Back on the Farm
The ewe lies in the straw and strains, her huge bulk making her uncomfortable. At the business end of things the vet manipulates the lamb so it can be born, legs and heads shifted into the right places as nature is somehow not good at this. In a rush of snotty blood a limp wet body surges onto the straw and is frantically rubbed and dried, drugs administered to help it breathe and the tiny body struggles for life. Soon enough the lamb is returned to mum and is licked clean, guided by instinct.
Lambing as i remembered it wasnt like this, it was much more matter of fact, far less intervention and it was just seen as part of the process if lambs didnt make it. However, those were meat lambs and these are pedigree Suffolks far more valuable and problematic at birth.
Christmas day began at 6am when Hazel woke me from my virus induced sleep to ask if i could help as the vet was on his way. All prepared for a Ceasar the procedure is avoided by using ropes and wires to guide the lamb into the world.
A fair bit has changed since i last blogged. I worked at Argo’s bakery for a couple of months which allowed me to move off the boat and into a winter let along the main street, but also left me feeling drained and sick of life as i was working 7 days a week for nearly 3 months, some weeks over 75 hours a week. Working to pay for things that make you happy is something i did for far too long and i am careful not to do it again.
For those of you who know Stromness it is beside the Orca hotel. That huge whale skull? Thats on the outside of my bedroom wall, i sleep around 2m from it and it clonks in the wind. Nice. I share the house with Kev, skipper of the Sharon Rose which works out pretty well. At the moment i am up on the farm with Hazel helping with the lambing for a month and then back into Stromness to work on the new project until we start the diving season.