In Romania

this time of year the sheep are coming down from their summer pastures high in the mountainsr with the shepherds, the "ciobani."

The cliffs are so steep in parts you wonder how they do it without falling, scrambling down the rockfalls, urged on by the shepherds, herded into line by the sheepdogs.

Have you ever seen a shepherd drive a flock of sheep across a road? They never seem to hurry. There is no sense in rushing the sheep as they will only startle and scatter. Instead, it's a balletic, almost slow motion event. A woolly parade.

I always loved when we were driving in the Romanian countryside and had to stop the car to allow a flock of sheep to surge by. It was like stepping back in time.