By Wishing everyone a happy Easter and Passover. Spring seems to have arrived, certainly in our part of the world. The smell of sheep is in the air and up our noses and everywhere else it can cling to.
A Local Town
We had to pop to one of the towns local to us on Good Friday. I won’t mention which town it was, it wouldn’t be fair. Like most larger towns in this area, it has a livestock market which is usually held on a Friday. I’m not sure if it was because the weather was so nice and there was very little wind, but the stink was horrendous! Wherever you went, the smell lingered with you. A very ‘sheepy’ sort of smell. (Say that 3 times as fast as you can.)
I Know Very Little
My knowledge of sheep is very limited. In fact, I know nothing at all about them except that they tend to follow each other. They can also be useful for counting when you’re finding it difficult to get to sleep! I’m assuming that when they are herded together, shoved into a transporter and carted off to the unknown, it must be scary. Then, offloaded into a market arena with maybe a thousand other sheep I suppose the fear factor can take over. Hence, lots of sheepy pee.
Poor Sheep
You can’t help feel sorry for the woolly animals. The fields by us are filling up with them, so, I hope that’s where most of them went from yesterdays market. We were going to call into the cafe for a pot of tea, but as it was Good Friday, it was closed. I’m pleased really as I wouldn’t have enjoyed a cuppa with that pungent smell in the air. I suppose the people who live there are used to it. A bit like living next door to a tyre factory, or under the flight path of a large airport. My Dad always used to say, ‘If you put up with something long enough, you eventually get used to it!’
All Happy
When I got home, I went for a walk around the country lanes for about a couple of miles. Fresh air, wall to wall sunshine and lots of sheep. They were as happy as sheep can be. Some were sheltering under the hedgerows and others chomping away at the grass. No stinky sheep here, thank goodness. I wished them all a happy Easter and carried on my way.
Wikipedia page about our woolly friends.
inese
April 20, 2019Happy Easter! 🙂
admin
April 20, 2019Thank you, happy Easter
Sue W
April 21, 2019I wrote a comment yesterday, but for some reason it wouldn’t load.
You would think that living here on a small farm for the past 43 years I would be used to the Cattle market. Odd how we always refer to it as the cattle market given that all types of hooves pass through.
I never enjoyed my visits, the smell of fear was as you said, pungent.
Happy Easter to you and Debbie.
admin
April 21, 2019Indeed, Sue, you said it so well, the smell of fear. There’s very little in the way of cattle around here, it’s nearly all sheep. Thank you and a Happy Easter to you too.
Invisibly Me
April 21, 2019Yep, the smell of sheep can be very intense! Where I used to live in the ‘Shire’, they’d forever be wandering on roads and causing a nuisance, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for them, wondering if they know what fate lies in store for them. Walks on country roads & enjoying the fresh air, however, sounds very good! xx
admin
April 21, 2019Thank you, Caz. Yes, plenty here wandering about at times. We are blessed with this good weather and being able to get out and about in it. I wonder myself if they ever have any idea of their outcome.
Yvonne KT
April 22, 2019Thanks so much.
Happy Ester to you dear.
admin
April 22, 2019Thank you, Yvonne.
Ruth
April 24, 2019When I see your sheep photo I am motivated to pick up my knitting. I’ve never really smelled what you describe as I live in the city. Sometimes we put our noses in a skein of yarn and say it smells “sheepy or wooly” but we are clearly not smelling what you are smelling where you are around the animals.
admin
April 24, 2019Thank you, Ruth. I’m smelling the living thing which is probably more out of fear than anything else. When you get the wool, it’s been treated and cleaned beforehand. Plus there are probably many hundreds of sheep all together
in a confined space.
Gail’s Snapshotsincursive
April 29, 2019I don’t mind sheep, especially lamb cake (which doesn’t contain meat at all. 😜)
admin
April 29, 2019Thanks Gail, that sounds yummy 😀
Covert Novelist
May 9, 2019Lol, counting sheep…Hope they aren’t stinky.
admin
May 9, 2019Quite right too, you’d never get to sleep counting them and they were stinky 🙂