Handsome is as handsome does

In other words, he's alright if he does the job. LOL . How's this for a face and profile only a mother could love? I thought the Border Leicester roman nose on the ram we borrowed was very exaggerated but am getting used to it now. Maybe they get that way through butting? I watched him size up a lamb standing where he wanted to be at the feed trough, back off about 6 steps, then butt it so hard it did a a somersault over the feeder. A few minutes later he butted one into the rails of the yard. I think he's shown his dominance now and is concentrating on the girls, and those ewes must be blind, I'm sure I heard them all say "Hello beautiful" when they walked up to say g'day to him. Oh, and the lambs he butted are not the twins in this photo below, they're only 3 weeks old or so. No, it was 5 months old lambs.
I think he'll look nicer once he grows some fleece back.

Cute lambs and a very aristocratic ram! He does look naked though!

Bare as, wasn't he, Pamela? You can see how they can shear so close though, not a wrinkle on him, not like a merino.

As long as he does the job, that's all that matters

What lovely looking Betty ..The old boy looks ok to me too..
I do hope you get some rain soon

You can see how dry it is in the paddock, MA, but here is another picture I hate seeing. Our dam was always channel filled but the photo taken in 2007, when I had just filled it, is the last time it will be filled, unless there are major floods. The other photo was taken today. That's how much water I have for stock, garden and toilets here until the pipeline arrives , so we are getting set up in case we have to cart water out from town. Any water we get a permit to cart must not be put in the dam, but into tanks instead and is not to be used for the garden, so yes, we really need rain here.

Oh dear Betty. I feel so bad having all this green grass here and all the dams are full (except I do not have a dam except one that leaks and is empty because of that) - if only I could send some water to you.

Everyone tells me how dry Victoria is ... why has this happened to teh Garden State?

I guess it's just our turn, Pamela. Queensland and NSW have had some pretty drastic droughts in the past. I read an article where they blamed the terrible conditions that led to the Black Saturday fires down here on the fact that the cyclones were effecting the north east, rather than the north west of the country. It channels the hot winds from the interior down into Victoria. However, with global warming it may be that parts of Victoria will never get back to how they were before too. Our local nurseryman is optomistic, starting off a lot of new plants because he thinks with Lake Eyre full we could end up with a wet winter seeing it provides moisture to our very dry atmosphere, but time will tell. The only big difference I see so far this year is that our Autumn is starting off calm, with no strong winds(so far) and that much is how it used to be before this long, long drought started.

It is heartbreaking to see a dam like that. Ours was similar a few years ago - when the dogs went in it barely wet their bellies, normally about 2m deep... but one big rain event filled it overnight and it has stayed full since. The rain will come... hopefully sooner rather than later.

Here is some info on the weather that led to the fires - other side of the country to Qld
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/05/2482240.htm

I really hope you get rain soon Betty

Well, we don't get big rain events down here, so it's all very depressing, especially that article, Gail.

Wishing you the same, Cheryl, lots and lots of rain.