The cats always sit by the back door in the morning, meowing and nagging us to come out and feed them.  Today I only found Mabel calling and when I went to the barn for the ritual of a Vermex cat biscuit ( a herbal daily worming treat which both cats love) I found Mack lying sleepily on the hay.  I fed him his biscuit , which he usually grabs from my fingers and sometimes nips them in the process.  Not today.  He did come down when I opened their food but didn’t eat.  After my morning. “Animal round” I found him back on the hay with Mabel licking him to make him feel better.

The sheep and the cows are now receiving a bale of hay between them each day to supplement the dwindling grass in the field.  Food brings shy sheep close up to us and even the lambs are learning that humans are their friends.  Tufty, the ram, comes so close that I can stroke the top of his head whilst I keep out of the way of his lethal horns.