Y Bont: 2004: July: Wellies and Wheelbarrows

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Gorffennaf 2004 July

Wellies and Wheelbarrows

Chronic backache, severe sunburn and a bad case of humour loss all added up to another shearing in the Llan. For a few days I spent my time wrestling with sheep, endevouring to remove their jackets without losing any of my fingers. When you watch the professionals it looks easy. However, if you watch me you realise how hard it is.

The rain came at long last although it was a case of too little too late for me and now I wish it would dry up and let me get on with the harvest. We had a few problems this month when David Blair’s bullocks decided to swim the river and introduce themselves to mine. We spent a morning trying to get them home but they didn’t seem keen to go. At one point four of them vaulted the fence into Ty Mawr and the rest decided they couldn’t be bothered jumping and took the more direct route straight through my fence onto the road oh, how I laughed! Fortunately we got them back into the field without too much trouble. However, they still would not cross the river back to Pen y Bont. I was just about to admit defeat when Paul Fisher arrived on the scene. I don’t know what he said to them but they promptly turned tail and dived into the river and swam home taking one of my bullocks with them (once again I take one step forward and one back).

Having found a few lambs maggoting last week, I decided I’d better dip. The chemical used is marvellous stuff, it kills ticks, keds, lice, scab and the poor sod using it if they’re not careful. So dressed like an astronaut I dipped the ewes and lambs which should protect them for a while and give me peace of mind if I ever do get to the harvest and can’t get round them.

Oh, incidentally the shed is still not finished!