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No mountains, lakes or forests to explore.
Confined to quarters, with only my laptop to amuse me between work based activities.
I tried making some scones.
The locals asked the other day what a cream tea is, and I had hoped to show them the real mackoy.
But I didn't have the right flour, or proper scales or a tablespoon to measure the sugar. The brushing of egg yolk on the top looked more like an omelet; such is the golden richness of Henny and Penny's eggs ( not my choice of names I would like you to know).
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| free range egg yolk |
They rose in the oven and were then thrown in the bin.
So I had to go out and find something else to do.
Nothing much happens in Gore on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the shops are closed.
So I went to the sheep shearing competition. As you do.
Sheep arrive in trucks.
When they are unloaded they look like this
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| before shearing |
These sheep have already been 'crutched' so the shearers remove the fleece in one piece.
Crutching involves a bit of tidying up around the rear end; if you look carefully you can see that they have very little wool on their posteriors.
Many a farmer has seen me in my professional capacity and advised me of injuries sustained while 'crutching' . I won't tell you what I thought they meant.....
I'll be an expert by the time I leave.
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| shearing in action |
This is a very serious competition. Shearing is a very macho culture, and pay depends on speed and skill.
Each competitor has to shear 9 sheep as fast and as skilfully as possible, in front of a crowd of enthusiastic locals.
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| Southern Shears 2016 |
This video shows you how it is done. The commentator does a star job.
Its a bit like watching a horse race, but without the track, and I didn't see any signs of betting. Just cups of coffee and cigarettes.
The fleeces are compressed in a baling machine.
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| wool baling machine |
And the finished article looks like this.
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| shorn sheep |
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| badly shorn sheep (not in Gore) |
So that is that. I will say no more about sheep.
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| sheep |
Probably.
