Great Gutton or Great Gluttons?

So as well as chocolate and new born lambs, this Easter we have also been  treated to some glorious sunshine that just makes the whole world a better place and lets Great Gutton glow in perfect Spring weather. No more lambs today but instead our time was spent with a fabulous Easter Egg hunt around the garden in which guests and friends were able to fill baskets with all things chocolatey. Whilst we then sat back and filled our faces, the new lambs were able to bask in the sunshine with their mums.
A lovely lovely day, but I need to lie down..............and perhaps just one more chocolate?

Just like a Number 7 Bus.....

You wait ages for one to come along and then 3 of them appear at once. First Great Gutton lambs of 2013 arrived today, two sets of twins and one single. Mothers and babies all doing well and have been moved to the orchard maternity unit where there is shelter, grass and since it's just behind the back door, we can keep an eye on them. Even spotted the beautiful white Barn Owl flying through the apple trees - we first saw it a couple of days ago and it seems to be hanging around, so who knows what will be arriving next!

 Here's a picture of our first arrivals - one ewe and one ram lamb. The boy is called Harvey (a promise we made to some guests last year whose son Harvey helped us with apple juice and cider making) and we have yet to decide (or agree!) on the ewe lambs name.............................

Easter Bunny or Easter Lamb?

I've just walked up the very steep hill, in the very freezing cold, with some very lovely guests in the hope of finding at least one very cute lamb. But no, it's not to be and so now we are back in the kitchen, defrosting by the Aga and getting the feeling back in our fingers and toes. It's all a bit of an anti climax (especially when you are only 6 years old), and so I have pointed out that the Easter Bunny has more chance of making an appearance before the Easter Lambs. Needs must and at times only chocolate will suffice - this seems to have gone down well as a temporary measure and now we need to hide the wrappers..............

Minus three days and counting!

Minus three days and counting but still no lambs! Very cold here but at least we do not have snow. Guests all warm and cosy with log fires blazing. Looks like John cannot put the chainsaw away quite yet as he and Jack need to cut more logs in the morning.

Ladies in waiting......

This is it then girls, it's no good coming over to say hello, we need you to go find yourselves a quiet bit of field, settle yourselves down and get on with it. We don't want any of that "Call the Midwife" nonsense - leave that to BBC1
The rest of the family are now on keen alert - never before have the children been so eager to don their wellies and head for the hills. Let's have Sunshine, Deep Breathing ......................and ACTION!!!!

A quick look at the sheep gestation table this morning confirmed that the Great Gutton lambing looks like starting on or around the 22nd March and not on the 1st of April as we all thought!