Clarts and calamities

Clarts and calamities is actually the title of a book, written by a genius called Henry Brewis. Any one who has never acquainted themselves with Henry Brewis and his cartoons and thoughts about sheep and farming don't know what they are missing. If he were still alive today he would have a hey day recording all the modern day bureaucracy farmers and shepherds find themselves faced with. Anyhow, this posting is not about a book, just shares the title.

Just the other night on the 6 O'clock news there was a report about the droughts down south. Drought? Seemingly it is true, there are five counties away down there somewhere which are seriously suffering from a lack of rain.

I recall just the other day stating that the ground was drying up, admittedly it had a long way to go but drying up it was... then it rained again!

Funny thing. Nature vs Man. Wouldn't you think if we were so clever we could divert this wettness we are experiencing and send it down to those less fortunate, those who are praying for rain. Would be good to be able to turn the tables, but we ain't that clever and turn the tables or divert the weather we can't do. Nature wins again!

Moss doesn't take too kindly to getting his feet dirty, however he has little option through this gateway, neither did the sheep which we were slowly gathering on foot.

Blocked drains may not be helping in some areas. Underground tile drains laid years ago get blocked with roots, tiles moving or the build up of silt which gets washed in with the water.

Whatever the problem Shep had great fun spalshing in puddles, at least my wellies were getting cleaned!

So those photos explain the clarts (mud/mess). What about the calamity?

Not truly a calamity although it probably looks that way. Dead sheep? Poorly sheep? Anyone who knows sheep will recognise the stance - lying on her belly, head flattened to the ground, lugs flattened, body looking tense. It's a sheep huff. Nearly, but not quite as bad, as a man huff.

A fit sheep (which can often be the case), she has just decided that enough is enough, it is pissing with rain, the ground is saturated and she ain't gonna co operate. I have to say a sharp boot up the backside will often see them lift out of their huff but this mule ewe was stronger willed than that.

Shep stood well back and waited. Coz one thing a huffy sheep is very good at is banging to her feet when she thinks it is safe to do so and then generally gallops off in the opposite direction to the one in which you intend her to go.

She raised her head to look around and work out where her mates had disappeared to, then sure enough like a rocket she banged up onto all fours and legged it. I had positioned myself in the field to ensure she had to move in the direction her mates had travelled, she wasn't likely to run towards me that's for sure!

There she goes, nowt wrong with her at all, she was booling (charging) along like the devil himself was behind her. I guess it's the wild instinct in these sheep, as we so often see on wildlife documentaries, animals will often flatten themselves to the ground and pretend to be dead in an attempt to confuse their hunters, this hunter wasn't that easily confused!