What a treat to visit with the nine lambs next door, all born over the last few days. My neighbours ‘J’ and ‘P’ are originally from the U.K. but have been living in Canada for many decades. Despite the fact that they are both about 80 years old, they are very active and can be found out in their organic garden or herding their sheep with their three border collies. They are excellent hosts for home-cooked meals followed by board or card games–that is, when they are not travelling to –and often winning– dog trials!

This afternoon, I was lucky to bottle-feed two of the lambs. Born yesterday, ‘Amazing’ and ‘Grace’ were very affectionate little girls who were surprisingly steady on their long legs. They are only being bottle-fed because their mother is not too fond of letting them nurse, probably because she is just recovering from a very long and stressful delivery. (Everyone was surprised that ‘Amazing’ and ‘Grace’ even survived–hence their names).

Of the nine lambs, there are four sets of twins and one other larger lamb. ‘J’ and ‘P’ have never had as many twins –or lambs– as they do this year, although twins are actually common in sheep. For creatures born no more than four days ago, these gentle little beings had an amazing ability to run and chase each other (making them hard to photograph!)

Seen here are ‘Amazing’ and ‘Grace’ with their mother.

There is nothing quite like a visit with baby animals in the sunshine for a break from one’s daily routine.
So while I sometimes wish I were currently in a more urban location, being in the countryside does have its benefits.