Chino is a character, which means that, rather than running away like a sheep, she runs up to you like a dog. She was an orphan lamb rescued from a hedge and brought up on a bottle, who thinks she is human, and seldom follows the flock. Although not the best mother in the world, she has been quite prolific, and deserves a rest. So it was a concern that she again had twins, and in the early stages it looked as though she would give up on the lambs. I put her with the four ewes with triplets, which I feed organic ewe nuts once a day to try to keep them in condition. She is picking up on this special treatment – and her lambs are the cheekiest ever. It must be genetic. We had three surprise visitors – Patrick Holden, Helen Browning and Phil Stocker from the Soil Association. They strode across the field to look at the cattle, discussed all manner of issues were full of optimism. Helen took endless calls. They were an inspiration.
A diary of the farm through the seasons.