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Speaker 1: Yeah. Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal

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Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.

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There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,

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with a third premium only story every Friday. Reviews help

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get us noticed amongst all the other podcasts out there,

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so if you can, please take the time to leave

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us one. Eva is from Melbourne, Australia, and she has

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asked for a story featuring a highland cow. You can

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learn more about these creatures in the animal facts after

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the story. Okay, are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin.

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Highland Helper On a Scottish farm, a little girl was

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waiting for her parents to pack the car. She was

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stood in the doorway to the small cow shed, where

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the farm's highland cow quietly snoozed. I don't like leaving her,

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even if it is just for a day, the girl

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said to her mother. I know, the mother replied, but

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Eva is a very sleepy cow. I'm sure she'll just

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doze for much of the time that we're away, and

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we won't be gone long. We'll be back before lunch

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time to morrow. The father placed the last bag in

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the car and shut the boot, signaling that it was

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time to leave. So the girl waved to her bovine friend,

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promised to be back before the shaggy orange cow knew it,

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and then the whole family drove away. As the sound

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of the car's engine faded, the sleepy cow opened a

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tired eye and yawned. Have they gone? She asked herself.

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It appeared so right, said Eva. It's time to make

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the most of it. This wasn't the first time the

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highland cow had done such a thing. In fact, whenever

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the family were not around, Eva would make sure to

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come out and play. She unlatched the paddock's gate with

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practiced ease and headed off across the fields. The family,

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of course, knew nothing of what she got up to

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while they were gone. She didn't want them to werry

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after all, and was quite happy for them to believe

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that she was a very sleepy and somewhat lazy cow.

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That way, they never suspected a thing. There was a

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deep lock near by that she'd not visited for a while,

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so Eva headed there, wondering if the color of the

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sky were suggesting it might snow. The lock was a

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pretty one, quite wide, surrounded by trees and heathland, and

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when the cow came in sight of it, she saw

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the water shimmer beneath the winter sun. Maud to a

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dock that stuck out from the shore was the small

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ferry that traveled back and forth across the loch. The

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lock was very, very long, so the fastest way to

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get from one side to the other was on this ferry.

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Eva had never thought about taking a ride herself, but

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with nothing else planned, she decided that to day this

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would be exactly what she would do. Trotting down to

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the dock, she joined the queue of waiting passengers, who

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didn't seem all that surprised that a Highland cow was

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joining them for their journey. But the ferryman scratched his

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head at the sight of the cow. Sorry, he said,

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no money, no ride, Oh, said the cow, sounding disappointed.

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This would have been my first boat trip. I've never

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taken one before. The ferryman thought this was a shame.

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Every One, he felt, should ride on a ferry at

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least once in their life. I'll tell you what, said

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the ferryman. My first mate is off ill to day,

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so I'm having to cast off, will you, untie? The

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rope for me so we can set sail. I don't

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see why not, said Eva helpfully. The ferry was only small,

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and it rocked from side to side as the large

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weight of the Highland cow stepped aboard. The other passengers

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had to hold on tight. Sorry, giggled Eva. I hope

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I haven't made any one seasick. The passengers thought this

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was most funny, especially coming from a cow. The ferryman

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took up his position at the wheel and signaled for

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Eva to untie the mooring rope. Fortunately, it was just

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the loop dropped over a bollard, so it was easy

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enough for her to lift free. Although the journey across

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the loch was long, it was enjoyable. Eva watched the

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dock fade away. As the far side grew closer. She

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could make out a small village made up of cottages, houses,

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and a few little shops at the other side. Eva

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dropped the loop of rope over another bollard to secure

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the ferry in place. Good job, said the ferryman happily.

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Would you like to travel back with me and do

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it all again? That's very kind, said the cow, But

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I think I'm going to walk home from here. The

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long way round, she set off, entering the Pinewood forest

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on the edge of the village. Here she came across

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a gap in the trees where a woman was crouched

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in the grass. What are you doing, asked the curious cow.

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I'm trying to photograph the wildlife, explained the woman. But

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every time I try to take a picture, they either

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run or fly away. Maybe I can help, Eva said,

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I get on well with the local creatures. Perhaps I

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can find someone that will pose for you. Shaking her

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big shaggy head, the highland cow let out a long,

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low moo. Immediately, the undergrowth and branches began to rustle

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as all sorts of animals appeared around them, squirrels, birds, rabbits,

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and even a couple of deer. Hello, everyone, said the cow.

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Would you mind posing for this human She would be

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ever so grateful. Under Eva's instructions, the animals did just that,

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sitting on tree stumps, munching on mushrooms and smiling at

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the camera. The woman even took a few of Eva. Well,

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I think that's more than enough, the woman said, I

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could never have managed this without you. My pleasure, said Eva,

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and carried on along the path through the trees. The

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lock sparkled down to her left, as around her snowdrops,

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witch hazel and winter flowering heather provided winter color. The

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trees had given way to heathland by now, and Eva

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soon saw a man stood amongst the heather. He held

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a sketch book in one hand and a paint brush

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in the other. As Eva watched, he ripped out of

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page before scrunching it up in frustration. What seems to

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be the trouble, Eva asked, I just can't seem to

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paint it right. The man sobbed. I want to capture

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a beautiful Scottish scene, but I just can't do it.

