FESTIVAL OF THE NAKED SHEEP

Based on the last few posts, I feel like you all might be thinking I have a penchant for unusual cultural events. Weeeeellll…you’re probably right.

When I discovered the Festival of the Naked Sheep, I was like, “no way we’re letting this one pass us by!” Perhaps I need to heed my own lessons in expectation management, because I was soooooo off on this one! I’m not sure what I expected: a grandstand? a bandstand? a shearing competition? an emcee? dancing sheep?

There was none of that. Just one shearer, working his a$$ off, and a lot of undressed sheep!

The queue to be shorn, and the “naked” sheep collecting area.

It was actually a bit memorizing to watch the process. Clearly, shearing sheep takes skill. The wool comes off all in one piece and then it is folded in a very systematic fashion so it can be counted and cleaned at a later date.

I asked a worker how much each wool sold for and she told me 15pence! That’s 19¢, USD. I asked her how many sheep were expected to be shorn. 100, she told me. So….if you do the math, that’s only £15. That won’t even cover the wages of the sheerer. “Clearly you are not making money on this,” I said. “Oh no!” was her response.

When the kids had seen enough, we explored the rest of the farm!