Country mouse - Tessa Reading

Spring may be picturesque, but life and death go hand in hand in the countryside, finds country mouse Tessa

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Country mouse - Tessa Reading

Spring has sprung, but there are less picturesque aspects to the season than those that are viewed fleetingly through a car window. This weekend, we wormed and dagged (the ovine equivalent of a Brazilian) our sheep, and those that hadn't produced lambs were spray-painted with a big, blue B for barren sheep.

Gangs of skittering lambs are not immune to human intervention either. From an early age, each one has an elastic band fitted to its tail so that it will fall off and cut the risk of infection from fly strike. Having applied the band, I like to give each one a quick cuddle before they skip away, tails wiggling frantically. I doubt it's much consolation for the lamb, the rubber band looks pretty uncomfortable.

As we worked, blossom and daffodils bloomed confidently in the spring sunshine, but they were no match for the fruity wafts emanating from the kennels' flesh house. Birth and death are always close at hand in the country. When the day's work was complete, last year's lambs made a different kind of debut when they appeared on the table in the form of a particularly delicious Moroccan style stew.

Country Life
Country Life

Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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