Not all farmers harvest in July and August with a combine and on Monday, we here started our own particular version. Raymond came to shear the Bowmonts.

Fortunately the weather is mild at the moment so its easier on all of us. We know the sheep are going to be comfortable without their woolly coats for a week or two until some grows back. Nonetheless we had prepared well by strawing up two fresh pens with a huge bed of barley straw for them to go into after they were shorn.

Raymond is a man of tradition and when I suggested to him that he might like to try a new comb this year, specially designed for shearing Merinos, he was sceptical in a way that only Devon farmers can be! But, he was happy to try it so good for him! For those of you whose life experience has not taken them into the mysteries of shearing equipment I should explain that a sheep shearing comb and a cutter are the two small but crucial bits of metal that sit at the front of the hand piece and do the job. Think about the hair dresser using electric clippers on human hair and you will know what I mean. Sheep kit is far bigger and more robust as you can imagine. These pictures show you a standard comb and cutter as used on most British sheep and then the Heiniger Wicked comb . The Wicked has a convcave bevel and much longer, narrower teeth that throw the fleece outwards as the shear enters it.

Heiniger WICKED comb

Cutter

Raymond started by shearing one sheep using the conventional comb, shown here in the middle. Then he switched to the new Wicked. The difference was unbelievable. He was astonished and so was I! My Australian friends who advised me on the choice were absolutely right. It just flows through the wool as if it was butter! No more effort to actually break into that incredibly dense, fine wool. Raymond was completely converted and it’s the Heiniger Wicked for now on for him! I was mightily relieved as it took some nerve for me to offer it to him. He has shorn THOUSANDS of sheep in his lifetime and I’ve kept these amazing beasts for only 7 years.  Grandmothers and sucking eggs come to mind!

Whatever equipment we use here the welfare of our sheep at shearing is paramount. Speed is secondary to care. As you can imagine, with equipment like this, unless you take GREAT care you can lose ears, teats, and more male “bits” than I care to think about. Raymond always locates relevant anatomical features and places a finger carefully over each little delicate piece before shearing round it. Not a particularly pleasant business even for a tough sheep farmer but  it does ensure the sheep’s safety which has to be our priority.

I was dismayed today to see in the Western Daily Press the New Zealanders are considering pushing for sheep shearing to be made an Olympic Sport. 700 sheep to be shorn in 8 hours. Of course shearers cannot hang about and the quicker they work the better, but this sort of event would almost certainly lead to unnecessary mutilating injuries which all the Rules and Regulations in the world would not prevent. Animals are shorn partly for their own welfare, partly for our economic benefit. I don’t see what right we have to push that balance further in our favour. What do you all think?

It is a full and varied life here. Yesterday I received a very large order for cashmere from the United Arab Emirates which will take me a couple of weeks to process, an enquiry about visits here to the farm by groups of Russian tourists and had to take the poor dead body of one of my very favourite old original Cashmeres to the Veterinary Laboratory Agency at Starcross for a routine post mortem for our  Scrapie Monitoring Scheme membership.

I shall miss that old lass. She was just known as number 1304/63 – we have too many to give them all proper names but it doesn’t mean we don’t know them as individuals.  She was mother to Colly who is now fathering excellent kids in Switzerland so her legacy lives on. She died peacefully of old age (nearly 11 years old) having spent her first 6 years in Scotland. I like to think her last 5 were easier. She and I had some good cuddles during her last moments. She was warm, quiet and peaceful. Not a bad way to go.

What I mean by this rather strange phrase is – has hand knitting finally shaken off its image of an old-fashioned activity done by elderly women and become permanently acceptable as the amazing, all-encompassing art that we in our community know it to be?

I suspect the answer is no – not quite, but it’s getting there. What do you all think? Are we secure enough yet to feel that knitting won’t slip back into the doldrums?  What  evidence is there that knitting is still seen as old-fashioned? What evidence that it has REALLY arrived and become mainstream?

Obviously if you are reading this blog you are probably part of the Artisan community which already knows the true modern meaning of hand knitting but I’d be grateful if you could take a step back and look at perceptions of knitting among your wider community of friends/colleagues who don’t share your passions. That’s where we will see if there is really a change.

How much of the community at large do we need to convert before knitting is finally home and dry and does it matter ? Well yes, it does. A large number of people have built businesses and lives around supplying the greatly increased demand for all things “knit”, from yarn to sundries to patterns to the social interactions surrounding it and of course tuition. We are talking about job and business security and stability here. How secure is the future for hand knit related business and activities? Is it a flash in the pan revival or a long-term genuine change?

