Country diary: it's clipping day on the farm, but the wool is worthless

Tebay, Cumbria: Sheep are clipped because of the heat. This year's mountain of wool will join last year's in the hay barnAround 6pm the wind drops and we feel the full force of the sun on the clipping trailer. We started gathering the sheep at 9am, and have been clipping ever since. My job is to move the waiting sheep through a series of pens, up a ramp and on to the trailer for one of the two men to clip.Most of the sheep follow on up the ramp, but some are reluctant so I must encourage them, or push. The sheep weigh about 70kg and push back with great force. My knees and thighs are very bruised. Continue reading...