Today's Tip: If windy - don't shear!!

Little electric fencing event this morning.  SOMEONE forgot to turn off the alpacas' electric fencing when they checked the sheep first thing.  After I had fed the lambs I started to get the gates open to the run so we could get the boys sheared.  I unhooked the electric fence, thinking I could hear that tick tick noise but didn't get a shock so assumed my hearing was going.  I hooked the wire over the - metal - gate and holding the gate with one hand gathered up the - metal - catch with the other.  The boys were obediently trotting down towards me as a huge jolt hit me!  I screeched, the boys scarpered - Carl and Sam laughed!  That really hurt!  Carl, in between tears of laughter, informed me that I hadn't felt it when I unhooked as it is on a pulse - whatever that might mean.

All shearing set up, boys down - and the wind started to really get up.  No rain though so we had to just get on with it.  Time is limited and next weekend is out, so is the following as we are shearing then - in fact if we didn't do the boys today it looked like July was the next free date!  Shearing with the wind blowing is not good - there were  several shouts of "Catch that blanket!"  Rather than the more usual, "Blanket" - as we rush for the red bucket!  Well, they are done but some fleece is making it's way towards Turnworth.  One very useful discovery I did make is that the Poo Collector is an excellent devise for collecting up the stray stuff at the end of shearing (as long as you remember to clean the filter afterwards).  Sadly, due to Carl and work, we have to shear in several batches - so much easier if we could do all whites at one time, then  all brown and so on - one day!
None of the boys would then pose properly for a photograph so this is the best I could do - Here is Dylan who was the biggest baby to date and cried and shrieked the whole way through.  Carl was a bit wary of doing his rear end anyway as he has the most enormous pair of balls you have ever seen!  I think Dylan was a little scared of the clippers round there as well!

And here is little Barnaby Rudge who was the most perfectly behaved, despite it being the first time he has been sheared.  He looks totally different now, shame I couldn't get his face.