Maria named Zelda after Zelda Fitzgerald, the exotic wife of the fabled writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. At the time, we did not realize how much a presence she would be, although we began to realize it after she jumped the fence three times and broke a barn door to get to be with the old sheep, with whom she had lived. Zelda is brave, smart and fiercely local to the other sheep. When the vet was opening Ma up, Zelda nosed open the swivel gate and stood by Ma during the surgery. She joins a long list of strong women on the farm – Lulu and Fanny, Flo, Frieda and the industrious hens and not least of all my former girlfriend, who I used to think was quiet and soft-spoken, but who, like Zelda, is not.

I always say you can tell a strong woman by the way she looks at the camera and defies the photographer to take the photo. No fussing about hair or make-up. That was Zelda this morning, she walked up to me and dared me to click the shutter. She is becoming a dominant presence on the farm, the Queen.