From the Horse’s Mouth 5 S PR I NG I S SUE | APR I L 2 0 2 5 Golden days of steam The golden days of steam The Flying Scotsman The Orient Express legends in their day The whistle of a train across the airwaves across the lonely moor our own little branch line Somerset and Dorset “The Slow and Dirty”: nicknamed by the locals but loved by all TRACEY LOCKYER The famous five What a story to tell!! On Thursday 6th March, when I got home from work after checking my ewes via the cameras all day, I discovered a ewe had given birth to a lamb: nothing unusual there, but she had a water bag indicating another, so I left her and continued my rounds. I got back about 45mins later and was amazed to find 5 lambs. I thought, they can't all be yours! I looked around to see if any other ewes else had lambed ...no! Usually with multiple births the lambs are entwined and mum needs help. But not this one! Excited and amazed I gathered the lambs and put them in their pen with mum. I had to tell someone, so I phoned Alan. I don't think he believed me. I took some photos and posted on FB. Lots of people asked if quintuplets were common so my sister googled it and "one in a million chance" came up. She contacted ITV (without telling me) and within two hours they arrived to film the miracle. They posted a clip on their FB page and it aired on Monday 10 March throughout the day on their news bulletin. After the evening news a photographer contacted me to arrange to come and do some photos for the national newspapers. Pictures appeared in the Bridgwater Mercury, the Western Daily Press, the Mirror, the Independent and the Guardian. Mum and babies are doing so well. The boys stayed with mum; the girls are now bottle fed lambs. They are called after the Famous Five: Julian, Dick, Timmy, George and Anne. Of course they will now stay on the farm and will be making guest appearances at Dovecote Farm on open days. In nearly fifty years of sheep on our family farm we have never had 5 lambs from one ewe before. See one report on the quins at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_PpwS28kyg © Mark Passmore; reprinted by permission Dora’s Poetry Corner DORA WATKINS our passport to outside London in a day two miles from the village gentry had said no can’t build it on our land outside it must go axed by Dr Beeching In 1964 Shapwick Station Courtesy SouthWestern Circle; reprinted with thanks
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