BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP

...And one for the Master

Dark arts master: Machiavelli

He-who-should-be-obeyed-but-rarely-is has begun to assert his authority in a way which would win the approval of the master of dark arts himself, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, pictured left.

 Friends say it was hardly surprising given that anything with a heartbeat on the smallholding is winged and feathered and treats my other half with the sort of contempt we usually reserve for bankers and traffic wardens. The hens show a mild disinterest while the turkeys give him a hostile reception and the geese see him as live bait.

 He did moot the idea of getting more sheep which produced a spot of hyperventilating from me and a negative response in the extreme which could only be translated one way: No, nie, nicht, la, 没有, non or, as the Welsh say, "dim". I think you get the message, which is more than he did because several days ago 

Double trouble: Zwartbles rams

two shaggy black sheep (right) appeared unannounced, grazing in one of the pastures and as regular followers of Soho2Silo know, I am not the biggest fan of sheep. And if you need reminding, best read this sorry tale again: http://soho2silo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/woolly-jumpers.html

 I'm not sure how to deal with this clear act of defiance and I may just let it go for the time being in the interests of maintaining harmony - losing this battle can be turned into a tactical defeat in my favour. We shall see, in the meantime it looks as though I've got two new additions. I haven't given the new arrivals names yet, although the larger one reminds me of a boy from school called Stormin' Norman. He goes charging down the field every morning when he sees my other half as though playing out some long lost reunion - it's the same script every morning, a bit like the movie Groundhog Day. I've warned it will all end in tears and enormous vet bills but hubby won't listen. At last, he has two fans on the farm who respect his authority and, unlike the feathered occupants, they genuinely seem to like him.

 Watch this space ..