BY AYESHA JOY CLIFFORD ©
THROUGH the years I've had an assortment of companion creatures.
Birds, lizards, echidnas, native rats, goats, bandicoots, horses, cats, wallabies - a lively squirrel glider that seemed near death at bedtime and woke me during with night with ear-piercing screams whilst rattling the window screens.
Such memorable moments.
I've always wanted a sheep though. Perhaps the Aries in me thought we'd communicate on a different level.
Some lovely neighbors up the road a bit have a wonderful little mob of sheep and we were fortunate to adopt an orphan lamb several months ago.
Bartholomew was so little, it was winter and he was so cute in his hand-knitted warmie devouring the geraniums.
He's now a fine wether and one of the gentlest animals I've known.
Bartie has become our guard sheep and alerts me to happenings about the farm and does the occasional spot of mowing and fertilising of the lawn. Mostly he likes to hang out with the big-boy farm cats and have water play with the hose in the backyard in the afternoons.
Recently, he graduated to the outside world with a grand new enclosure just for him. He's still pretty keen on the back veranda though and will take any opportunity to sneak
back to the outside laundry and his original home - the outside shower - plonking down with a huge sigh of relief on the tiled concrete.
Now he's getting to be full size it's hard to argue and move him.
He's a bit like me though - very susceptible to food treats, so bribery works. And he loves a game of sheep chasie in the shade of the fig tree in the cool of the afternoon. He even sulks a little when he doesn't win.
And he's a creature of comfort. He loves to curl up for a daytime nap with his favorite sausage pillow tucked neatly under his head and one leg out. Ah the similarities...
Happy six months little Bartie!
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