It is shearing season, hard work but needs to be done to prevent fly strike. Disappointing to see the confirmed wool prices this year, the price of fleece isn't even close to covering the shearing costs. The Lord Speaker in the House of Lords sits on a Woolsack. This dates back to the reign of Edward III when the wool trade was one of the most important parts of our economy, a symbol of the wealth of the country.
This year we're using our wool in the tree nursery. It acts as a weed suppressant, keeps water in the soil, protects from frost and is biodegradable, adding nutrients to the soil. Surely this could be utilised in garden centres and nurseries across the UK? It is also fire resistant, mould resistant, hypoallergenic and probably the most environmentally friendly product we can use for insulation. Could be a win win for the climate.
Our son Sam came home at the weekend to help with shearing. He arrived at tea time asking if we'd like to join him at a local tug of war competition. We had visions of sitting in the sun drinking beer so quickly accepted his kind offer. A couple of pints in, I ambled down to where the event was about to kick off where I met the main man Rob who looked a bit flustered. Cutting a long story short they were missing a recorder, someone to take note of the results, fill in the paperwork and tally up the scores to find the winners.
After a nervous start and realising no more beer could be consumed whilst undertaking this important responsibility, I started to get into the swing of things. I wasn't very good at the ‘you must remain impartial' bit, especially when our team was pulling and Sam was part of it. Apologies to the poor bloke sat in front of me when I was on my feet yelling like a banshee and cheering them on. It was a cracking night and I was unexpectedly presented with a trophy which now sits by my Welly Wanging trophy.
Tug of war was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1920 and we had gold medal winners in 1908 and 1920. It remains a recognised sport and the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) is the recognised world governing body. Currently TWIF organises World Championships every two years and Sam was part of the Welsh team that made it to the world championships in 2015, an amazing achievement for a team made up of Young Farmers. Both myself and Jim have pulled at the Royal Welsh show in years gone by, it is a fun, friendly event that needs continuing support.
