Gracie Moos come home for the winter

Although the Sussex cattle are a very hardy breed, anxious father David likes to have his girls all tucked up in the cattle yard at the farm before the bad weather really sets in.  Especially when there are very little people around as well.  So, tractor and trailer went off up the road this morning and returned with three of the very large and round Gracie Moos.

Back off up the road to collect the remaining two with their babies and then everyone was home for the winter!

While we were moving the cattle around, I shut the back door to the goat barn.  Obviously, some of the more nosey goats then wondered what was going on.  Here's Polly and Pixie trying to see through the gap in the gate:

But the older ones have seen it all before and showed no interest at all in what was going on ... Here's our oldest girl Tammy just taking it all in her stride:

Tinky and Winky really couldn't be bothered with anything at all:

 

And Dolores just found the whole thing very boring indeed:

 

Our little black escaping man (who has come to be known as 'Nobby' for no apparent reason) seems to have acquired a couple more friends to play with:

The other black kid is actually his brother. 

These two little men have very characteristic faces with a slightly wonky nose.  In the goat shed this is known affectionately as 'a little Beamish face' as our lovely chap Beamish seems to throw kids with very cute little faces.  You can see the family resemblance.  Here's Beamish's mum Cilene:

The big man himself - Beamish:

 

And our little man - see his slightly upturned nose:

 

 

It was always an old saying that if a man wanted to see what his wife would look like as she got older, she should look at her mother.  The same is true of goats as well!  As the girls get to around 3 years of age, they really do start to look like their mums.

 

Our beautiful Gilly:

 

 

And one of her equally lovely daughters, Evie:

 

 

Big fat Footsie goat:

 

And one of her daughters - Rosie:

 

Dear old Betty:

 

 

Oldest daughter Perdita:

 

Younger daughters Campanula and Piella:

 

Same grumpy looking faces!!  And they all stamp their feet in the milking parlour.  As I have said before - naughtiness is genetic.

 

Right then ... I'm off out into the wind to get everyone fed and milked and tucked up snuggly for the night. Though some, like Thelma, were already quite settled earlier this afternoon!