Thanks for popping in to take a read........................
DOWN ON THE FARM WITH BARBARA IN COUNTY ARMAGH
Well Thursday is the 1st April 2021 and I am delighted to say that life here in Northern Ireland is gladly returning to normal. Living on a working farm my main distraction throughout Covid 19 has been the annual lambing season. Little did I know that in March 2020 I would continue to work on the farm and help with lambing 2021!
Working with new birth brings me close to nature and helps to distract from the unsettling world news. All lambs are born now and out in fields. Looking forward to enjoying their new life skip, hop and jump down by the river banks at dusk. It truly is a refreshing picture.
Long days in the lambing shed can be tiring but it also gave me an opportunity to think about my life on the farm and how I could possibly incorporate it into my 2021 Tours Itinerary?
Life on the farm evolves around the seasons and very shortly when the season warms up and stretch into summer the ewes will be ready to part with their winter coats!
Shearing is a busy hectic time as lambs are still with their mothers and separating them from their mother for this process is not an option. All must stay together and as you can imagine when movement from the fields to the farmyard for shearing has to happen it is pretty noisy! Mums calling their lambs and lambs calling their mums.
It has to be a dry day as shearing takes place outside and fleece must be dry. It is another aspect of sheep farming which I find quite amazing. I am in awe of how these professional shearers travel around the farms and simply with no pain strip the fleece off in one complete go in minutes!
Lapping and wrapping the fleeces is one of my jobs and you really must keep up as shearers are pushing on and piles of loose fleeces get in their way.
Breaks along the way for that traditional outdoor lunch are welcome. Soda bread, cheese, ham fruit loaf all go down a treat.
Again its long days out on the farm until all the sheep are shorn and the shearers pack up their mobile platform etc and move on to the next farm.
Settling ewes and lambs back into the fields again is a delight.
Outdoor wear off and now time for fish & chips for supper from the local chippie!
Keep in touch.
Barbara
