How I got into sheep! I sold a dining table!

About 18 months ago, I decided to sell a dining table on Facebook Marketplace. After a few weeks of zero interest, I reduced the price and finally had an enquiry.

A guy called Bill and his wife came to have a look at the table. They recognised Chris - I think they had seen him on Money for Nothing - there was much talk about woodturning and a tour of his workshop.

Bill asked if Chris would be a speaker at the farmers’ group he attended. The next day Phil the farmer, also Chairman, rang to book Chris for their next meeting.

We attended, had a fab meal, and were made to feel so welcome. During his talk, Chris asked if there were any farmers with cows. By the end of the night, I had several invites to visit different farms. Cows were my big crush!

We both loved the experience so much that we asked if we could go back. As Phil often jokes, he invited Chris to speak and now he can’t get rid of us!

The following March at the group AGM Chris was voted in as Vice Chairman. This coming year he is Chairman.

Around that time I quizzed Phil about his sheep, rapidly approaching lambing, and persuaded him to put us on alert for any impending births. We received a call one Saturday. A ewe was about to lamb. We raced over. It was an All Creatures Great and Small birth - Phil had to intervene. It was my first lambing. The twins arrived safely in the end.

After that, we popped over to Phil’s from time to time. He gave us free rein on the farm.

Then, we decided that we wanted a smallholding. We asked if anyone had spare land they would rent to us. No replies. We checked out some land. Four acres for £75k. It was too big, too far away and too expensive. Meanwhile we kept asking Phil if he could help.

In the end he acquiesced - mostly because Chris told him it was my big dream. He gave us a small patch of land. It needed clearing. We did that and then built a chicken run and hen house. That August we acquired nine hens.

We started helping out on the farm with little jobs here and there.

And finally I began to help with the sheep. Initially, it was simply moving sheep from one end of the paddock to the other, handing spray cans to Phil or a piece of kit.

As he began to trust me more, he had me in the pen where I would help separate out sheep to go elsewhere. Slowly I began to learn little nuggets of information.

I helped move sheep from other fields. I went with Phil when he checked on sheep.

It was when we brought back the pregnant ewes that I really got hands on. I watched Phil’s routine - corn nuts, hay, water. I started getting in the shed before him and doing all the jobs myself. Soon, it became accepted that I’d get on with it.

I learned about lambing. I delivered my first lamb. I kept an eye on ewes giving birth, making sure that the lambs were breathing. Whenever I was unsure I rang Phil to run stuff by him. And then, less and less, as my confidence grew.

Dot Dot helped massively. She attached herself to me. She followed me around. We did the morning routine together. Where I went, she went. I rewarded her with corn nuts.

I fell in love with the sheep and taking care of them.

I was proud of the new skills I was learning. Over the past few months, I’ve delivered several lambs, I’ve corralled sheep and lambs in pens (not always easy), I’ve handled lambs, I’ve intubated a lamb, hand fed a poorly sheep, learned to recognise the signs of an impending birth, and enjoyed having a shed full of sheep getting used to me being around.

All of this has happened because I sold a dining table!