Today was a fig day with my starting to prune the big black fig trees as they are currently dormant. Having cut back some lower branches (higher ones will have to wait for my pole chainsaw) on one of them, I took the opportunity to take some hardwood cuttings and planned these on one of the small terraces above what I call the 'flat vineyard'.
Whilst doing this, I heard sheep bells and caught sight of a guard dog. 'Aha' I thought, 'tis the shepherd I saw on Sunday who hasn't yet delivered his promised payment. Having completed my burying of the fig cuttings, I walked up the hill towards the ruin only to find a ewe stood there with a newly-born lamb. Reckon I only missed the birth by a few minutes.
The owner of the ewe then appeared accompanied by a small flock of sheep. It was not the man from Nieles but my neighbour Antonio ('Toni') who was the one who has sold me the Tempranillo grapes back in October. He'd come down to feed HIS sheep on MY almond field (without so much as a 'by your leave' and proceeded to complain about the fact that there wasn't much grass. When I explained that there had been a previous visitor he said that it wasn't right that Sunday's shepherd had just turned up without asking permission! To maintain neighbourly relations I bit my lip.
The new arrival, meanwhile, had managed to get to its feet and was being encouraged by Mum to feed. With a brisk cold wind blowing and a long walk ahead of it back to Toni's place, I wished it well and headed back to the house as it was well past wood-chopping time and, having endured some cold nights of late, I did not fancy being fire-less tonight.
Meanwhile
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