I've lost count the number of times I have been out looking for Pedro, or for how long he has been missing. An all points bulletin has been posted for the wandering Romeo, various militia have been round asking if we have got him back, some friendly, one particularly unfriendly claiming all sorts of laws had been broken if Pedro had violated any of his girls. This militia member has short term memory problems as not so long ago, well perhaps two winters, his ram moved in with our flock for weeks, gave them all pink eye before he was secretly spirited away one dark evening. Only 4x4 tracks in the snow and an empty space the clue that we had had visitors. Anyway Pedro broke cover in front of me early evening as I walked the Berners around the Bonsai Mountain.
Trying to sneak up on the naughty Ryeland and his wild girls was not easy, especially as the Berners wanted to go first and totally ruined any element of stealth. Eventually I got between him and Rock HQ and with a lot of luck managed to get him and his two mental companions to run towards home. Having phoned ahead my beautiful and oh so patient wife met the trio in the cauldron and Pedro sensing calories in the magic blue bucket headed in approximately the right direction. At this point Montana executed a fantastic move referred to "heading them off at the pass" and single pawed prevented progress and sent the three sheep uphill again and round the back of Rock HQ.
I kept up the pursuit as fast as a fat forty something can manage but the terrain and flora conspired against me but just before they totally disappeared from view I saw a sudden change of direction with Pedro in the lead they were skirting the cliff at the back of the cottage.
The sudden lack of horizontal surface to run along impeded their progress and I was able to catch up again and with Spotty "helping" managed to steer them to the lane where the rest of our little flockers were having a bonus feed in an effort to demonstrate how much fun it is to be a pampered Ryeland as opposed to joining the wild life. Pedro saw sense in this but as his ladies ran up the lane, back toward the cauldron and the wilderness beyond, he thought with his purse rather than his brain and shot off after them. This caused a massive SOHF on my part and I ran after them in the vain hope I could outrun him. Thankfully the fugitive turned left in the yard and he and the girls ran into the Corral OK. Realising their mistake they spun on their heels and charged back again but the sight of me slamming the five bar gate called a temporary halt to their antics.
The scene was set for a show down. Manno et Sheepo. Only one was going to leave this Corral standing. The four sheep advanced (an extra one had joined in sensing an easy victory) Spotty attempted to join me but was called back, this was my fight. Some times a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. I stepped forward to meet them halfway, clenching and unclenching my hands, getting blood to my fingers, I needed to be quick on the draw. Pedro stopped and sniffed the air, rolling a stick of straw from one side of his mouth to the other. He was ready. So was I. He moved, I was quicker. He spun round and hit the dirt. I had two handsful of struggling Ryeland and I wasn't going anywhere. Physics won the day, my bulk against his speed and rather unceremoniously he was carried across the yard and placed in the jail house with the others. Rock HQ aint big enough for the both of us, so hes going to the little house on the prairie that we have just rented. He will thank me one day, especially as he will have a harem of some 10 lovely Ryeland ewes to keep him company.
I've lost count the number of times I have been out looking for Pedro, or for how long he has been missing. An all points bulletin has been posted for the wandering Romeo, various militia have been round asking if we have got him back, some friendly, one particularly unfriendly claiming all sorts of laws had been broken if Pedro had violated any of his girls. This militia member has short term memory problems as not so long ago, well perhaps two winters, his ram moved in with our flock for weeks, gave them all pink eye before he was secretly spirited away one dark evening. Only 4x4 tracks in the snow and an empty space the clue that we had had visitors. Anyway Pedro broke cover in front of me early evening as I walked the Berners around the Bonsai Mountain.
Trying to sneak up on the naughty Ryeland and his wild girls was not easy, especially as the Berners wanted to go first and totally ruined any element of stealth. Eventually I got between him and Rock HQ and with a lot of luck managed to get him and his two mental companions to run towards home. Having phoned ahead my beautiful and oh so patient wife met the trio in the cauldron and Pedro sensing calories in the magic blue bucket headed in approximately the right direction. At this point Montana executed a fantastic move referred to "heading them off at the pass" and single pawed prevented progress and sent the three sheep uphill again and round the back of Rock HQ.
I kept up the pursuit as fast as a fat forty something can manage but the terrain and flora conspired against me but just before they totally disappeared from view I saw a sudden change of direction with Pedro in the lead they were skirting the cliff at the back of the cottage.
The sudden lack of horizontal surface to run along impeded their progress and I was able to catch up again and with Spotty "helping" managed to steer them to the lane where the rest of our little flockers were having a bonus feed in an effort to demonstrate how much fun it is to be a pampered Ryeland as opposed to joining the wild life. Pedro saw sense in this but as his ladies ran up the lane, back toward the cauldron and the wilderness beyond, he thought with his purse rather than his brain and shot off after them. This caused a massive SOHF on my part and I ran after them in the vain hope I could outrun him. Thankfully the fugitive turned left in the yard and he and the girls ran into the Corral OK. Realising their mistake they spun on their heels and charged back again but the sight of me slamming the five bar gate called a temporary halt to their antics. 
The scene was set for a show down. Manno et Sheepo. Only one was going to leave this Corral standing. The four sheep advanced (an extra one had joined in sensing an easy victory) Spotty attempted to join me but was called back, this was my fight. Some times a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. I stepped forward to meet them halfway, clenching and unclenching my hands, getting blood to my fingers, I needed to be quick on the draw. Pedro stopped and sniffed the air, rolling a stick of straw from one side of his mouth to the other. He was ready. So was I. He moved, I was quicker. He spun round and hit the dirt. I had two handsful of struggling Ryeland and I wasn't going anywhere. Physics won the day, my bulk against his speed and rather unceremoniously he was carried across the yard and placed in the jail house with the others. Rock HQ aint big enough for the both of us, so hes going to the little house on the prairie that we have just rented. He will thank me one day, especially as he will have a harem of some 10 lovely Ryeland ewes to keep him company.
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