Monday, November 15, 2010

Sheep


I find it appropriate that my first entry in New Zealand made mention of sheep. This one does as well. Sue greeted us as Brian and I pulled in to John and Annette's driveway, "oh good, you can help us with the sheep." They needed the Ute (translation: pickup truck) we've been borrowing, to pull a trailer with Annette's sheep in it to the butcher's. Except the five sheep weren't in the trailer yet. They were baaing around in the tiny paddock (field) below John and Annette's house. So I climbed into the field with Sue and John to herd the sheep toward the gate. Brian backed the Ute down to the gate entrance. On our second try, we got the sheep in the pen next to the gate. John began wrestling each one onto its bum. Once on their bums, sheep become calm and he was able to drag them through the gate and place their front feet on the back ledge of the trailer to boost them in. Brian operated the gate, and assisted with sheep boosting. Sue and I stood at the back of the pen's short gate to intimidate the sheep from jumping back over into the paddock.

Eloise slept in her car seat in the Ute this entire time.

Next, Sue and I hopped into the Ute and drove the sheep to "Dr. Hud's Killing and Processing" operation out in Kaipara Flats. I was surprised to see genuine redwood trees on the side of the road up to Dr. Hud's. The sheep were unloaded and marked and Sue drove us back to the house. On the drive we passed the farm she co-owns. I learned all about share-milking and a bit about dairy farming.

Eloise slept almost all the way home.

She is teething and it appears as if all that drooling and frustration requires extra sleep.

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