Dry Your Eyes Mate ....

Well, did I "drop bombs" at the Wiltshire Horn Show and Sale? Eh ..... no! There were no explosions, no red rosettes. I got a yellow one - 3rd in a class of three (... that’s last, isn’t it?). A fifth for a gimmer. Out in the first round in another class.

The sale started bad but was saved by my best two tups going for 460 gns (for Furb - see previous post) and 520 gns (for Elvis) - actually these prices were (I think) the 2nd highest in each class; the 4th and 5th highest in the whole sale - but obviously I much prefer to concentrate on the negative. The final cheque should just about cover the diesel, the chocolate, the crisps, the fizzy drinks, the fry ups and the 6% of the sale proceeds I had to pay my sons - Seamas and Calum - so they would agree to come.

There were highlights - Kevin Beaty’s shepherd’s pie (complete with ostentatious mutton salami, sweet potato combo) at Carlisle on the way down; the Marshall Cook’s hospitality in Leicestershire and the, guilt exorcism-like, satisfaction of repaying Tim White for a fry up he bought me 12 months ago.

Despite the disappointment and the broken dreams, it was an adventure and we laughed as we travelled. Seamas and Calum were probably laughing for different reasons - I mean 6% would make me happy too.

Perhaps I should choose a different song in the build up to next year to get excited to, other than Eminem .... I'm thinking The Animals - "Don't let me be misunderstood" .... good intentions but poor delivery.

Let’s get ready to RUUUMMMBBBLLLE .......

"Look ...If you had ... one shot ... or one opportunity .... to seize everything you ever wanted ... would you capture it ... or just let it slip?".... For all you Eminem fans out there ..... "there’s vomit on my sweater already!". (If you know nothing of this song best to click on the link - otherwise the following will be even weirder than it is intended to be)

I've done this before - over estimated in my squidgy brain the importance of an event then magnifying it further through song lyrics. You eventually realise that you've got carried away and that no one else is really all that excited about it. When I occasionally ponder on it, usually in retrospect, this trait really makes me cringe .... a lot. But here I go again ... getting overly dramatic with Eminem by my side ... because the count down is on to the Wiltshire Horn Show and Sale at Stoneleigh .... 5.5 days, one shot. Yes, just to confirm - I am applying lyrics written about rapping, abject poverty and social exclusion to sheep!

Not having people laugh at my stock may not be all I ever wanted but it’s in my top five in the life wish list (such an elevated position suggests the term “life” is used in its loosest sense). This sale though is the equivalent of a crystal clear mirror being held up to your stockmanship ... so in many ways it is “everything”, it is pride itself.

Two years ago I won the shearling ewe section - Steven Wonder, the guest judge from Detroit was quite impressed. This will be my second attempt to sell at the sale, and this time its serious! I am bringing the daddy sheep down this time and humiliation is more likely than jubilation. I haven’t fed them anything, all they know is grass and clover. The fear, as a result, is they will be like Dr Evil’s Mini-Me and only come up to the knees of their competitors.

Below is one of the Shearling Rams that is going - Furb; looking out over the Firth of Forth .... FYI before the non-farmers ask .... no, that's not a pillow case hanging from his under carriage :

Next is Elvis. A Two Shear and my favourite. He is normally not this small, he is just very far away! He must have had a suspicious mind today ... I could go on for a while squeezing out Elvis song titles related to the situation but have managed to control myself:

Am I ready to "drop bombs"? I will report back after the event ... ("snap back to reality") ... between my fits of tears and valium consumption.

My Cheque Book and Me .....

Today I went shopping. The Kelso Ram Sale brings me joy. 14 sale rings, over 5,000 tups, 8 hours, 1 me and 1 cheque book. I was after a Texel, one as bare skinned as possible. For 12 months I’d regretted not bidding further for the barest tup in the sale in 2009. Its index was good and it regarded wool like a a “reet hard” Geordie would a warm top on a January night out in the Big Market. I stopped at £620 to stem the flow of blood rushing from my nose. But since then I have often thought of that tup and wish I’d done things differently.

As someone trying to breed wool shedding sheep. As someone that wants the best of both worlds - wool shedding AND conformation. The trait in some Texels that is expressed through very little wool growth and even wool loss is very alluring. Given that nothing is scientifically proven - by scientists who know science - on what the genetic process is that prompts wool shedding, I’ve often thought of spending an insane amount of money on a tup to do my own trial. Is this trait in Texels similar to that of the Wiltshire? When the two combine will it help wool shedding and increase conformation? More realistically will it just end in disappointment? As usual, I don't know.

My friend and mentor, Willie Shaw (more of whom another time) has been after bare skinned Texels for years. He felt buyers at the fat lamb sales loved texels and loved bare skins. The problem is he has been ahead of the trend and now, in 2010, everyone is after them. It seemed, in a lot of instances, the skin beat the shape in bidders’ preferences - its now an official fashion and that means an inflated price. I am looking for bare skins for a different reason.

I had two on my wish list. One that was actually shedding its wool, was a tremendous specimen but had no figures. The other was very bare but with a decent index and from a highly respected flock (I suppose that deep down a “name” always impresses me). When viewing the latter, I was immediately drawn to him (only sheep men will not find this a slightly unsettling expression). Sometimes you just know. I paid £1,000 for him, smashing my own record for daft investments at too high a price. Here he is .... don’t laugh or, even worse, take pity. The other one on the wish list went for £3,500 ... so it could have far been worse.

PS Totally irrelevant story time - going round the sale you meet interesting people, telling interesting stories and extolling their very own perceived wisdom. Today an old shepherd was telling the story of when a good friend of his was angry at a chap who he had done business with. The shepherd knew the man in question and defended him by saying, “He’s half honest”. His friend retorted back in a short, profound tone - “You’re either honest or you’re dishonest - there’s nothing in between”. Welcome to my world of Calvinist guilt.