Spring has sprung, with all the joy and sorrow that goes with it, and lambs have begun to appear. Three were born over the course of the day, three single births thus far, one ewe lamb and two ram lambs. The ewe lamb seemed viable but quite tiny but alas, did not make it. We found her dead around nine this evening, her mother desperately searching for her with calls and pleading bleats which must forever go unanswered.

It is one of the tragedies of this business, that brings one to a greater understanding of the give and take of life and death that cannot go unnoticed, but for which there is no answering. The ewe lamb was born to a gimmer ewe, one of our own breeding; as a first birth, it's not altogether shocking that it was a single birth and that it didn't survive, but it's sad all the same.

The two ram lambs were considerably larger, and we have hopes that they will do better. And there are fifteen more ewes who may well pop before long...