Wassup with Sheep?

Yesterday, being Waitangi Day 6/02/09 I spent the majority of the day occupied with sheep (as you do in New Zealand).

Firstly we (Dad, Mum and I) had to round up their 7 Ewes that had been chomping down the grass and getting rid of all the worms that proliferate when fattening lambs continually. 6 out of the seven were penned successfully but there always has to be one onery creature. In the end I tackled it and Mum and I lifted and carried it up into the sheep pen (hard work I tell you).

Loading them into the Cowleys Hire trailor proved more successful and 7 fat 'jammed in' ewes were back on their way to their home in Araroa. It was a nice leisurely drive through the back roads to Paparoa and onto Araroa. We arrived 2 minutes past our planned 2:30 pm (nice timing Lesmond J) and unloaded the 7 plump ewes that were either to join the several thousand other sheep of feed some hungry YWAMers that have a base near Paparoa.

The kind farmer who lent us the sheep (Thanks Phil) commented on their girth, they were by comparison really fat. It was like they had come off the Hilton (mum and dad's place) and wound up back at the bacpackers (not much grass around Paparoa y'all).

Next it was time to pick up 8 lambs (3 killers and 5 to fatten up for a further 5-6 months before filling the freezer...mmm...lamb chops).

We had to drive to a different part of the farm to pick up the newer lambs and we were all called upon to round them up successfully and make sure they didn't ecsape through the 'rickety' old yards that had numerous escape holes for the sneaky lambs and the odd ewe that was with them.

It was whilst I was guarding a 1.5 m gap in a wooden fence that a half crazed Ewe (not a cute cuddly lamb) thought she could sprint at me and escape between my legs! It took me by surprise but I managed to grab her as she was half way through my legs whereupon she took me for a short ride (literally) before I managed to get her under control. The real farmer came to my aid but the deranged sheep took off into a blind alley within the yard. She was 'gently' coaxed out of there only to charge me again!! This time I was ready. I deftly took a half step to the right leaving the sheep trying to pass me on my left, then I quickly and efficiently encircled the raging sheeps neck and held her in an inescapable sleeper hold! Badaboom!

It reminded me of this 2006 N.Z movie called Black Sheep (comedy/horror) that I had seen a while back - crazeeeee!

The farmer said he was glad I was there, which made me feel something other than the third wheel I usually feel in such situations. Yeah...that felt good.

I then helped load 8 lambs onto the trailor and we managed to successfully transport them back to Dad and Mum's 2 1/2 acre Hilton paradise, a nice days work.

I'm glad I work with people and not sheep, although it was fun wrestling a few of them this day - imagine if I tried that at work (the hospital) with a few of the onery patients we have there...funny as!