First Week of Gardening Leave

It has been a very strange week, to say the least. I still feel as if I'm on holiday, but I'm sure that will pass as the weeks go by.
The weather this week has been a typical Indian summer, very warm days, but coldish evenings. Whilst it's fine I've started on grouting the back of the house, it's more like filling in the holes where the mortar has fallen out. Hopefully when I've finished it will stop the mice getting in between our two walls into the rubble infill.
On Thursday we went to the local auction mart as it was the breeding ewe sale day. Neither of us were looking forward to it as our previous experience of breeding ewe sales at York have not been good. But this one at Ruswarp was a lot better, a very interesting day, the auctioneer was interested in all the animals that were going through and in getting the best price for the sellers. We didn't buy anything as the prices at the moment are really good if you are selling, but bad if you are buying. We were tempted by 3 pedigree oxford down ewe lambs, and by a mixed pen of 10 Blue Faced Leicester and mule lambs at £35.00 each, but they did not look as good as the rest and it was ewes we were looking for. It was a good job we had taken our small trailer as our neighbour bought 4 sheep, so we took them home for him.
We have another option for some breeding ewes, one of the local farmers has had an accident (fallen through a barn roof) and will be out of action for several months, so we are hoping to buy 6 of his 3-4 shear mule ewes, they don't go for a great deal at the mart as everyone wants young ewes, so here's hoping the price is right.
The marauding munchers are now at the back of the big barn having eaten the grass at the side of the barn. It's only a small paddock and it should last them 2 - 3 days, they will then be moved into the race by the side of the lambing barn, finally ending up in the top field near the common land. Eventually they will be grazing the common land, but it will depend on how the weather goes, as it can be very bleak on the common land and if we are not careful, they will start to loose weight.
Holly managed to get in with the marauding munchers and had to be rescued from them as one of the lambs had her trapped in a ditch and every time she moved it put it's head down and stamped it's feet at her. I don't think she's too keen to go visiting again.
Next week, a day of bramble picking, a day in the office (out placement support), then if the weather is fine back to grouting the back of the house.