Dutch Sheep in Ottoland: Part 2

When I told you (last post) that our two Saturdays a week apart at the Ottoland, NL, sheepfold were as different from night and day, I meant it. This time, we were two of only a handful of visitors.  Everyone had come the weekend before.

So in that regard, we looked at everything with new eyes.  And this time it even occurred to me to take videos with my camera!

Before going into the sheepfold, I snuck around back to look in through the open door.

There was good light and the week-old lambs were eating off the hay bales.

And Astrid was already there, capitalizing on the photo op.
(and, yes, that's the famous Dutch wind I love!)

There were lambs cuddling....

...and lambs nuzzling their mamas...

 ...and lambs wandering around while everyone else was eating.+

Even lambs jumping around for joy...just to be alive.
Hello, World.  Here I am!

A different Billy Goat Gruff from the previous week was on top of a bale, King of the Mountain.

What a handsome dude!

But THIS is what totally captivated me!
Every time I looked for 30+ minutes, they stood munching and staring at each other,
while little lambsy-divey watched from below.
Was it spring love???

No amount of distraction distracted them!

We really did have the place to ourselves.
Sheep heaven.

Towards the end, the shepherd came in and talked with Astrid.
Do you remember him from here, when he brought his flock to Gorinchem in September of 2011?
All that time we kept saying we'd go out to his sheepfold, which we finally did.

As we left for our car, guess who followed us!
It's not all work and no play for these smart, adorable sheepdogs...or for Astrid, either!

Next door to the sheepfold, other sheep were out in the fields, doing what all sheep do.
Come April, all the lambsy-diveys will be out there with them.
This is what spring is all about for sheep in the Netherlands!

And did I mention that the Dutch do NOT mainly grow their sheep for lambchops?  Or I should put it this way...sheep slaughtered for meat is exported, which explains why I rarely find it on menus when we go out to eat! They grow their sheep for WOOL, which is in bountiful supply here in Dutchland.  I can live with that.

 Sister Ruth's new grandbaby gitl, Olive Rose, was born this past Monday.
As a sweet tribute to her and to all lambsy-diveys everywhere, especially those who need holding,

here's my own Ollie lamb:  I love you!

Heaven on Earth

As we speak, Astrid and I are in England with fellow Shutterchancers, celebrating our 4th anniversary of meeting...on Shutterchance, of course. For you in America, happy holiday weekend! More on all of that next week.

In the meantime...a week ago this past Thursday, I walked over to a dijk near one of our shopping malls outside our citadel. I hardly ever walk in that area but Astrid told me "the shepherd" was going to be there with his sheep for at least a week to...guess what..."mow" the grass on both sides of the grassy dijk.

This was the second year he came to do his eco-friendly, green thing. It was such a hit last year because, for one thing, it was quiet. The shops were on one side of the dijk but homes were on the other. And besides, it was quite a spectacle for any and all who wanted to see the farm up close and personal.

Lucky for me, I made it on a sunny day which, unbenownst to me, was his last day for this year. After these images below, that's all she wrote.

Coming from home, I approached the dijk from the opposite end of the sheep and loved seeing them come more and more into view. This particular dijk, btw, is for pedestrians and cyclists only.




I could have dropped dead right then and there. I was in heaven.


But...there were 3 sheepdogs who also kept me entertained!
I wouldn't have missed them for anything. The way they chased after the sheep whenever they started getting too close to the street or walkway was a riot. Talk about doing what they were made for.
The thing was, they looked like they were in heaven!


At one point I walked down the dijk to get the whole thing from a different point of view.

Talk about doing what he was made for!


I wasn't the only one who stopped by to talk to him.


But watching this mother and child took the cake.
She, too, was in heaven. I knew exactly how/what she was feeling.


When the sheep got to the end of the dijk, from where I had entered, they were ready to cross over to the other side. But first, the shepherd moved in amongst them and started looking for one in particular. He told me there was a "bad" sheep that always went out into the car traffic on the other side and had to be tied up.
This was when his crook came in handy.
And this was when I remembered (from past sermons) how the shepherd knows his sheep!


Baaaa-d, Baaa-d, Baaa-d sheep!


All the others got to cross over to the other side.
It's always greener there, of course.


It really was greener....


...and this time they were in heaven.


It was the perfect time to wave Good-Bye and go home to eat my own lunch.
They really made me hungry!

Talk about soulful! My hand instinctively covered my heart every time I walked past the shepherd, letting him know how it all affected mijn hart en ziel (my heart and soul). I'll never forget it. It really was heaven on earth.