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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

“If someone wants a sheep, then that means that he exists” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

So it was sheep mustering time in Skagafjordur last weekend, one excuse for my lack of blogness... Vicki has a great blog with videos on vickitheviking.blogspot etc.  well worth taking a look at.  It all started rather sedately with there being a hold up due to fog on the mountain.
So, the sister, the cousin, the aunts and I had a fairly relaxed time... had coffee and chatted to the locals... below is a picture of the sheep that I drew all on my lonesome.  They don´t look like much... but notice - they have horns.  Also, please note - I only took photos when I had nothing to do, after the herd came down there was no time for photo taking or chatting or anything else - except try to entice my uncles sheep to go into their enclosure.  He has around 1,000 sheep - which is not a lot for an Australian sheep farmer, but not bad for one in this neck of the woods.  Now all we worry about is whether they are heavy enough and will they be of the best quality in the slaughter house.  One day I will do a post about sheep farming in Iceland, the quality control, the government subsidies, how the lambs are slaughtered and where the meat goes.  For those not aware - the Icelandic lambs are only slaughtered at this time of year, so September and October are the only months that you get fresh lamb.  Also, the New Zealanders have arrived - seems to be a totally fresh lot, as have the swedes and the poles.  Sauðárkrókur is cosmopolitan again.
For those of you with a queasy stomach I suggest you stop reading now... you see what happens is that your thighs become quite bruised during the whole dragging of sheep by the horns business (best done when you are holding said horns in front of your legs and dragging the sheep between your legs).  The sheep had revenge - as I was getting one into our coral another decided that the side of my knee needed reconfiguring.  So I have a slightly looser tendon on the inside of my right leg.  Not to worry - had a great great time.  Don´t know when the next post will be - possibly after my adventures at the annual general meeting of the harbour authorities which will be held on the 23rd and 24th... or hang on no, it will be sooner, big sis, who is here on holidays has a birthday on the 19th... have I told you how great she is...?????  and Olga and Ross arrive on Thursday... life is so so good.
Again.... you were warned,