Over the past few weeks I’ve been enthralled by the sight of sheep feasting on fields of turnips.
Forget fox in socks and cats in hats, Dr Seuss missed a trick with these fellas.
Who eats whose neeps?
Sheep eats Sue’s neeps.
Who sees who eats whose new neeps, sir?
You see sheep eat Sue’s new neeps, sir.
Well, yes, that utterly stinks doesn’t it.
But anyway, on one particular farm I saw on the Black Isle, they’ve grown a big field of neeps and fenced it into sections. Then they let the sheep run riot in one bit at a time. I dunno why I find it so hilarious and wonderful to watch them plopped down on top of the neeps, munching row by row like big fluffy Pac Men. If Pac Men be the plural of Pac Man.
I like the guys sitting to the left of the patch. Looks like they needed a time-out, and maybe a massage before they head back in. Raw turnips are hard. They must take it out of you.
These sheep are such a stark contrast to the sheep of my childhood, who had to wander dry and dusty paddocks with barely a salt block to entertain them.
I like the couple of sheep who are looking at the camera, trying to decide if you might be as tasty as those neeps.
They do have that look!
Why is this so enchanting?? I want to see more sheep!! All we have here are cows….also I think your rhyme was lovely!!
Aww cheers Kimmi! 🙂
My mam was born and bred on the Black Isle and I myself was brought up in Inverness-shire so neeps are weel kent to me! In fact, I drove through the Black Isle on the way to Tain the other day and also saw all the sheep chomping on neeps. Loads and loads of them!
Neeps are what made highlanders hardy, though. Not just eating them, but carving the blasted things into at Hallowe’en. Seeing as we didn’t have pumpkins in those days. Seriously. Have you ever tried to carve a neep?? It’s a b**ch of a job!
Oh man Croila, I dunno how you carved those f*ckers. With an axe!?
Those are some huge sheep. Maybe the turnips make their coats fluffy?
The sheep and lambs I see at our county fairs are supermodel sheep, very thin and leggy and skittish. Your sheep look more like stout party animals.
Totally built for enduring Highland winters 🙂
Love this photo! I went to Scotland for the first time last October and fell in LOVE with the country! Can’t stop reading literature that takes place there. Thank you for this post!
thank you for reading Pauline! It’s a great place eh? 🙂
I hope they have good teeth. Neeps are indeed a lot harder than grass.
go go go SeUsSiAn ShAuNa!!
To think I was worried you’d find nothing to do up North… obviously it’s a never-ending fiesta!
My family all thinks you should go back with camera and take another pic. Because this is truly awesome. Love the looks on some of their faces.
I went back, just for you! 🙂
Our sheep would be so jealous! Their idea of a good time is a bucket of spoiled figs, shared between the 10 of them.
Spoiled figs! Aww I bet they love em 🙂