Sheep

Liking sheep as I do I could not resist this story from the Times Online:

Woolly thinking goes a long way in the City

A flock of Romney ewes were paraded across London Bridge yesterday, bringing a little cheer to beleaguered City workers. The sheep were driven by liveryman exercising an 11th-century right to bring livestock into the City free of charge. About 500 liverymen, dressed in royal blue robes and straw hats, enforced their right, which 1,000 years ago would have saved them from paying a bridge toll. David Lewis, the Lord Mayor of London, who is a part-time sheep farmer, led the procession, alongside the Company of Pikemen and Musketeers, his official bodyguards.
The Lady Mayoress, Theresa Lewis, noted the morale-boosting potential of the event. “It is just wonderful. Hopefully it is a bit of fun for business people to see, whose day may not be full of happiness at the moment,” she said.
John Martin, the president of the Romney Sheep Breeders Society, explained the significance of the breed. “There is a saying that the sun never sets on the Romney sheep.”
The ewes, from a farm in Ashford, Kent, were trained for the noise and excitement of the City by their farmer George Horne, who spent six weeks marching them along busy roads while banging dustbin lids.
It is hoped that the event will raise £40,000 for this year’s Lord Mayor’s Appeal.