Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

tomterm8

fc123 wrote: »

How many sheep do you have Tom? I didn't realise you were a sheep farmer though LIR did mention you knew a lot about sheep as you had some. I thought you had 2 or 3 like pets...but maybe I am wrong and you aren't a sheep farmer and do have only a couple.:o

Not many. At the height of it, we had 20, but we are down to 6 now. Having said that, although 20 is tiny compared to people that raise commercial sheep for a living, it is actually a large number for a hebridean flock.

There's not much difference between a small flock and a large one... not in terms of what you need to know.

PasturesNew

Sheepies.

Davesnave

tomterm8 wrote: »

There's not much difference between a small flock and a large one... not in terms of what you need to know.

I'm looking after 33.... and I know very little!

tomterm8

Davesnave wrote: »

I'm looking after 33.... and I know very little!

I think everyone feels that way, Dave. What reassured me was going on one of those shepherding courses people do, and finding out that the 'experts' had all the same troubles as us mere mortals.

( They even have the same creative use of bailer twine )

That said, I expect that our current flock size is ideal for us. We just want some sheep to eat the grass, to be honest, we don't want a sheepie enterprise, and we don't really want to breed them either.

lostinrates

The Gambia is a black cat (with the fading gene by the look of her), though it would be better if she had a map on her: she she's very little, the smallest cat here (like the gambia is small) and skinny...as is the gambia narrow. No other reson really.

Bombay Duck is also called Bombolone...which fc will understand as a ''doughnut''. Bombay is often refered to by out neighbours as ''the siamese feral''. Like bombay duck...which is fish not duck...Bombay is NOT a siamese (though mummy or daddy ight have been a siamese or a snowshoe as she has little white shoes). Plus bombay looks quite round like a doughnut. I said to my mother when I introduced her to Bombe, that she looked ike mummy was a siamese, and my mother looked at her with disgust and said '' then daddy was a Beaver'' so we also call her Part-cat-part-beaver'' or just part beaver. A loved child has many names!

GDB2222

tomterm8 wrote: »

I think everyone feels that way, Dave. What reassured me was going on one of those shepherding courses people do, and finding out that the 'experts' had all the same troubles as us mere mortals.

( They even have the same creative use of bailer twine )

That said, I expect that our current flock size is ideal for us. We just want some sheep to eat the grass, to be honest, we don't want a sheepie enterprise, and we don't really want to breed them either.

It sounds to me like sheep may have been bred for the wrong traits. They've been bred for good wool or meat, whereas perhaps they should have been bred to be easy to look after? An intelligent sheep that did not get caught up in every bit of string in the field would be good?

PasturesNew

tomterm8 wrote: »

We just want some sheep to eat the grass, to be honest, we don't want a sheepie enterprise, and we don't really want to breed them either.

goaties!!

GDB2222

Goats are more independent?

lostinrates

fc123 wrote: »

I didn't realise the NYC was about you guys going to live there. That's a biggy move too.......would you have to sell the house? What would happen to the horses? I don't envy your decision at all....so hard to weigh it all up.

ight not be, and european offers might be forthcoming in the NY, in which case dh will take one of those probably, but having talked and talked last night NY might well be back on the long term cards. You just can't ignore how much better financially life would be. e.g. dh's dad (who really wanted us...well...dh and accepte I was baggage ) to go from the beginning when he committed to living there full time. DH had then been back from living there just a year before that.

Horses can fly or be shipped, its not uncommon for cmpeting horses, and the occasional pet oes it: not many old retired horses though. Old girl wouldn't be up to it, (she came on a similar jouney as a young'un) and nor in a few years would special girl be. TBH, I think old girl is getting near her last winter, and special girl has had a sudden lease of life but she's in her twenties now and is a very big horse, so is not likely to live for another five years or so.

I wouldn't go in the first instance if/when we go...I want to finish the house, and not move until dh is sure whether or not he wants to commit longterm. I wouldn't want to come back with this set of pets. I've done the whole quaratine thing before with animalsfeature of my childhood such was how we lived,and I don't think our cats would cope well. dog dog would be fine I think, big dog wouldn't be aliveto come back.

DH's df Nyloned for awhile: he doesn't see it as a big deal...and my parents don't see it as impossible either: after all they did it at our age (my mum isn't a brit either, so she set up life in a ehole new country, several times over!).

DH and I both like europe a lot. I haven't spent time in the Northern states, so I think it would be a bit of a culture shock for me. I spoke to friend who moved from south state to north and live in NYC and she said tht I'd be fine and it would probably more familiar to me from england than southern states experience.:eek:.

Its certainly not going to be me over there in the next 12-24 months. I used to be eligable for a passport: don't knw if it would be the same now. Also, if we did go we probably would have a simialr lifestyle to know: there is a family appt dh can use in a very good location, so we'd buy somewhere away from the city to have some privacy and space and ...the whole in laws thing is a whole other issue. I can be civil and very much like the idea of dh spending time with his family: but I want our christmases etc still....so wouldn't be living out where any one I know independantly f the in laws dor that dh and I know at weekends. To me having MY OWN place and friends is a very important part of the deal.

anyway: yes its risen closer to the top f the deck, but no, its not definite. DH going mainland europe seems a little more likely shrt term atm. With the house my opinion is that I should continue as if we plan to stay here, but with more conserative leaning to fixtures....things we like but are more general taste too: just in case. DH would find selling the house harder than me, for me the wrench is really things like the birds and the garden the atual move more than the place IYSWIM

lostinrates

I often think people who have smaller flocks know sheep better than farmers of the massive commercial flocks. there is time and care and attention to detail. sme with other animals....often I was staggared coleting data how the most expensive, professional tops of their discplines yards knew very little beyond old lore and economics of the animals they did well wth. I've often thought the fun in training a race horse would not be winning, but winning with better more knowledgeable management (horses just don't get much faster these days, but I think you could get them as fast with less damage and less wastage)