The Big Picture

My first picture shows a nest built by birds from the cashmere wool shed by my goats in the spring. "The best nests in Nesscliffe!" as I said on the Big Picture website.

Browsers dancing for dinner

If you go to the Browsers Dancing for Dinner photo, you will see some of the goats who provided the cashmere.

Flymo, the big goat in the middle had twins, one black and one white (also in the
picture), who are called Black and Decca. Their late grandfather, who was my famous cashmere goat, Torquil, is now in my front room - stuffed. I have written many stories about him and his adventures.

Children in Wales and England have read and enjoyed his stories. I have had HTV, cashmere goats and lambs in the classroom too! .

I used to farm sheep and cashmere goats, but back in 2001 I decided to retire my livestock. They had kept me for some fifteen years and it was time for me to go out to work (supply teaching) to keep them in their retirement. I still have 13 goats and 14 sheep (one of whom thinks she is a goat! (yet another story)). All the sheep and goats
are now aged between 10 and 20 years old and I do have one rescue sheep and one rescue goat as well.

When I retired the goats I thought that when the cashmere was shed in early springtime, I would have to gather it up off the fences and land, It was when I found an abandoned nest later in the year that I realised where it had all gone. It was the wildlife of Nesscliffe Heritage Site, who had beaten me to it! Now they all have five star
accommodation.