The Diary has received a serious complaint so, being a serious publication, is taking it seriously. Apparently - so the complainant alleges - there are far too many pictures of deer, and not enough of sheep.
The complainant is an expert on sheep, dealing with them both as an employee on the Estate and as a crofter, his own sheep being frequent winners of top prizes at shows. The Diary, by contrast, probably knows even less about sheep that about deer, which is the reason the subject has been neglected.
Sheep tend to appear on the Diary when they form part of a rustic scene, as in the picture above, where a sheep grazing on a carpet of flowers on the marshes in Kilchoan Bay forms a nice contrast to the beached boat.
Sheep also appear when wildlife is exploiting them, such as when an eagle is carrying them off for lunch, or a group of young starlings benefit from the insects disturbed by a grazing lamb.
They also sometimes appear when they're small lambs and full of the "Aaaah!" factor, such as this one which is using its mother as a mattress to bounce on.
And these sheep are only here to show what a truly beautiful day we're enjoying today, the picture taken at the end of Ormsaigbeg looking down the hill to a sparkling sea.
The Diary is unlikely to remain in utter ignorance for much longer as the complainant has promised to run a day's practical sheep appreciation course.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if your complainant were to agree to do an occasional "sheep report" for the Diary in the spirit of your "ships in the sound" updates. I'm probably even more ignorant than you are Jon and, not living in a sheep rearing area, am not going to have access to a sheep appreciation course any time in the future. All I get is the occasional snippet on Countryfile. But I'd love to learn.
ReplyDeleteGood idea cazinatutu, I'll suggest it to him. Jon
ReplyDeleteChuckled lots over this post ... thank you ... and look forward to much wisdom and insight into the lives of our woolly friends!
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