Twice a year we have the stunning sight of hundreds of sheep grazing in the water meadow.
The farmers, owner of the meadows, are not as happy as the triplets: sheep squish their ground.
I read that the Celts celebrated on the first of February "Imbole": that means "in the belly (abdomen)" and might be related to the lambing of sheep.
As February mornings are still very cold it is fascinating to watch them: the sheep look as if they are literally frozen to the ground - not one is moving! For hours - no movement, not even a curl! From my window I cannot see their eyes :-)
So I have to wait till around 10:30 a.m. - then the dog stirs them up and they hesitatingly chew a few iced blades of grass.
The shepherd is a big disappointment - nothing romantic about him. He stuffed himself into an old car, he can hardly move because of his corpulence (to put it politely) and out of the open car window hangs a dog leash for the one who does the work for him.
Woof!
That shepherd is just plain lazy! St Brigid's Day is February 1. Imbolc is also considered to be the first day of spring. Lambs, calves, and other animals are giving birth. The world is renewing itself. Trees begin to bud. Grass and some hardy flowers begin to show themselves. It is time to begin spring cleaning.
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