I have also just returned from the Riveting Road Trip with my Parents around England and Scotland, where every bend in the road was met with the cries of “ABC - Another Bloody Castle! (Can also be extended to cathedrals).

As we drove past yet another house with a thatched roof my parents, who met in London over 25 years ago and hadn’t been back since, expressed their bewilderment at the narrow roads.

“Gosh, I think all it would take to bring this country to a standstill would be a semi (trailor),” said my frustrated father.

But their greatest amazement was not at the hundreds of thousands of castles and cathedrals that the UK is home to, but this little wonder: why do the sheep and cows in Britain spend so much of their time sitting down?

Are they just lazy buggers???

After all, the antipodean breeds spend most of their time up on their legs, being counted!

I have thrown this question out there (via Facebook, of course) and two wonderful, learned people have given me the same answers - it all has to do with the rain. They sit down in anticipation of rain, I am informed.

But what does it mean then if half in the paddock are standing up and half are sitting down? Perhaps drizzle is on the way???

Answers please people!

To divert the topic (but only slightly) - The Big Sheep.

(See http://www.thebigsheep.co.uk/)

I hate to say it, but it wasn’t that big after all. In fact I think it was invisible.

Needless to say, my very economical father did not let me go in.

I hate to say  it, but give me The Big Merino (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Merino) any day.