Yes, I am. You put rain, a sandy soil and a sunny day together and the grass grows an inch.  Five centimetres.  I am confused with the old measurements and the new. I’m not sure wether it is wishful thinking, the sheep need more grass, and I am willing the grass to grow but I don’t think so. It’s exploding all around us.

Our beautiful radio man, an ex shearer, talks in points for the rain and waking up to the sound of fabulous country music in the morning is another new experience. He gathers and reports all the rainfall in the district off farms but the language is in points not mils.

When we arrived it was dust, sandy dust, hard clay and not a blade of grass to be seen.  Not withstanding, the sheep were all as fit as buckrats and motored along at speed in all directions – but it prompted the question “What are they eating?”

Burr was the answer. ‘Good.’  I said, even though I saw nothing.  Another new language I am learning is herbage, grass isn’t the only thing that grows and different grasses grow in different soils along with various weeds at different times.  No wonder Ag degrees are four years long.  And there are differing viewpoints on what to feed them and when to spray them and what to spray them with. And you can plant a weed that once it takes hold will feed your sheep at the dry end of summer.  As you can see I have a good hold on all this stuff.

And along with the grass come the lambs.  Lots of lambs.  I haven’t got a picture of this but I wish I did.  Ric was tagging a set of twins yesterday, which you do by holding the two lambs between your legs while you tag their ears, mum was one foot away trying to protect them but so proud of her offspring when along bounded our new puppy, who’d escaped and was thrilled to have found Ric in the paddock. He landed in between Ric’s legs as well. Puppy, lambs and mother gazing in astonishment at each other. Once released, Schulz, fascinated by this discovery of a new animal life force, went to look at another lamb nearby when the mum, lined him up and chased him totally out of the paddock.  I wonder what kind of sheep dog he’s going to be – is he already scarred for life?

I feel I should explain a little – we don’t use dogs with our stud sheep. So that was the first dog the mum had ever seen and the first close  up view of sheep for our pup. The expressions on their faces were priceless.