We booked some good weather for our shearing event this year, much better than last year! At times it was a little bit too hot, but a handy cloud soon appeared to cool us down each time our skin started to sizzle…
My friend Ruth stepped in at the last minute to pack the wool and help keep the pens full, after I got a text from a sick Phil at 8.30. I had already been up for 2 hours loading and transporting sheep so as you can imagine I was not relishing having to do all the catching, turning, packing and pen management too!
Our shearer was Cathy Wainwright. Cathy is the grazing manager for Beds, Cambs and Northants & Peterborough Wildlife Trust, and is one of the very few (possibly the only) female shearers in the country. Cathy has many rare breeds of sheep to carry out the grazing on their reserves up there, but mostly Hebrideans. Cathy, her soon-to-be-husband Darren, and son Cameron breed some very nice Hebridean sheep – we got Laphroaig, Lydia, Louisa and Kirstie from them.
We had over 100 visitors despite the council choosing that day to close and resurface the road outside!
It was an incredibly long and tiring day, but we got all the sheep shorn and back to the field. We are sending the wool off this week and will hopefully get it back soon to sell in the shop.
The lambs were very popular and everyone behaved themselves except Allum ram, who jumped out while I was away fetching more sheep. He ran round the yard, everyone was running after him to shoo him back in. Unfortunately Cathy had left her dog in the truck so couldn’t help! Allum eventually realised it was more stressful OUTSIDE the pen and went back in.
Thanks to Ros for many of these photos of the event. I was far too busy drinking tea as you can see, but I have the bruises to prove I did a bit more than that! my job was to catch and turn the sheep ready for Cathy to take from the gate. Also to keep the pen full of sheep. Later when Ruth had gone, I also had to put all the wool in the bags! Phil really chose his day to be off sick!
A picture of our newest arrival – Buxton (and in the background his mum Larch).
I took this at 8.30 in the evening after all the sheep had been returned to the field. I had to lie down to take it, and I very nearly didn’t get up again! Buxton will be appearing on the Hebridean Sheep Society Calendar being put together by Cathy.
Buxton lamb! That’s my boy!