The neighbour's sheep came back for a return visit last night and took several more mouthfuls from the cabbages before Shadow saw them off. As is usual in this instance, the children were out in force rounding the sheep up, but the parents nowhere in sight. The eldest thanked me for running the sheep up to them. I pointed out that I was not doing them a favour but protecting my vegetable garden which the sheep had destroyed. He said sorry (this is the same almost adult child who I spoke to the other day and told to tell his parents to get rid of the sheep or fix the fences). I told him that sorry is not good enough this time and I would like to see the sheep gone - pronto. They are still there... This morning dawned cool and overcast and remained so until lunch time. Since I was up at five, this meant seven hours to consider lighting the fire which I eventually did, despite the forecast of 27. Good thing too as while the temp has shot up rapidly in the last hour or two, it was not planning to stay that way long. Smidgen continues to recover, though is still coughing (poor pet presumably has the worlds worst case of fur balls) and is resignedly accepting the doses of Kat lax I inflict on him daily. The ginger beer plant is equally accepting of the feeding I give it daily, but is frothing and bubbling nicely in response. It smells wonderful! Since the vege patch required some fairly urgent attention after the visits of the neighbours' sheep, I dug out the two cabbages gone beyond redemption and concluded the others will recover enough to provide me with a feed, though will be unsuitable for selling due to the damage. I piled sheep manure all around them and gave them a good soak and did the same for the rest of the vege patch - that is really all I can do in the circumstances. Hopefully they will recover and go on to produce something for the freezer.