Sheep Shearing Day

An old photo of our ewes which shows how wooly they are this time of year.

One of our two favorite Shepherdess' hand shearing. Notice the pile of

wool on right looks like another ewe.

The other Shepherdess finishes the job.

 I'll post the goat-looking sheared sheep next time.

I so love this painting. 

Sheep shearing day

This is the time of year our sheep are visited by Shepherdess Elaine for shearing.
This year we met her apprentice, Lane. 

Elaine usually uses the electric shears but this time Lane used manual shears
for practice. She dresses in period costume in Colonial Williamsburg and shears
their sheep manually as a living history for visitors. Hard work. 

After shearing the ewe steps out of her wool coat!

By coincidence, as they walked out to the barn I turned on our PBS radio station
to find Tom Ashbrook interviewing James Rebanks who has just written a book
about sheep farming in England. 

 

Free of their heavy winter coats all the ewes leaped, butted each other and
generally had a happy afternoon!