Bruce is out and back home.

I also hope David heals quickly and things get back to normal soon for you both
                                                                                                                                                                             

All very well... but have u checked out the traumatised sheep?                                                                                                                                                                             

plenty more sheep where they came from.....                                                                                                                                                                               

Glad folks are OK                                                                                                                                                                              

XKLYBR I think Dustin's neighbours will know more about traumatised sheep than anyone else North of Wales

Everyone is home and all folks are doing ok, sure everything else will sort itself out in time. 

Bikes can be replaced as they say
                                                                                                                                                                             

On the sheep front.

Sheep are not bothered by traffic.

EXCEPT ,,,

if you accelerate ,,, they think you're a predator.

If you slow down to much ,,, they think you're a stalking predator.

Stick your foot out on the way past ,,, yeah, you're a predator.

Ride through em at 40mph nice and steady , no probs.

Lambing season, no probs

Older lambs , more confident. Will stray from their mother's side. Then run to her when they see or hear you.

Do the opposite of this advice and there's a good chance of ,,,, ouch.

 

in other words complete lottery                                                                                                                                                                               

Sheep are thick as fuck - just bags of bone and wool that react on instinct alone....You can't expect them to act sensibly!!

First Rule - approach at a speed where you can stop or at least swerve without losing control if the wooly fuckers step out.

Second Rule - if they are in a group, all at one side, all grazing, probably safe... If they are split up, on each side of the road, one side may well run over to the other - safety in numbers after all, even if that means running into the path of the loud monster approaching at speed...  If it's a lamb that's separated, there's a VERY high chance it'll run to it's Mum - right in front of you - so back off and expect this.

Third Rule - on a sunny morning, the tarmac heats up long before the grass, so expect sheep to be lying on the road around every corner! On a hot day, they'll lie in the shade - any shade, even if that's on the road...

Fourth Rule - where there are sheep, there's shit - and it has a very low coefficient of friction, so don't be trying to get your knee down!!

Apart from all that, yes, it is a bit of a lottery - but I'd rather slow down and give myself a decent chance of stopping if need be, than plough on a hope the daft bastards don't run into the road....

So what's your rules for pheasants Mr Mike?

Would you say they're thicker than sheep and just as dangerous?

I just kept fingers crossed other day and stared at it not to move. Is that right? Ha ha.
                                                                                                                                                                             

hee hee, pheasants are case of pray! They come out of nowhere and they're pretty heavy birds 

We were down in Yorkshire a few weeks back and I ducked as one narrowly missed us!  At least with sheep you usually see them in enough time to prepare, not pheasants.....

The thing is that sheep have not been bred for their intelligence but for their sex appeal.
Keep this in mind and you should be OK.
                                                                                                                                                                             

There's no accounting for taste...