Tailing

 

Every year after lambing comes tailing or docking, which ever you feel it should be called. It is a time I have always enjoyed right from a child myself.

Now its our rats turn to grow up with the yearly routine and pitching in to help out.

A job like this is the best form of a work out too, picking up all those lambs, racing around chasing and catching. Its exercise without having to make yourself do it and you always feel it the next day. Obviously it works!!

 

These lambs are on Shanes folks farm. A huge downsize from the years gone by. One year we did over 6000 between our farm, his folks and his brothers place. Now its a one day job and very enjoyable. Nothing always runs smoothly which of course can lead to some yelling and creative language.

I very much am not a confrontational person and don't enjoy upside down faces. I put head down and tail up and get on with the job.

It always works out fine in the end so I never quite understand the tantrums in between, lol.

 

Chey with our old farm dog Brandy who is now used by Shanes Dad. She still has a special place in our hearts though.

Anyway back to colorful situations, there were no majors, no breakouts with the stock, no mix ups and no dead animals ;-)

Always a plus.

 

Cody helping keep the lambs up nice and tight for me. I was on pick up and ear marking. It helped when I didn't have to walk too far to pick up a lamb.

 

The biggest drama of the day was thanks to Cody.

We were just about to start, Shane, his Mum and I. Cody and Shanes Dad Rod, were most of the day mustering, anyways like I said, we were just about to start and Rod came blustering and roaring back down the race in his little dinky truck yelling "have you seen Cody?". Of course he was out with Rod as far as we knew, but Rod had lost him along the ways somewhere and couldn't find him when he went looking. Cody was riding the motorbike you see. We all jumped in vehicles and raced off to look for Cody. Me being Mum and a woman fearing the worst, ditches, rivers, watering holes etc.

Poor Cody though, he had run out of petrol right out the back and when we found him he was pushing the motorbike along the floodbank home.

A big sign of relief from his Momma.

And lessons learned.

 

Other then that it was a beautiful sunny day, fun with family and a good job done. As a reward the evening was spent down the river with the whitebait net in, a bonfire, bananas, whitebait and chops cooked for a feed on the hotplate.

(Why my groms like roasted bananas I don't know)

Isn't that what life is meant to be about though?