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'Jensen' Crofter walking the track prior to driving it.

Young Sore-lips recuperating

Jensen Crofter on his way over the peat-tracks.

Querky is out of solitary but into trouble straight away.

It's been an eventive day one way and another. The morning started well in bright sunshine and a balmy 3C that made the place light up like a late Christmas tree. I eventually caught up with Mr Crofter after I had returned from a slippery drive into town for work purposes and find him cooing over this little four-legged fella who Mr Crofter had to carry back from an adjacent croft.

Life is not always easy when you are sheeps. Since the ground is frozen from weeks of hard frost and snow, the ungulate in question must have made his lips sore trying to prise some rough grass from the solid earth. Then it all became too painful so he stopped eating and sat down. And became weak. Mr Crofter, yes, the very same one who is still on the grazing committee, came along to give the half-flock some feed. "Ah ha", said Mr Crofter, for he had noticed the sheeps lying on the ground. He scooped him up and brought the grateful fella back to the croft lawn where he was treated to some extra-special food and a touch of lip-salve [or something]to get him back to health. Sheeps was soooo very grateful. We left him snuggling up in the chicken coop sheltering from another dose of snow.

The it was up onto the edge of the headland by some peat-cuttings to the other half of the flock. Mr Crofter was in ecstasy as he drove his Land-Rover up those icy tracks, rocking this way and that, smiling broadly with a load of sweet silage aboard. And weren't those little sheeps on the hill pleased to see him? Yes they were. Only some of them had not seen silage before and were not sure whether to lie on or eat it. They got the idea in the end though. Then the hail came. Again.