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Could I help? Eva asked, I'm a Scottish cow, so

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if I stood here amongst the heather, you could paint me.

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The man gasped, Yes, you'd be perfect. He said, Your

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colorful shaggy coat against the tangle of winter heather, it's

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just what I need. Inspired, the artist got to work

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right away, painting quickly and confidently with his water colors.

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Several times Eva was tempted to go and have a look,

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but of course that would have meant moving and as

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she was the main subject this wasn't such a good idea,

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so instead she waited patiently until the man was done.

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Will you hang this on your wall once it's finished,

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she asked. Oh no, said the man. This will be

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the picture on a tin of Scottish shortbread seen by

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people from all over the world. Oh fancy that, thought Eva,

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I'm going to be famous. The man gave a final

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flourish with his paint brush as a wide grin stretched

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across his face. Done, he cried, turning to show Eva

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the finished picture. What do yo think? I think I

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look beautiful, blushed the Highland cow. And we finished just

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in time, said the man, gesturing to the sky. By

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the looks of those clouds, it will start snowing soon.

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Although Eva wanted to see some snow, she didn't want

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to get stuck out in it, so, saying good bye,

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she carried on alongside the lock just as the first

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snowflakes began to fall. She wasn't sure how far she

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had left go, but thought that in the distance she

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could see the roofs of her farm. The snow began

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to fall more thickly, but thanks to her long, shaggy coat,

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Eva wasn't much bothered by it. Her thick fur kept

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her warm, while her powerful legs could push through the

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thick snow with ease, something she had to contend with

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as night fell by. Now she'd been walking for hours

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and had lost sight of the farm altogether amongst the

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swirling blizzard and the darkness. Where do I go now,

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she said, sounding worried. Then up ahead she saw a

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speckling of warm lights. It was the small town that

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lay in the valley beneath the farm. If Eva walked

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into town, she could find her way up to the

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farm from there. But as the Highland cow made her

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way down the main street, she noticed something amiss. There

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were no cars on the road or any people anywhere.

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The town appeared to be deserted. Where is every one?

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She asked. She got her answer as she passed the school.

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The children had been putting on an end of year

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play for their parents, but the snow storm had struck

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while they were inside. Now the families were coming out

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to find their cars swallowed by the ever deepening snow.

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The snow is too thick to walk, the woman said,

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I'm freezing, muttered a girl in a star costume. Where's

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the plow? One man cried, we need to get home.

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I've got shovels, announced the caretaker, But it will take

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us a long time to dig every one out. Can

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I help, asked Eva as she pushed through the deep

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snow covering the car park. I'm pretty good at getting

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through this sort of thing. It will be a lot

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of work, the man said, I don't mind. Eva replied,

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better that I help, so every one gets home safe

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and warm. Being a highland cow, Eva had long, slender horns,

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which she now bent downwards towards the ground and used

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to push aside the snow. Her strong neck and powerful

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legs carried her back and forth, sweeping the snow aside

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to reveal the half buried cars. That cow's a superstar,

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said the little girl in the star costume, as Eva

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began work on a path to the main gate. That

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was mighty kind of you, said the caretaker. Once she

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was done. These people would have been stuck without you.

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Don't mention it, Eva replied, I'm glad I could help.

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As the cars made their slow journeys home, Eva decided

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it was long past time she went home. Too. Tired

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but happy, she climbed the lane to the farm arriving

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at her paddock soon afterwards. She had to drag the

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gate closed behind her, making sure to secure it properly,

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then headed straight into the cow shed, where she could

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flop down amongst the warm, dry straw and sleep outside.

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The blizzard eased, but flakes continued to fall throughout the night,

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covering her tracks across the snow. The family arrived home

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late the next morning. The first Eva new was when

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the car doors slammed, but she kept her eyes closed

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amongst the straw, even when she heard the crunch crunch

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of footsteps approaching there. She is grinned the girl as

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she arrived in the cowshed doorway, fast asleep as usual.

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Told you, The mother said, I doubt that lazy cow

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has moved once in all the time we were away.

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Eva couldn't help but smile to herself as the humans

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headed to the farmhouse. They didn't suspect a thing, not

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for a few weeks anyway, because that's when the family

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saw the new design on the Scottish shortbread tins animals.

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Fat Highland cattle are a long haired breed of cow

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from Scotland. They are known as a hardy breed, which

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means they are capable of withstanding difficult weather conditions. A

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group of cattle is normally called a herd, but for

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highland cows we call a group a fold. This name

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comes from the winter shehd shelters called folds that they

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were once kept in. These shelters were made of stone

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and helped to protect them from the worst of the weather.

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Many Highland cows were taken to Australia by early Scottish immigrants,

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but in time they all died out. For the last

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eighty years, efforts have been made to reintroduce highland cows

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and they remain a popular breed there to this day.

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Thank you for your suggestion, Eva. We hope you enjoyed

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the tale, and thank you to all of you across

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the world for listening to it. If you prefer your

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stories advert free, then please consider our premium service through

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accompanies this episode. For a tiny fee, it's advert free.

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Join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,