Clouds were tipped with summer's blossom-pink, edged white, soft as perfumed petals whimpering across the early morning sky. Further over the hills, darker blue & grey clouds hovered, hesitating for some time while Emily gazed out of the window spotting a complete & colour-filled rainbow that seemed to linger, glinting hauntingly as if with a special purpose.
Her mind was wandering whilst studying a book of Monet's pinks & greens on the lake, at his home in Givenchy, France.
Ah, sighed Emily pondering on one of his paintings in particular.
Her thoughts far away as she enjoyed the style of Monet's shades of green, lovely as a lilypond, trees & sky blessed with light & careful daubs of paint applied in just the right places, giving it a certain ambience, a summer to wallow in. She continued on - those water lilies look as though they could tell me about the artist's life, she mused.
Slowly turning pages dallying, Emily considered the founder of French impressionist painting pausing further, the pages of the book informing of Monet's consistency & prolific dedication to what he saw, haystacks, poplars, English Parliament. Admiring the different colour applications in some of the paintings, she wondered if this was an indication of the artist's troubled life. She realized that Monet had actually gone blind, his work becoming blurry, variations in colour & tones suggesting the traumas ahead as he had trouble recognizing certain ones.
What a thing to happen to a gifted artist! she contemplated for several moments. How could feat deal such a cruel blow to which Monet was subjected. Emily was shaking her head slightly, an incredulous occurrence, feeling sad & drinking the last of her coffee.
The rainbow was dimming into the distant hills, ghostlike, fading slowly, being replaced with a heavy-looking shower of rain, slanting into small valleys, reminding Emily of the colours in Monet's art.
Slowly she closed the book, determined to visit the local library to seek out more information on the works of the French impressionist artist.
The rain shower disappeared altogether almost as quickly as it had arrived.
Oh well, thought Emily, I'd best get a few things done. The garden was always demanding, needing constant attention at this time of early summer. But at the moment, a knock on the door sounding a little urgent.
Emily opened it finding her long time friend Ben looking slightly ruffled in his work clothes, face grim & anxious.
'Morning Em! The milking has finished, but a few sheep have escaped from Four Acres. I wonder if you wouldn't mind lending a hand to usher them back again. Andy is holding the fort & we could call in on Lizzie on the way down to add an extra pair of arms. Hope she is available. Andy was turning the cows out into the field next door to Four Acres - that's how we noticed the wretched sheep wandering about.'
Lizzie was a good friend of both Emily & Ben, the threesome having known each other for many years & lived in a sort of triangle to each other.
'Of course Ben, the weeds can wait for the moment. I'll just slip my wellies on. Might need them after the rain showers. If you leave now, I'll follow you back to the farm & call in quickly to see if Lizzie can help. Think we may need her by the sound of it!'
'Thanks Emily, thought I could count on you. I'd best get going then. See you down there.'
'That's fine Ben, be right with you.'
Emily headed for her wellington boots before making a quick exit through the front door, locking it behind her then walked down to her car.
Blasted sheep can be so troublesome she half muttered starting the car engine. Hope they haven't strayed too far. Stupid animals, they can be as daft as a headless chicken at times & once they get a sense of freedom, could even try to hop back through a fence to return to the flock, or wander some distance. They could be herded away too, by unsuspecting passing traffic. Oh dear, hope we can manage to retrieve them she wondered, pulling into the driveway of Lizzie's place.
As luck would have it, Lizzie was bending low close to the driveway entrance, noticing Emily's car & straightened up as Emily stopped & called from the car window.
'Hello Lizzie, any chance of you being free for a while to help Ben herd a few sheep back to their field? I'm on my way now & hoped you might be available. Think he could do with an extra pair of hands shepherding them back. You know what sheep are like!'
'Of course Emily, I'd be glad to. Give me a moment to grab some boots & I'll join you.'
'That's great, thanks Lizzie, I'll wait in the car & drive us both down to Ben's place. Think I know where they might be, these wandering sheep. Ben wasn't exactly specific, but I passed their field recently & know from where they may have escaped.'
Lizzie joined Emily & together they made the short distance to where Ben was trying in vein to gather up the sheep. Upon spotting them, he signaled as to where he needed them to stand, half muttering a greeting to Lizzie with a resigned nod in reference to the sheep.
'If you wait by the gate Emily & cover that area next to it, Lizzie & I can herd them in that direction hopefully. Don't open the gate until we round them up & I give the signal. They are not too far away & thank goodness they all appear to be together. Lizzie & I must try to drive them that way, as once they get spooked may shoot off in all directions. Then we will be done for!'
'Right Ben' Emily called as the others set off toward the sheep. Emily turned & was standing on the gate before turning, looking in the direction the others had gone. She often found herself standing on a gate, it seemed a good vantage point for one thing.
'They are up on that bank Lizzie.' Ben now directing the proceedings to her & considered, 'if we can get behind them somehow & run them along the top just there' he pointed- 'we might be able to keep them quietly together. The hedge will help.'
'Okay Ben, I'm with you' replied Lizzie. 'I'll go in behind them just there,' she said gesticulating.
Together they had found hazel sticks in the hedge & with arms outstretched, cajoled the sheep along the top of the bank, moving them slowly toward the edge of the field, closer to where Emily was standing on the gate, waiting to open it at just the right moment.
