIRACLES FOR SALE . I'd encourage all to watch!:)