My own view is that hand knitting is here to stay. Quite apart from any other issues, knitting is bound up with all the “good” things we are trying to push in our society at the moment. It’s image is by and large GREEN – whatever colour palette you are knitting with! It ticks all the right boxes for eco, ethical, sustainable credentials etc.  BUT, green is still the colour of ham-fisted, poor quality, home spun and down-right dowdy in some quarters so this is not necessarily a good thing. High fashion is our saviour here and having seen the stunning offers from some of our top designers at  the Wool Modern exhibition last September it’s clear that wool/hand knitting has really arrived on the catwalk. It’s keeping the balance here that is essential I feel.

Anyway – just a few random thoughts on the topic. Please do join in with your own. I always find you come up with some incredibly useful and interesting views when I ask you to comment so please do it again!

F  Fashionable, Fun

R  Responsible, Renewable

E  Ethical, Essential

S  Sustainable, Soft

H  Holistic, Healthy

These are my first thoughts when trying to find words to fit FRESH. No doubt you can think of many more. This is not a competition or anything like it, just me playing with ideas.

For me the key word among all those above is ESSENTIAL. If we are to really bridge the gulf here in the UK between the high end, expensive market which already exists for wool and the ordinary, less affluent consumer, we have to make wool a “must have”, not just an optional extra. What’s the best way to do that? It’s a tough call to find something that is absolutely categorically only good if it’s made from wool. All things that used to made from wool have alternatives these days and those alternatives are often cheaper. How do we re-establish wool as the best/only choice? Waiting for the oil to run out is not an option. Despite the best efforts of the green lobby to persuade us that this is imminent, (I remember being told this 40 years ago!) those pesky oil companies just keep on going finding more of the stuff. So we need to outcompete synthetics and yet, (and this is crucial), be affordable.

It’s this affordability and ordinariness which has been missing so far I think in the renewed push for more wool use. I have no doubt that we can regain some of the middle and lower ground lost to synthetics and cheap wool imports but we need a strategy. What products do you all feel we could reasonably go into battle over? What fairly ordinary, everyday thing used to be available in wool and now is sold mainly as a synthetic?

Obviously our best bet is to make wool aspirational  which is largely what marketing has already been doing and very succesfully too. But perhaps it’s time to target popular culture and its icons more directly? Strictly Come Dancing wearing Merino perhaps?  Sounds daft but actually perfectly possible.  And what about Premiership football (soccer to my US readers!)? Ok maybe the team kit on the field might be best in synthetics but the track suits/jackets they wear onto the field could surely be made from wool fabric? I’m sure many players wear incredibly expensive wool suits but these are already covered in marketing – I’m talking about the things the things fans will want to buy. If their team’s “uniform” was made using wool then fans too would flock to buy it.

Football and Strictly Come Dancing – what a combination! But they could be the perfect vehicles for a new push on wool. Or I could of course be talking out of my (woolly) hat! What do you all think?

I’ve just got the bill from our vet (South West Sheep Breeding Services) for our latest  layer of the “security blanket” for my precious Bowmont sheep. Nearly £500. This is for preserving the semen from two  of my best rams from my current crop. This means I now have a total of three rams in store plus embryos from another unrelated ram/ewe combination.  Each time I add to this cryo bank I sleep a little more easily at night. When Foot and Mouth strikes, (not IF you notice) or if some other nameless horror from foreign shores gets into the UK and the government adopt its usual  “kill first – think later” approach, then, assuming I ever recover from the trauma of the horrific experience a slaughter here would undoubtedly be, I could start again. In fact I doubt I could start again. My heart would have been buried with the carcasses and I could not bear it. But, someone else could and all my work and the 25 years work of the Macaulay Institute which preceded it would not have been in vain.

I do the same  for my Cashmere goats although finances dictate that it tends to be one batch of either sheep or goats a year. Costs are high as you can see and every year there is a storage charge for the total amount of genetic material in the freezer.

Why do I bother you might ask? Because I have an absolute passion for quality.  By preserving the very best genetics I can I ensure the work I am doing here can go on. I am not interested in making a huge profit out of my animals. I AM interested in making sure their qualities are available in the future. Until I find sufficient people in the UK who are just as committed to quality as I am, preserving the genetics in this way has to be the only sure option.

I spent last night tucked under a Devon Duvet. Obvious yes – I live in Devon. But this duvet was far from obvious. instead of being full of Polyester, or Fancy-Fill or Pseudo-Duck it is full of simple wool and, made right here in Devon. Nothing added, nothing taken away – just carded batt of wool held in place by quilting and a cotton cover.

Devon Duvets are of course not the only company making them nowadays, The Wool Room is another.  Foreign imports are also available but both those I mention are  using BRITISH wool  and for me that’s got to be a high priority.

