Farm life: Arthur (pictured here with Twinkle) got his first taste of farm life at six-months-old when mum Sarah went back to her job as the village postman and he went to stay at his grandmother's farm
Like Arthur, Twinkle was born prematurely. And just like Arthur, who weighed only 3lb 4oz at birth and spent seven weeks in intensive care, Twinkle was fragile and underweight when she was born in April.
The little boy and the sheep developed a special empathy: it seems Twinkle, who was hand-reared by Arthur from a bottle, understands his needs. If Arthur stumbles and falls, Twinkle knows he is not able to get up unaided, so she walks over to him, stands still beside him and lets him scramble to his feet using her as support.
‘Twinkle had a fight for life as well as Arthur,’ explains Nicky, 55. ‘She was very poorly when she was born and her mum rejected her. So I started to bottle-feed her, and when Arthur saw what I was doing, he said: “Can I feed Twinkle, too?”
‘So he bottle-fed Twinkle for four months and she grew up to be his pet. He fed her every two hours and a special rapport developed between them,’ she smiles at Arthur, who is following the story intently. ‘You love Twinkle, don’t you?’ she asks, and he beams and nods vigorously.
‘We put a little lead collar on her and straight away she walked with Arthur, quietly at his side. He took his first steps alongside her. She was so docile. She seemed to know that she had to be gentle with him.
‘And it gave Arthur confidence to know Twinkle was there beside him; that he could hold on to her if he needed support. His physiotherapist said he would need a walking frame, but now she has seen his progress she’s decided he doesn’t. Actually, she says it would hold him back.’
Sarah and Nicky look at the little boy — robust, happy and good-natured — and are constantly amazed by his progress.
Sarah, 32, recalls: ‘I’d lost my first baby, a daughter, Emma Louise — who was born prematurely at 25 weeks — when she was only two days old. And when Arthur arrived early too, weighing the same as a bag and a half of sugar, we feared we’d lose him as well.
‘He lived in an incubator for seven weeks; he had to be fed through a tube. I stayed with him, day and night, at the hospital for four weeks; I wanted to do everything for him just in case . . .’ Her voice trails off.
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