Pigs might flu

So, you may ask, what have I been up to since I last blogged? Well, I certainly haven't been on any outings. My humans have been neglecting me.

But no matter, I can amuse myself. I spend lots of time admiring myself in the mirror in my new scarf.

My friends and I get up to all sorts while the humans are at work.

We can't help noticing that there is a lot of 'flu' content in the news in recent weeks.

A particular type of flu.

Not Lion flu

Not moose flu

Not turtle flu.








And certainly not Sheep Flu.

Nope. Everybody in the human world is talking about swine flu.


There aren't any toy pigs in this household and so far both of the human residents seem to be well, so we're not worried.

I'm not sure why anyone is worried really. According to an internet article I read last week: "In England, the number of people with swine flu symptoms who have consulted their GP is now equivalent to a bad bout of seasonal flu during the winter months - although Wales and Scotland have reported fewer cases." If humans can normally handle the flu without this level of media attention, why is swine flu different? And "The government says up to 12,000 people die every year from seasonal flu." Apparently, the expected level of deaths from swine flu is lower than this number, so why all the fuss?

Obviously, I'm not a heartless sheep and I don't want humans to get ill and die (who'd take me on outings if I didn't have humans to entertain me?) but I do wonder why they get more excited about some things than others.

One of my humans is getting excited about the prospect of acquiring a new shed. Is this any way for her to be spending her holidays? Get a life woman, and take me out somewhere!

Baa!

Fan Mail

Now that I have become a cult figure on Facebook, I have begun to receive fan mail.


Yes, really - I parcel arrived just yesterday, addressed to me.



Sir Bruin held it up for me to look at.

Yep, that's definitely for me.

I took it out into the garden to open it.

Hooves aren't ideal for opening parcels, especially when the parcel is bigger than the sheep.

The contents were a scarf and a card!

I think I look rather fetching.

The card, and indeed the whole parcel, is from Washington DC.

A hand knitted scarf from my friend Pam in America. Thank you Pam!

I took my present back in doors and showed it off to my friends. I think Ptolemy the Turtle looks a bit jealous.

The colours are very me, don't you think? I may start a new trend for scarves.

Baaaa!

I am a cult!

It seems I have progressed from the world of blogging into Facebook.


Yes, really. There is a group called Friends of Errol the Sheep and it currently has 17 members.

[what?! There are 15 others as daft as Sir Bruin de Largesse and Lady De Minutive? Ed]




No friends of Moosey or Rory or Ptolemy you'll notice. Just my good self.



I am a legend!

Errol The Steam!

Last weekend, Sir Bruin de Largesse and Lady De Minutive took me to Linky Land to visit Granny Weatherwax and Mike The Steam.

I was allowed to play with the trains.

To start with, I just rode around in one of the waggons.

Later on, I was allowed to drive the engine!





This particular engine isn't finished yet. When a posh engine came out, I found myself demoted to guard.

Here I am speeding around the track at the back of an engine with real steam coming out of it!

Then another different engine came out and Mike The Steam coupled up some carriages and I went for a ride in one of those. You will note that I didn't get to ride in luxury like the other passengers, but had to hang onto the balcony instead.

Lady De Minutive assures me that this is more luxurious than the Eurostar.

Baa!

A Sheep takes a Shufti at Shropshire

As I was saying, I actually got taken on a short holiday by Sir Bruin de Largesse and Lady De Minutive last week. We were mostly in Shropshire. On Friday morning we went to Ludlow Castle.

sharp shooting sheep.

inside Mortimer's tower

outside Mortimer's tower

view from the top of the keep

I then spent some time riding around in her ladyship’s pocket while we continued to explore the rather pleasant town of Ludlow. Later, my humans decided to get back in the car and explore some more of Shropshire. So I programmed the sat-nav and off we went.

Our next port of call was Ironbridge Gorge. Here I am near that historic bridge (a wedding party were taking photos nearby and the bride appears to be trying to get into my shot).

I got taken into a cafe at Ironbridge.

And then it rained and I had to get back into her ladyship's pocket so that I didn't get my wool wet. On the way back to our B&B, we detoured into Worcestershire. Here I am trying not to fall into the River Severn at Bewdley.

On Saturday I got left in the car all day while my humans went to a party. And then on Sunday we came home again.

Baa!

Errol on Holiday - part 1

You may recall that Sir Bruin de Largesse and Lady De Minutive forgot to take me with them when they went to Paris. I was rather upset about this but cheered up considerably on Thursday morning when I found myself sitting on the dash board of Sir Bruin's car.


We set off in a westerly direction. There was a stop for lunch (during which I was left in the car) but the next stop after that was at Stratford-Upon-Avon and this time I was allowed out of the car. Here I am outside the birthplace of William Shakespeare:


"To sleep sheep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub".

After riding around in Sir Bruin's pocket and seeing some of the sights, we got back into the car and drove into Shropshire. We then spent two nights in a B&B just outside Ludlow. We had a very nice room where there was a small teddy bear in residence:



He looks rather theatrical in that hat, don't you think? Maybe he belongs to the Royal Shakesbear Company.

We spent two nights here and very nice it was too. The B&B was a converted barn with lots of old, exposed beams.

Our room had it's own staircase:

It was all very charming.

I am in this photograph, although I have blended into the wall rather well.

On Friday, I got taken out and photographed all over Shropshire (and once in Worcestershire too). I'll blog about that another day.

Sheep Memes Are Made of This

I notice that human bloggers seem quite keen on these meme thingies, so I thought I’d have a go at one myself.

What is the first car you drove (legally)?

Well, legally, sheep can’t drive. But, as I noted in a previous post, Hamsters seem to manage it.

How many colours has your hair been?

I’ve got wool, not hair, and it’s a nice creamy colour.

Have you ever been fired?

I think you’d have to be a pretty bad sheep (or indeed toy) to get the sack. Anyway, I’m not actually in paid employment.

What do you sing in the shower?

Sheep are not known for showering, but if I ever get a trip to a sheep dip, I might indulge in a bar or two of “It had to be ewe”.

If you could be any celebrity, who would you be?

Shaun The Sheep, obviously. I admire him because he has his own TV show and he has worked with that Oscar winning acting genius, Gromit.

Who was your favourite teacher and why?

I’m a sheep. I didn’t go to school.

If you have a nickname, what is it? If not, what would you like it to be?

No, I don’t.

What would the title of the movie about your life be?

Is “A Sheep’s Tail” too obvious?

Who was your first crush?

You remember that party I had? Well, there was a blonde doll there who looked sort of nice. I don’t know her name though.

However, I noticed her eyeing up Rory the Lion at one point.



The next time I saw her, she was snogging a guinea pig



I went off her a bit after that [I’m sure that guinea pig used to be female – Ed.] So as crushes go, this one was short lived.

Do you believe in Karma?

Isn’t that a curry?

What is your very earliest memory?

Sitting on a shelf in the gift shop at Helmsley Castle

Is there any animal/creature that creeps you out?

I’m not keen on wombats. The one that lives in Lady de Minutive’s dining room is a scary bugger.

Which is the place you’ve never been that you’d most like to visit?

I had hoped to be taken to Paris but Sir Bruin and Lady Diminutive went without me. Anywhere would be nice.