She often climbed the large iron gate close to where Ben would be milking & peer over the cows waiting to be milked. She would sometimes call out to him if he was in the vague vicinity of the milk tank shed & he may answer between cleaning udders & ushering his 'ladies' in & out of the milking bays. Their large bodies bumping from side to side as they were turned out to wait for their next manoeuvre.
Emily was not very interested in opening the gates if she could avoid it, some being rather heavy, having to be lifted & opened at the same time. Some were very old, rusted & decaying, dropping on their hinges, the crossbars falling away, then devilishly difficult to creak open, especially if tied up as well.
Just at that moment, Andy strolled up, free now from tending the cows, along with Ben's third dog Rufus, a dab hand with sheep, being bred for the job.
'Looks like you found them then!' Andy commented as he joined the two with Rufus, tail wagging with enthusiasm, looking more than eager.
'Yeah!' replied Ben, still concentrating on one sheep in particular, looking as though it might make a break for it at any moment.
'Rufus!' he suddenly shouted. 'Come here boy - you silly dog! What the devil do you think you're doing?'
He occasionally wanted to address Rufus as Ruthless, when the sheep dog became too overindulgent in his task to control the sheep & appeared to nip away at the sheep's lower legs.
'Come here!' he repeated. 'Now - and keep at them' he whistled. 'That's it, good boy!'
The sheep appeared to stay together, still on track for the open gate that Emily was carefully guarding. Ben's eyes were fixed on a possible break from any of the sheep.
Emily was now much closer & could almost be of help, hopping off the gate with arms outstretched ready to close the gate after the last one had entered.
'Blast that dog!' she heard Ben cursing & trying not to explode as he tried desperately with the constant help of Lizzie & Andy at each side, keeping everything under constant surveillance & control.
'Rufus! That way, not back up the bank!' he called as the sheep were almost on a direct line now for the gate. More expletives escaping from the direction of Ben as he tried to control both dog & sheep.
'There, that's better!' he whistled again to Rufus, the dog constantly with head down, running one way, then another around the outside of the flock.
'Right then... Oh no!' he went on. 'Bugger the stupid animal!' he spluttered, as the sheep showing all the signs of a breakaway, did so in a sudden dash in the wrong direction, Rufus wagging his tail, looking more eager, circled quickly .
'After him Rufus, quickly now!' whistling & commanding at the same time, as Rufus sped after the stray sheep, rounding on it turning it back. 'Well done boy - that's better - you've got it, that's the way!' Ben sounding a lot more positive.
He relaxed a little as he wanted to help Rufus, but the experienced sheep dog knew his duties & was as quick as the wind, fetching & lifting the sheep, getting it under control to join the others.
Back he came with the sheep at a good pace, keeping it going straight. Ben smiling a little as he thought of the TV programme, One man & his dog. Rufus may well be a candidate for that, but he tended to be overenthusiastic, so Ben put THAT idea out of his mind. At least his dog was achieving what he was meant to - most of the time.
Without further mishaps, Rufus had the stray sheep back in the fold & the three of them continued with their careful herding, all breathing a sigh of relief for the moment.
Emily was close now, only a short distance to go as Lizzie was one side of the proceedings doing a great job keeping her side of things under control, Ben & Andy close by.
She glanced briefly over at Ben who was still concentrating the sheep toward the gateway.
'Right now, all seems to be going to plan. Get ready!' he motioned to Emily, waving his hazel stick up & down carefully.
'Say when will you Ben & I'll open the gate!'
'Nearly there Em!' Ben called gently so as not to scare the sheep at the last moment. 'Are you ready you two?' he addressed Lizzie & Andy.
'Yep!' replied Andy nodding slowly.
'Me too!' Lizzie called softly.
'Okay, get ready, nearly there. Right...., NOW!' nodding to Emily with assertion.
Emily opened the gate with smooth efficiency, stick & arm outstretched, while the others slowly & carefully directed the sheep through the gateway.
Heaving a sigh of relief, she let out a deep sigh. 'Got it!'
Ben also heaved a sigh of relief, smiling all round. Everyone had done their bit in helping to get the wayward sheep back where they belonged.
'Phew, thank God for that!' he breathed.
'I'll be sure & plug that gap where they got out' Andy offered. 'Right then I'd best be off,' nodding to everyone as he strode off to the next field, Rufus close at his heels.
Emily had shut & tied the gate then turned & grinned satisfyingly at Lizzie & Ben.
'Anyone for a good strong coffee before I get back to work? I think we have all earned it, don't you?'
'We may as well' Lizzie pulling a face, head cocked to one side.
'Fine by me!' added Emily.
'Right then, follow me ladies & I'll soon have that coffee made & might even be able to scrape up something decent to have with it!' he grinned. 'And before I forget, thank you both for a good job done. Much appreciated.'
Both ladies looked at each other, shrugged with a grin & followed close in Ben's tracks, not at this stage thinking any more about the rest of the day.
By now the sun was becoming warmer as the late morning sunrays flitted around the farmhouse, the air alive & free with an assortment of early summer playing around the insect-buzzing countryside. Bees were humming in the kitchen garden, while swallows swooped down from the barn. A far off horse could be heard snorting & blowing the insects from its mane, cows treading the lush sweet grass, wandering in a dream of glorified abundance.
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