The Happy Sheep Dance at Persabus

The Happy Farmer has been doing his happy sheep dance at Persabus. With the sun splitting the skies and plenty of the troops around it was a good day to get the sheep sheared.

We had one absentee with a ‘no show’ from the Singing Shepherd and more importantly his fabulous collie dogs, but luckily the Happy Farmer had a plan B when he discovered his cousins were not leaving Islay until the evening ferry. Bad planning on their part, but as the Happy Farmer pointed out, their holiday would not have been complete without a day working with the sheep on the farm. Their plans for a relaxing last day on Islay were scuppered. On their final evening the Happy Farmer happily plied them with fine dining and plenty of drink before announcing that to complete the ‘Persabus experience’ their services would be required on the last morning, just a few hours or maybe more to help gather and dose the sheep before the arrival of the sheep shearers. The cousins were positively delighted at the extra hospitality on offer, honestly.

In the late afternoon you could hear the gentle hum of the sheep and the buzz of the shearers’ clippers across the farm. With the crew assembled at the sheep fank it was all ‘hands on deck’ as the sheep were duly held in pens before being loaded onto the mobile clipping trailer where those ‘ladies’ got a neat trim. Skipping their height in the air they positively danced off the platform, all shorn, and free from their heavy fleeces, ready to enjoy the heat of the afternoon sun. Eldest even got to shear her first sheep under the gentle guidance of the more experienced shearers.

A huge trough of chilli was bubbling away in the farmhouse kitchen to feed the troops. In the garden, beer, chilli, reclining deck chairs and relax.

Today with a gentle drizzle in the air the little Hebridean sheep were nowhere to be seen. They appeared to be absent without leave. Feeling it ever so slightly cooler and damper they had voted with their hooves and upgraded to the new accommodation suite at Persabus. When eldest went looking for them they were found all huddled happily in the horses’ stable enjoying the nibbles that had been carefully laid on for them. Persabus hay is apparently delicious.

The Happy Farmer was not so delighted to hear those ladies were happily settled in the stable chomping on the hay. He could later be seen flying out the field at a rate of knots with hurdle and string to hand before serving a strict eviction notice. Those ladies are now barred from the horses’ suite at Persabus but escaped with a good mouthful of hay.

Until next time…