Tuesday 12 January 2016

Drama in the field.

I returned from my coffee with friends (and a pastry too because they looked so good) this morning, to find the farmer in, sitting by the Aga, both nostrils blocked with cotton wool.   He was reading the paper, so not too bad I thought.

What happened, he found a sheep that had got out (nothing new there - they are past masters at the art) and had then got itself fast in the hedge.   He had to yank hard to extract it, at which point it reared up in the air and hit him clean between the eyes with its very hard head.

Blood pouring from his nostrils he was determined not to let go of its horns until it was returned to the proper field, so blood streaming down he managed to get it back to the flock and then came home, washed himself down and with what was by this time a
very swollen nose, he sat down to recover.  Now we are waiting to see if he gets two black eyes as well.

He seems to be recovered and is doing the jig saw, but as it is a cold day he is staying indoors until feed-up time.    

One of the perils of farming I am afraid.   He has never really liked sheep; he likes them even less now!

29 comments:

SandyExpat said...

Wow the farmer is a very tough man. I hope you purchased him a pastry when you were out. He deserves it after that experience

Jane in Cumbria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jane in Cumbria said...

I suppose you could do the feed-up time, and let him sit by the fire?

Sue in Suffolk said...

Sheep..............one bit of bramble sticking out of a hedge and they can find it and get tangled up and then stuck, then they think they're dead!

mrsnesbitt said...

One of my very very favourite poems by Walter Dela Mare Pat....

Softly along the road of evening,
In a twilight dim with rose,
Wrinkled with age, and drenched with dew
Old Nod, the shepherd, goes.

His drowsy flock streams on before him,
Their fleeces charged with gold,
To where the sun's last beam leans low
On Nod the shepherd's fold.

The hedge is quick and green with briar,
From their sand the conies creep;
And all the birds that fly in heaven
Flock singing home to sleep.

His lambs outnumber a noon's roses,
Yet, when night's shadows fall,
His blind old sheep-dog, Slumber-soon,
Misses not one of all.

His are the quiet steeps of dreamland,
The waters of no-more-pain,
His ram's bell rings 'neath an arch of stars,
'Rest, rest, and rest again.'


Walter de la Mare

Heather said...

Poor fellow - not what he would expect in return for helping that silly sheep. I hope he isn't in too much pain and will still be recognisable in the morning! He has my sympathy.

jinxxxygirl said...

Oh the poor farmer!!!! i hope he is truly not hurt that badly....Hugs! deb

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

There's a New Zealand horror-comedy movie called "Black Sheep" that you both might enjoy watching!

John Going Gently said...

That man needs a new young stockman

Gwil W said...

Take him to the pub and buy a couple of pints of Black Sheep bitter. That'll mend him.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sandy - yes I did buy him a custard tart before I knew about what had happened.
Jane - you are joking, aren't you?
Sue - you obviously know sheep well.
Denise - one of my favourite poems too although there is not a lot of truth in the sentiments.
Thanks to the rest of you. Noticeably it is the men who don't show a lot of sympathy - just suggest remedies. The one the farmer likes best is the pint of Black Sheep - and we only live eight miles from the actual brewery!

Mary said...

Oh my - just read this to Bob - his thought, he would have taken revenge and would be eating lamb chops for supper tonight!
Not me though - and I promise I would not even grill them for him!!!
So sorry - that must have been quite a butt to poor farmer's head and nose - and there I was thinking sweet woolly sheep just hopped over fences whilst we counted them and drifted off to dreamland!
Get well soon Mr. Farmer.

BTW - I will be starting my new book soon - The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks - perhaps I should be prepared for hard core sheep stories of less than cute, cuddly lambs being hand-fed from baby bottles.

Mary -

Dawn said...

OUCH !!!! they say never work with children or animals hope the custard tart made him feel a bit better

angryparsnip said...

Oh My Goodness !
From what I have read on your blog sheep are truly a big pain.
Verty cute big pains but trouble.

cheers, parsnip and thehamish

Frances said...

Hope that the farmer is feeling better in the morning and not too swollen !

Terry and Linda said...

Oh, gosh! He is very lucky to have not been knocked out. Terry would agree with your farmer...Terry is not much fond of sheep either. Although, I do like them.

Linda

Tom Stephenson said...

Sheep may safely graze......

Bovey Belle said...

Ouch! I hope he doesn't look like he's been fighting Mohammed Ali and lost . . . I guess this just underlines what he has always thought about sheep!

donna baker said...

It says a lot that he held on in spite of it all. The old mare Brownie bit Gracie on the rump while were we looking in the opposite direction eating a carrot. Gracie swung her head around hitting me on the side of my face and sent me flying sideways. I got a goose egg and black eye for my trouble. It taught me to be more careful around large animals. One of my tom turkeys jacked my jaw as I tried to lift him and a couple of weeks later, I had neck spasms. Who'd of thought a turkeys wings flapping could have done that damage? Farmer does need to leave things like that to a youngster. Sorry to him.

Dartford Warbler said...

I do sympathise. I had something similar with one of our wilder foals once. A whack from even a small horse`s head can cause a terrific nosebleed and black eyes!

I hope the Farmer doesn`t wake up with a headache ( and that he felt well enough to enjoy his custard tart).

Frances said...

Jeepers! Weaver, you've painted the scene of your return home with the pastry very well. The image of the Farmer, post sheep contact, has put me in the mood for preparing a warming lamb stew or shepherd's pie soon. Would that be wrong, taking some sort of cross species revenge?

Hoping that the Farmer doesn't have any painful after-effects.

xo

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Oh dear, that does sound like he will be sporting two black eyes by tomorrow! Silly sheep. Maybe he can make up some kind of heroic tale to explain his appearance. -Jenn

Cro Magnon said...

Ungrateful bloody Sheep! You'd think he/she'd would at least have said thank you.

Derek Faulkner said...

Sheep are the worst kind of livestock to keep. Talking to the grazier who puts his livestock on the nature reserve that I keep on eye on, he sticks to cattle. He always says that if there's a new way of dying sheep will find it, plus with lots of ditches on the reserve, we used to be always pulling them out of those.

thelma said...

Too many sheep in this part of the world, can never understand why lamb is so expensive when you come to buy it. They are just convenient lawn mowers for the people round here ;). Poor farmer and very brave for continuing to pull the sheep out...

meigancam01 said...

I hope for the best!! And I appreciate your post, thanks for sharing!

Living Alone in Your 60's said...

Goodness that's sounds eye wateringly painful. Tea and sympathy needed.

Anonymous said...

Back in the sixties, we had gentlemen of the road. In Blandford in Dorset we had, amongst others Jeremiah, he told me that sheep were always looking for a way to die. At the age of 14 I did not believe him. I do now!

The Weaver of Grass said...

The farmer says thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes. Sterangely enough he has not got two black eyes, although the bridge of his nose looks a bit worse for wear. He had a new passport photograph taken this morning and really he looks as though he has been in a fight.