Of Sheep and Shoes

I got to tag along to an "amateur" sheep shearing session this morning. I call it amateur as opposed to professional, because my friends P and J do it themselves rather than pay a professional for it. I was curious to see whether this could be an option for us as well.

Most of the sheep actually seemed to enjoy the shearing

To be honest, I am not sure that this makes financial sense to us just yet, given the cost for the shears. However, it was nice to see how calm the affair was, with even the most boisterous sheep easily being managed by two people. Our professional Mr B obviously does his sheep at a fraction of the time, flipping the sheep on their bottoms rather than having them stand, but it was good to see that it is possible for us to do it on our own, should we ever wish to.

Anyhow, I showed up at 8:30 in my sandals (not really wanting to acknowledge that autumn is upon us). Before getting in the car, I took them off and put on my old hiking boots. The main reason is that I want to avoid spreading possible disease between the farms (this is something that is mentioned again and again in "sheep forums": always, always change and clean your footwear!) and those hiking boots have never been used since I moved back to Sweden.

No, this piece of the foot puzzle does not fit with the other... Also, WHAT IS UP WITH THE HEELS?

Oh man, I had completely forgotten what it is like to wear this type of footwear! They are like casts on your feet, preventing your feet from moving AT ALL and apparently, that is the point... Even ballerinas are better than that. I cannot believe I spent a week hiking in the mountains with these. I wouldn't last a day in them now.

My Luna sandals having a well-deserved bath in the sink

Molting Sheep.

Our sheep are molting! Their woollen coats are literally falling off their backs and we are finding wool strewn across the fields, caught on shrubs, rocks and laying on the grass. Our Gutefår sheep are a primitive breed native to Sweden and are well known to shed their fleece in the summer months, there are not many breeds that do.

New look Rambo!

Our Ram seems to have shed the most, with only a little bit of fleece covering his rear. He looks pretty trim now and his horns look even bigger. The ewes with the darker fleeces, seem to be losing more than those with the lighter fleeces. It is amazing to see how dark their wool is close to the skin and you can see why all of our lambs have a black wool. The ewes do have a very scraggy look about them, so I am sure they will be pleased to get a good shearing!

A scraggy looking Babs and Deidre.

Our sheep mentor, Bengt, is supposed to popping by any day now to shear them, but I am not sure he will have much to do. We will just keep gathering the wool up from the field, until he comes!

How Long Is a Piece of String - The Art of Rearing Animals

Our animals are always at the forefront of our minds. As beginners, we are constantly asking our more experienced mentors for advice on how to best take care of our animals. The bigger the animal, the more complex the questions and the more contradictory and confusing the answers.

Our heirloom sheep that are kept outside all year long, for example. When should we shear their wool?

• Various bloggers and enthusiasts: "Shear them right before they give birth, otherwise their lambs won't be able to nurse."

• Mentor 1 with hundreds of primarily meat-producing animals: "Make sure to shear them twice a year to avoid the wool getting too long and weighing them down when they get wet."

• Mentor 2 with hundreds of heirloom sheep: "Shear them around midsummer, that's when they naturally start molting. That a lamb won't be able to nurse unless the mother is shorn is complete nonsense!"

Conclusion: Oh well, let's just go with mentor 3. And it will be a cheaper and easier option rather than trying to shear (a non-molting) sheep twice a year.

My sister summed up our woes and worries with rearing animals: How long is a piece of string? You hear one thing, read another, then just have to work it out yourself... Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

7 out of 8 sheep, all glorious wool and curly horns