Shear joy

It’s that time of year again. The sun gets hotter, the sheep get exhausted carrying all that fleece around, we get hotter feeling for them, and it’s only May. Except this year it has been a cooler spring, and consequently we’ve not suffered as much as previous years, but shedding the coats is a must and they will love it, especially as Ryelands have a very heavy fleece.

Simon the fence (see previous posts and it’s not what you think, he bangs about the place with his parmenter building fences – Ed.) has been contacted and a date put in the diary, and phoned, and texted to make sure it’s in the diary and then texted again to confirm. (This is Radnorshire time, so things happen but just not in the order or timescale that you imagine they will – Ed.).

Donkeys put out to grass, and the hurdles have been put in place to keep the sheep in the stable and stable yard. The Simon team of expert and champion shearers have arrived consisting of Barry the Burger (Simon’s Dad and keeper of the local source of instant food at all events – phone for quote. Ed.) not present today. Simon himself who has an evil eye and an ear for gossip and a wicked sense of humour and his two labourers Reece and Daniel who are about 11 and 8 and who are learning the trade or mucking about as the mood takes them. “One day my son this will be all yours”, says Simon to them both to encourage them. The actual words were “when you leave school at sixteen, you are not going into farming until you have learned a trade” (“they won’t get £150 a day out of farming, but they will being a plumber” Ed).

Simon talks about the price of fleeces going up, and co-incidentally today we receive a letter from the Wool Board who we are registered with to take our fleeces. And indeed the price has gone up, see the letter below.

The market is expanding and new ideas and companies are coming on board. We chose a new duvet which is made of wool filling and very cosy it is. I fancy the sweater shown in the photo so Christmas is all sewn up (call that a pun? Ed.).

The money isn’t important, after all we only have two fleeces, as long as they go to good homes and are used then we are happy. The Wool Board certainly is the place to place them. It is interesting though that for the last few years you couldn’t give them away and slowly they are appreciating to their true value. Carry on like this and we’ll be back to the industrial revolution days! (not allowed to say that – we cruelly ruined the countryside and exploited people’s lives – Ed.).