Pelachuta's fleece laid out for skirting.
Ambrosia's fleece.
Queuing for the bath...Yesterday we started skirting the fleeces. For those unfamiliar with this, it is where you take the shorn fleece, lay it out, and remove any bits of vegetation, guard hairs, short bits of 'second cuts' which can't be spun, leaving you with the best of the fleece for carding and spinning.
Next followed a bit of husbandry, as the young ones nails needed a clip - I found that one of them has filling in the front space where you usually dig out soil, of both of the nails on one foot, a sort of semi-solid calcified callous - I couldn't remove it - anyone else come across this?
Then came my baptism - I'd noticed a slight pinkness in Minnies face suggesting slight loss of fleece as she did last year, so I got ready to apply some udder cream, when, in an instant, she fired a broad-side of regurgitated alfalfa into the side of my face - I'd arrived - previously I'd got away with a fine spray blown back by a windy day, but she'd decided I needed a full facial!
We had a delivery of hay today, which came with some relief, as we've only had brief showers over-night and the field is parched - it's going to be in great demand, and short supply.
That still left time to paint the side of the house in the sweltering shade as the sun had moved around.
I haven't started skirting....yet ! plenty of time for me to do that...another day, Im still waiting for my hay crop to grow !..just shows the difference in location !!........Jayne
ReplyDeletePelachuta certainly looks to have produced a great fleece weight there...oh how I love skirting...just about got mine done and I've gone and bought a load more!
ReplyDeleteWe hitched up the trailer this week and got a load of square bales - lovely to smell the fresh hay! You guys further south have certainly had some really hot weather recently, little wonder that the land is parched.
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