Shearing Time & Time Past,

On one of the warmest days this week the Farmer got the shearing done for which the sheep were duly thankful I should think. We have only about 50 ewes at the moment and though it was along stint for the Famer he got them all done, with some help from Elder Son who did some of the catching and handling.
As with so much farm work nowadays things have lost the social aspect. Now we shear our own small flock whereas in past we used to get shearing contractors in and it would be a day of very hard work but much jollity & team effort with copious quantities of tea & sandwiches being consumed at intervals. It is the same with the silage making. When we had contractors doing it over two or three days it was an occasion for lots of chat over meals either in the kitchen or picnics out in the fields and very late nights. Now with the kit that the Sons use it is all over in a matter of hours. Something very important has been lost, sadly.
The weather is holding us to ransom at the moment...with the threat of heavy showers over the next week or so The Farmer reckons we are going to have to 'snatch' the silage whenever we can.