I’ve not been over keen to try it until recently. A perception that it would be expensive and probably very heavy put me off. But  I’m increasingly  finding a synthetic duvet hot and cold, not particularly good at keeping me warm all night and thoroughly unattractive. I sleep erratically at the best of times and regularly get up to work at about 4am. How much is due to the duvet is debatable but I suspect at least some.   Wool has obvious possible advantages  so it went on my Christmas List.

Fortunately Father Christmas got the message and the duvet was tried out last night for the first time.  After only one night I can genuinely say it was incredibly comfy and snug, slightly heavier than the “polyfilla” alternative but not at all bad for that – in fact I quite like the slightly more substantial feel. I slept better – waking after a longer sleep than normal (although the reason for that might be sheer exhaustion and a heavy cold so the jury is out!). It was a very different, really comforting feeling – hard to describe. Obviously I’m probably biased because of my love for all things sheepish, but I really do feel it was better than the artificial alternative.   Cost wise the Wool Room have some excellent offers at the moment through January and the prices are about the same as top quality artificial fills. If you have the cash to spare  it’s my belief that a wool duvet would be a good investment. And you would be supporting British sheep farming and the wool industry. What more could you ask? If the duvet doesn’t keep you warm enough then that smug glow of satisfaction certainly will!!

When I say a day off, I mean from the daily effort of ploughing through our mud covered, rain-soaked fields to find some grazing. They are game beasts and incredibly tough, jumping swollen streams, wading through mud up to their hocks (although they will jump it if they can) and being thoroughly stoic about the whole grim business. But when I saw them come into a nice freshly strawed barn last night and settle down to a good top up feed of silage and then a well earned night’s sleep I decided enough was enough. They will stay in now until the weather changes.

The Angoras are very much more delicate and have been in their stables for most days over the last few weeks getting exercise on a concrete yard area. They really hate the rain and will stand looking hunched up and miserable if there are more than just a few drops. They just don’t have the tolerance either to cold or wet that the Cashmeres do but since I only have a handful these days it is absolutely no problem to look after them inside.

The Bowmonts are already inside but that’s because they are drying off in advance of shearing. Soggy sheep and electric shearing machines are not a good combination!

We have been caught in a south-westerly airstream here for weeks, meaning we have temperatures no lower than 4C at night and up to 13C during the day.  S Westerlies bring RAIN always since they come in over the sea. The quantities here have been unbelievable and our neighbouring farmer who has lived here for 25 years says he cannot remember a wetter winter ever.  Before the last three cold winters we did have a long run of wet mild ones so this is just a variation of normal, but he can’t remember one quite AS wet as this year.

Taking our John Deere Gator over the top of our steep 30 acre field yesterday to check on the goats we found standing water everywhere on what is the best drained field on the farm. The ground is completely saturated.  These are the conditions the goats are having to cope with and while Cashmeres are very tolerant of water, even wading into our lake to eat reedmace (bullrushes), there comes a point when even they get fed up with it!  That combined with the fact that, despite their light delicate feet they are beginning to make a real mess around gateways etc has decided me. There may still be grass out there for them to eat but for the next few days at least they must be confined to barracks. From what I saw last night they will not object. And it gives us a chance to catch up with the winter vaccinations for Clostridial disease plus give them all a good “once over” before the pre kidding run up.

Our work load goes up tremendously of course. No farmer likes to keep animals in a barn unless it’s essential. Every scrap of food has to be carried to them and of course our straw needs go up astronomically since what goes in inevitably comes out in one form or another!! Then there is the delightful habit my Cashmeres have of eating the straw as fast as I put it down! They ADORE oat or barley straw and will stuff themselves. When I wheel the barrow in I have at least two goats leap on it and the rest mug me regularly to snatch another mouthful!! They see it as a great game of course and I end up covered in goat fluff and straw, plus it takes me twice as long to do the job. Little varmints!! I never thought I’d ask for more ice and snow after last winter, but we really DO need some serious cold weather over the next few weeks.  Then the goats can go back to their usual entertainments instead of  the “How much straw can we eat out of her barrow” type!!

Stuffed with silage and straw!

The previous post about plastic bags v fabric/textile bags has thrown up so many interesting points. I feel, just like Helen, that it is almost impossible to feel “good” about anything we buy/eat/use/consume these days. There is always someone out there ready to throw a spanner in the works of your good intentions and great Eco principles.

As such, I for one have decided to stop beating myself over the head about this. Commonsense HAS to prevail. The simplest and most effective mantra to live by, if we REALLY want to be as “green” as possible (and what on earth does that actually mean?) is to USE less and DO more Just that. Use less of absolutely everything. From the largest aspects in your life to the smallest.  Less money, less food, less waste. Less washing powder, fewer trips to the nearest town, less cleaning material (but possibly more elbow grease to compensate!) In contrast, DO more to grow your own, help others, watch over your community, mend clothes and items, and do more exercise.

