And so thanks to each and every one of you who has helped and supported in any way, shape or form, we reach the end of another wonderful year at Mirkwood. ๐โค๏ธ
It has been pretty much a status quo year (no, not Down, Down!) here in 2024. We started the year with 57 sheep and finished the year with 57 sheep having sadly said goodbye to Luna, Sage and Annette but welcoming Xena, Venus and Fraser to the fold. ๐โค๏ธ
No major dramas I'm delighted to say but a lot completed with help from our lovely volunteers. With much help from Barry and Janet we have built a shed to keep our ageing tractor warm and dry. Many folks kindly leant a hand at our two MOT sessions in March and October where we trimmed toenails, wormed and generally pampered all the sheep. ๐โค๏ธ
Thanks to Anna, Scott, Mandy, Stacey, Abby, Barry and Janet all of the sheep were sheared with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of care and we even had time for pizzas but still finished in the daylight. ๐โค๏ธ
I managed to get away for three days at the wonderful Vegan Campout and once again I am indebted to Elaine and Rick for looking after the sheep in my absence. ๐โค๏ธ
I am always happy to welcome visitors to see these gorgeous, gentle creatures so if you're ever in the area drop me a message and I'll move heaven and earth to make it happen. I am hoping to get a couple of jobs done next year. Erecting a fence around what used to be the lawn so I can get my sheep hurdles back and constructing a soakaway in the middle of the yard are two jobs I'd love to get done but which I have little or no chance of completing on my own. Don't be shy, you'll be fed and watered and the sheep will make a big fuss of you. ๐โค๏ธ
I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate the help, support and general good wishes from everyone who looks at or uses this page, another year of looking after these wonderful creatures beckons... bring it on! I'm starting to ramble so on behalf of all the residents here, F
And here's the wee man a little bit later, I don't think there's going to be any problem with him settling in. ๐๐ฅฐ
Never a dull moment at Mirkwood! ๐ May I introduce to you Fraser. ๐
Fraser is a Herdwick wether (a boy without) who was due to go and live with the boys until I was informed that he walks through electric fences like they aren't there so he has come home to live with the 38 girls and 5 boys that currently call this place their home. ๐โค๏ธ
He is a really friendly little fella and I'm sure he will settle in just fine. He's got the rest of his life ahead of him and he's not said "we're all doomed" once (ask your Mum and Dad๐). ๐โค๏ธ
I was down the yard doing some work when I nticed Miffy laying waste to the mineral bucket, thank you so much for all your help and support for without it Miffy and her flockmates would not be able to enjoy things such as this. ๐โค๏ธ๐ฅฐ
Having done a video of the boys down the road, I thought it only fair that I do one of the sheep living here BUT be warned, at over 8 minutes long it is NOT one for the TikTok generation or anyone with a short attention span but it does go down well with a cup of tea and a biscuit.๐โค๏ธ
Thank you to everyone for your interest, support and very generous donations, I've said it many times before but I simply couldn't do it without you. ๐โค๏ธ
EDIT - and before she shouts at me, I missed Wendy, also an ex Coxwold girl, she appears when I introduce Merrylegs and again in the very last frame, sorry Wendy. ๐๐ฅฐ
It's been a while since a did a bit of a catch up with the residents here so I thought I'd start with the great big beautiful baby boy sheeps. ๐โค๏ธ
There are fourteen of them and they live in a field and stables which I rent about a mile and a half away from home. Three of them (Andy, Park and Noel) are entire males, that is to say they have all of their boy bits, the rest are wethers. It is generally thought that rams can be aggressive but apart from Noel pretending he is boss they've never been an ounce of trouble. ๐โค๏ธ
I also have four other boys at home but these are boys (wethers) that came to us alongside a girl so I have left them together not having the heart to split them up and apart from being a bit bigger than the girls, you'd never know the difference. ๐โค๏ธ
I love these boys so much. ๐โค๏ธ
Hello friends of Mirkwood, Sirius and I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who responded to his latest plea for funs, you have been quite, quite magnificent and we now have enough for shearing and a little bit of reserve which is absolutely fantastic, thank you all so much. ๐โค๏ธโ๏ธ
We will be shearing on Thursday 23rd May and I'm delighted to say that Mandy is coming along to help for I'm not sure I am capable of man-handling this many sheep on my own any more. It is not really a spectator sport but if anyone wants to come along for a while to have a look at what goes on then you are more than welcome. However, I do promise this year that I will do some videos and many before and after photos so you can see what goes on. ๐โ๏ธ
The fleeces are currently worth less than ยฃ1.50 each which doesn't even cover my diesel to take them in so I usually take them up to Anna, The Crafty Shearer when I am in her neck of the woods and she takes all the fleeces she collects in at once. If anyone wants a fleece then please let me know and you can have it with the greatest of pleasure. The Crafty Shearer also offers a service whereby she will turn the fleece of your choice into a peg loom rug in her off season (usually September onwards) for which she charges ยฃ45 each plus postage, again if anyone wants a particular fleece turning into a rug just let me know and I'll make it happen. ๐โค๏ธ
This is already a long post but I just thought I'd show you Nancy and Luna our two infirmary girls. Neither of these ladies are mobile any more but I like to think that I offer them love, care and a life worth living so whilst they appear as happy as the appear to be I will continue to do it. Depending on what Aldi have in stock they get a mixture of sweetheart cabbage, shredded kale and spring greens to break up the monotony of a hay only diet. ๐โค๏ธ
In closing, thank you all again for your unflinching support and financial help, I couldn't do it without yo
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a lady from Thetford who, because of ill health, was having to find a home for her pet sheep, she had eleven to find a home for, nine girls and two boys. I replied that we were full to the brim and could not take any more. ๐ She made enquiries elsewhere but drew a blank so I relented somewhat and said I would take the two boys, she has since found a home for the girls at BFAS - Brook Farm Animal Sanctuary in Northamptonshire. ๐๐ฝ
So I went to collect the boys this morning and here they are disembarking and making friends with the current residents, Larry and Moon are exceptionally friendly and I know they will fit right in, welcome to the rest of your lives boys. ๐โค๏ธ
Vegan sanctuary where we take in aged sheep and allow them to live out their lives in peace and comfort.
