THERE was no escaping puns in our latest caption competition. “No more bleating about the bush, it’s not Baalam or Baalak, it’s Baarak Obaama!” (Geoffrey Parkinson); “Oh! That is Ba-a-rack Ob-a-ama. He’s the one that gives me food!” (Daphne Foster); “The baa-lot box” (Valerie Budd); “Another example of O-baa-ma-care?” (David Hanford); and “Dear Mr Obama, I’m behind baas” (Janet Stockton).

Then there was the other strain: “My vote’s on ewe” (Lynda Sebbage); “A politician making a ewe turn? Surely not” (Andrew Greenhough); and “Ewe look familiar” (David Hanford). John Radford contributed three: “Here’s looking at ewe, kid!” “As seen on ewetube”; and “I miss ewe.”

A sheep brought to mind, perhaps inevitably, biblical imagery: “I’m practising for the day when the sheep and the goats get to do the separating” (John Appleby); “Normally, it was the sheep and goats who were sorted. Now the tables were turned” (Tom Page); “The line-up for who had stolen the other 99 was somewhat limited. If this is a trial, where are the sheepdog and the pens?” (Chris Coupe)

And there were the more politically minded competitors: “The American people were not amused at Donald Trump’s tweet of how Barack Obama got elected” (Vicky Lundberg); “Woolly liberal” (Shaun Clarkson); “Voting is difficult when you can’t hold a pen” (Patrick Irwin); “Transgender sheep exercises her/his right to use the facilities for males” (Richard Hough).

Among our favourites were: “His ‘Yes ewe can’ was good, but ‘Make America bleat again’ is better” (John Saxbee); “Being a rather fat sheep, perhaps I’ll try the Obama diet” (Maree Foster); “Meanwhile, in the Other Place, a goat venerates an icon of the current president” (Alan Tadiello); and “They had very much liked the old shepherd, and she asked nicely if they could have him back” (Jeremy Fletcher).

Some others that caught our eye: “At the opening of the annual Blessing of Livestock service, the organist played J. S. Bach’s ‘Sheep may safely gaze’” (Andrew Dow, and several other entrants); “No, I’m sure they weren’t there — anyway, there were three of them. . .” (Peter Sebbage); “Dolly was sad that neither of them recognised her” (Michael Doe); “I’m not that stupid: there’s chocolates in this one” (Bridget Swan).

The winner will receive Fairtrade chocolate, kindly provided by Divine (divinechocolate.com).