Lambing finished and the start of shearing

I know I didn't mention the lambing yesterday but got rather carried away with the show news.  Lambing has now finished and we have 33 lambs charging around from the 19 pregnant ewes.  There were two difficult births - both requiring ropes.  Grace and Shovel I have already mentioned - and finally, two weeks after she had him, Grace is feeding him by herself - before I had to go and stand with her before she would let him feed.  They are both doing very well, I must get a photo tomorrow.  The other hard one was Pugsly, last to lamb, huge  and very stuck with a leg back and head coming out before any feet.  No room to manoeuvre properly and no Sam to help.  Bailer twine worked a treat - but not the new stuff which kept slipping off the leg before I could get hold of the other one.  Pugsly also did not want me helping her and I have to crack that issue before next year as trying to get ropes on whilst clinging onto a ewe is not easy.  I also had a ewe with milk fever but 80ml of Calcijet SQ sorted her out in seconds.  I had to warm it on the Mule engine and I got one lump where it went in a bit fast but that massaged away and she was up in seconds - miraculous stuff.  I also had a set of twins born in the pouring rain before I got up there and they were almost gone but a lot of warming in my body warmer, Kick Start (oh, and a wee drop of gin - think it should have been brandy but it did the trick - you may be wondering where I obtained gin in the middle of a field but that's another story!).

This afternoon the weather has been wonderful for once and while we were in the fields we decided to shear a couple - we had put off shearing as the weather was so bad but it has to start sometime.  In the end we did Prue, Emily, Little Star, Trouble and String.  They were all very well behaved and look so tiny and vulnerable now, I always forget that!  I have only one picture as the camera card is full but I'll do the others tomorrow - Trouble and String are particularly gorgeous!

Here is Little Star who is supposed to be pregnant but she looks way too tiny.  It may be wishful thinking but there might be a slight sign at the back end and on the udder - time will tell.