Curly sheep

These gorgeous looking sheep, with curly fleeces and curly horns, black faces and striped legs, are Valais Blacknose. They are quite large sheep and look wonderfully cuddly. They live in a paddock on the edge of the village which is bordered by a footpath leading to the top of the hill, so I've tried to photograph them a few times, but today they posed nicely with afternoon sun on their textures, away from the clutter that often seems to mar the photos. I've lost the detail of their faces, but t,I love their crinkly wool.

Clouds moved across the sun, creating large moving patches of shadow. I had tried to persuade J to join me for a walk along the road to see the lambs, but she thought it was too windy and wanted to stay in her cosy room with her computer, digital art project and film festival animation screening. She was probably right: it was bright but the wind was very cold. I headed towards the village and turned up the hill, first on a lane and then the footpath past the sheep. On top of the hill, the meadow was very muddy in places, especially around the gates and stiles, and I unexpectedly sank into a muddy hole as I gazed at the late afternoon sunlight on an old oak tree.  As I walked down the steep lane, I saw wood anemones in bloom in the wood and the first bluebells in bud. Across the valley, the top of the downs was beautifully illuminated by low, late afternoon sun. It's so lovely to have this extra hour of daylight.