These are simple, flexible guidelines. There is no beating yourself over the head with this. No guilt laden angst if you have the occasional indulgence. If you have used less for the majority of the time we can all be allowed a treat now and again.

Just as we can all remove sugar from our cups of coffee and tea by gradual reduction to the point of not missing it, we can do the same with consumption of everything. My firm view is that if we all did this  we would feel better, look better, and our communities would be healthier places.  Whether it would make any difference to the greenhouse gas emissions I know not but since there is already such confusion over what is real and unreal in that sphere I’m again, refusing to beat myself over the head about THAT either.

So, there we have it. USE LESS, DO MORE. My own New Year Resolution. Simple. The simpler the better I am told, if you really wish to stick to it and make a difference.

Happy New Year to you all!!

 

Did you know that you must use a jute or other natural fibre shopping bag 130 times to compensate for the extra energy required to manufacture it compared to a single use plastic bag? If you reuse your plastic carrier 10 times you would have to use an equivalent jute bag 1300 times!
These facts really grabbed me this morning as I was listening, not to a rabid anti eco activist but a serious polymer scientist with interests in both plant-based and oil based polymers. It was on Melvin Bragg’s brilliant In Our Time programme on BBC Radio 4 today. The scientist was Tony Ryan,  Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield – a noted expert. He was not trying to claim in any way that we should all be heedless of our use of plastic bags – he pointed out several times that oil is running out largely due to the profligate way we have used it in the last 70 years or so. Rather he was saying that we should stop making emotionally based, knee jerk reactions to the problem which may in fact do little in the long run to help. Plastic bags v jute were a good example of this.  We should instead be using our heads to further develop  naturally sourced polymers – many of which are already coming on stream as a result of research projects.

It was fascinating listening and certainly chimed very strongly with my own feelings. I have always had a deep-rooted suspicion of “quick fix” solutions whether its jute bags (the two I own are coated internally with plastic I might add!)  or  onshore wind farms. Both score high on visibility and low on true effectiveness or fitness for purpose.

I for one shall cease to feel guilty when using plastic bags in shops (when I really need them of course) so long as I make a silent vow to reuse them  until they fall to bits. On the whole I do this very successfully already. Surely by doing this and jumping off the guilt trip bandwagon I am actually helping far more.  I am using less and reusing what I have. Surely THIS is the real mantra we should all be signing up to whether its plastic bags, food or energy. Use less, use less, use LESS!

I’ve just tweeted about the find of a slaughtered and butchered sheep’s bones on my neighbour’s farm drive over Christmas. It’s a typical example of how the increase in the price of meat has led to a spate of either straight rustling of sheep or this ghastly unofficial butchery where the poor beast is subject to God knows what horrors in the corner of a field or back of a van. Of course it’s the same as deer poaching which goes on regularly round here, in and out of the official season for taking deer. We had a pile of deer legs and a head dumped next to our refuse collection point not long ago. It strikes a chill in my heart and is a stark reminder of the horrific things people are prepared to do to make some ready cash. What would they do to you if you caught them?

They only do this of course because someone somewhere will buy the meat from them and this is the nub of the problem. The general public is so ignorant in general about how our meat is processed that they have no idea of the dangers they face by buying “through the back door”.  Only by buying  from official licensed outlets such as high street butchers, supermarkets and farms with an established retail trade who can show that they are licensed by Environmental Health departments can you be as certain as possible that your meat is safe. All properly farmed meat goes through licensed slaughter houses. Farmers must declare in a legally binding form that the animal contains no medication which may harm human health (random checks are done at the abattoir on this), the live animal is checked in by a qualified vet looking for signs of illness or disease (and of course checking on welfare issues) and every single carcass goes through a rigorous meat hygiene inspection by a highly qualified meat inspector. It is spoiled after inspection with indelible dye if it is unfit for human consumption so making it easy to spot if it accidentally gets into the food chain.

“Back door” meat goes through none of this careful checking of course. You can be buying antibiotic loaded meat where the withdrawal period has not been observed, or meat from a very sick animal which of course will be easier to catch! Even here, where we could slaughter our own animals to eat on the farm, everything is done via the licensed abattoir firstly because I know they do a very good kind job very quickly and secondly because I know the meat will be professionally inspected for signs of illness or disease. I’ve never had an unfit carcass (and obviously we slaughter very few animals) BUT I would never put my family’s health at risk by not having the meat looked at by someone who knows exactly what to look for. Even the wild red deer which are shot here to keep the numbers down are all taken away and butchered/inspected on licensed premises before we get any back to eat. The risks are simply too great.

So, if you see really cheap meat on sale via a pub, mobile van or “dodgy” market stall, have no hesitation in reporting it immediately to your local Trading Standards team who will investigate. Please don’t encourage the trade, or put your health at risk by buying this dangerous meat.