Hi, Selene here. As you might already know, Peaches, our leader for some years, passed away last month. Having felt that I have been deputy for a while, I thought it only natural that the mantle of flock leader should fall upon my shoulders. Well, it can’t be that difficult, I thought to myself. Peaches made it look easy.
However, I find myself facing a couple of challenges. The first is that I am never quite sure what to do each morning. It’s the middle of winter and the weather can be pretty harsh around here. We have shelters we can use and our favourite is down the hill near the humans’ house. There are feeders full of hay there too and the ground has a stony covering, so it’s a good place to hang out.
The problem is, after we’ve had breakfast, I’m sometimes not quite sure what to do next. Should we hang about round the hay and shelter? Or should we head up into the fields? The fields are good because they are quite dry. No matter how much it rains, there are areas that are dry and don’t get muddy. There’s also quite a lot of grass even though it’s January. Not like last year! Or was it the year before? Hmmm (or should I say meh). Anyway, we do like to head up to the top of the fields where we can chill out and chew the cud.
Sometimes, while I am pondering what to do, Ursi can get a bit impatient. Before I know it, we are butting heads and the problem of where to hang out is quickly forgotten. I am not sure whether Ursi, who’s quite a big girl, wants to take over or whether she’s bored. Either way, I have to win the headbutting contest. The problem is, Ursi just won’t give up. Sometimes, Yzzy tries to get between us, but Ursi will have none of it. A step back, lower the head and then biff.
I think the humans have spotted this because lately, they have been leading us up into the fields mid morning.
Anyway, this leadership lark is a bit trickier than I thought. Maybe it will get easier in the spring when we can sleep out more. I hope so.
