"We had a good show at Penrith where we got reserve champion. Since then, we have showed at Cartmel, where we got champion, and reserve champion in the Rough Fell Sheep Breed.

Then last Saturday we went to Ravenstonedale show, and here we got Champion Rough Fell Sheep.

Unfortunately the weather has got a lot worse and several shows that we would have shown at have been cancelled. This doesn’t mean time off, it means we can do other jobs on the farm instead.

The sheep are dipped, this is like a bath for the sheep - without rubber ducks - they thrive after a nice soak.

Although it looks like they are being dunked under the water, it is for their well being and the sheep benefit from the solution we put in the water, keeping away sheep scab, external parasites and blowfly.

Blowfly lay their eggs on the skin and the scab mite gets all over [which is why they have to be dunked to get the dip in the ears]. The eggs hatch into maggots, known as wicks, which are alright for fishing but very unpleasant for the sheep, as they eat at the sheep flesh and leave raw wounds which get infected, and eventually if not treated will kill the sheep.

After the dip, the sheep are then turned out to the fell for the summer. Ha! What summer?

At the moment all the farmers in Cumbria are waiting to hear when we have to inject the sheep and cows against Bluetongue disease.

This will mean that we will have to get all the sheep in again, all the cows in and all the lambs and give them yet another injection - two injections for the cows.

This is all extra expense and time, which we have little of, not to mention the extra stress for the animals, but hey ho, it’s off to work we go - again!

See you next time, Jayne."