For the last several days, the forecasts for today have been unattractive: snow above 900 m, wind, rain. Even this morning, at 3 am, the Bureau of Met put out a Sheep Graziers Warning for nasty conditions. So I was all set to spend the morning catching up on various office chores. But out came the sun, with no lowering rain clouds on the horizon, so Chance and Janie and I took off for the Racecourse GA to entice the flock into the Stud Paddock--the one place they hadn't yet grazed this time around. We got to the top of the hill just in time to see them kicking up their heels and racing through the gate into the Stud Paddock! So we had a most relaxing and casual circuit, keeping them loosely constrained to the bottom part of the paddock, and spending the best part of an hour in "Shell Corner", so named because it used to have a big Shell Petroleum sign when my road was the old highway between Launceston and Hobart. There's lots of new growth in the Stud Paddock, and they seemed mostly interested in the fresh cocksfoot (grass) and browsing the hawthorn berries and eucalyptus leaves. I think they also had a browse of the broom near Shell Corner, but I was too far away to see well. It was a surprisingly nice day to shepherd, and proof once again (if I needed it!) not to be faked out by the forecast. The next couple of days I will be in Hobart, so will plan a circuit for Saturday.
Stripping hawthorn berries.
Janie picked the best spot of all for her mid-morning snooze!
Meanwhile, the flock is also having a mid-morning ruminate and rest. Some are still fossicking about while the others are lying down. (Fossicking means prospecting in Aussie slang. Sort of scratching around with no clear idea of the immediate goal, but full awareness of the long-term one.)
Our work for the morning is done. Heading home to do some chores ;-)