Episode 3 - Sheep Dreams

Just listen to those young sheep wingeing. It happens every year.
"Hooow muuuch lonnnger do we haaave to eat this stuuuble Muuum?"
"When can we eat something juicy?"
"This stubble keeps getting stuck between my teeth"
"I want to eat something that sloshes around in my mouth"
"Stuuubble's not that baaad dears" soothed Eunice Ewe, "and it's not aaall we eeeat. Don't forget about the fuuun we have when that wooonderful white creature on wheeeeeels drops grain onto the ground for us. You chase after it so faaast I caaan't keep up with yooou!"

This conversation between Eunice Ewe and the youngsters probably doesn't mean that much to you, so I'd better explain. We go through this every year. The youngsters on the farm start off in winter on a pasture eating juicy green grass, clover and other yummy soft green stuff when they come off their mother's milk. When the rain stops at the end of spring and the weather gets hotter the plants all dry out. The stubble doesn't look that appetizing to me but the sheep crunch it as though it's really delicious. After 6 months of little or no rain and nothing but dry food, it gets old, even for sheep. The youngsters can't believe that juicy green food will come back again once the rain comes - it's a miracle!

Eunice must be thinking about it now - she's got such a dreamy look on her face. "How are things Eunice?" "Mmmm, yuuum, yuuum" she murmured. "Oh hello Billie, I didn't noootice you there, toooooo busy dreaming." "Haaave you ever heard of Tagasaste, Billie?" she continued "It's greeeen, it's soooft, it's juicy and in suuummer too! How I'd looove to get my teeeeeeth into some. It would stop the youngsters moaning about dry food tooooo." Tagasaste! She must be talking about Terry Tagasaste and her friends - "Those big bushy legumes" was how Mrs Jones described them.

I ran up the hill to Terry's paddock. She and her friends stood in the neat rows that the Jones' had planted them in. "Hey there Billie, great to see you" Terry called out. "Do you know when the Jones are going to let the sheep in here? They must be ready for a good juicy green-leafed feed by now. It gives us all a haircut too." "I hope it's soon Terry" I replied "Eunice could do with a bit of peace and quiet. By the way, how do you manage to have lush green leaves at this time of year?" Terry winked at me. "Well Billie, I'm a deep-rooted perennial. But that's another story..."