Not long after the crocuses started to bloom, came the first signs of lambing. My husband and I passed a lambing shed and while we couldn’t see in, we could hear the “Sound of Music” soundtrack playing! A dog on guard outside let the farmer know we were close by.

I nearly missed the first group. I had to move a bit further along the road and climb onto the verge to see over the wall. And there they were; a group of five or six, playing together. Jumping in the way I’ve only seen young lambs do; all four legs leaving the ground at once as they bound into the air. Gambolling. Frolicking. They brought an instant smile to my face.

Then came some snow. A light dusting rather than a heavy load. The sheep and lambs didn’t seem too perturbed. Some stayed foraging on the snowy ground whereas only a few had moved to where the snow had already melted. They had it harder further north; a farmer reported bringing three frozen lambs in to warm by the aga. Fortunately, they survived.

As more lambs appeared in my local fields, they seemed to have a rhythm to their days. There was a lot of lying around during my morning walks. As if they weren’t yet ready to start the day. They were stubbornly camera shy though, moving off or turning round just as I was ready to take a picture. Then came the day I walked slowly past them down the path, turned round and clicked, and they stayed where they were! Was I becoming a lamb whisperer?

Early evening lambs are more active. Running, jumping, chasing, having fun. On one occasion, I counted seven lambs having their own sports day. They gathered on top of a slight mound and then, as a group, raced down, all the way round a pond and back up onto the mound. There they mingled for a while until the next race began. One started to run and the others joined in. I stood and watched for a while, enjoying the moment. A picture would not have captured their energy and the joy I felt watching their antics.

I spotted the first lambs in March, before lockdown easing had really begun. We weren’t yet allowed to travel outside our local area or meet more than one person outside our household. I had been feeling optimistic during the winter months but as time passed, opportunities stayed firmly on the horizon, or even moved further away, rather than coming closer. My mood took a significant dip. However, as the lambs began to appear in different fields, they brought a novelty to my familiar walks. Their playfulness and cuteness, brightening my days. This year they have really been a source of therapy.

For which I am grateful.

And then there was the hairy sheep!

• Managing mood and energy