Longtown

Charlie had not castrated many tup lambs, one or two were untidy, they could not be taken because of their mucky bums. Two lambs left there mother ewes, four other lambs had been cade. Charlie had already separated half of the flock from the paddock the night before; so the lambs were waiting for us when we arrived.

In a way I feel for them, their uncertainty, but we all face fate; and I know nothing is more crueller in this world than infinite cruelties committed by nature, how utterly stupid and sometimes naive people are to hubris worship a "mother" of nature.

"Why did nature not ordain that one animal should not live by the death of another?" - Leonardo da Vinci

In an 1856 letter to Joseph Dalton Hooker, Charles Darwin remarked sarcastically on the cruelty and wastefulness of nature, describing it as something that a "Devil's chaplain" could write about.

"The stronger prey upon the weaker, and keep them in perpetual terror and anxiety." - David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion 1779

Buddhists also regard suffering experienced by animals in nature as evidence for the truth of dukkha. Buddhist scripture Aṅguttara Nikāya describes the lives of wild animals as "so cruel, so harsh, so painful". Anyhow, the mother ewes seemed not stressed to have their lambs taken, they are now over five months old and are more or less weaned.

Charlie ushers lambs together into a pen then sorts through the lambs to be tagged and transported; first to leave the pen was our Herdwick mother ewe and her ewe lamb.

Charlie makes a note of the ear tag numbers to write into the transport book later. You can't just move livestock anywhere at anytime, everything has to be logged. Below our Herdwick x Teeswater tup lamb awaits to be tagged.

We believe that kindness is always the right approach towards shepherding, a crook is used to lengthen the reach of an arm, and never should be used to strike punishment. As humans we are humane, compassion in farming is essential for us, and the animals. However we always must be on our guard in hindsight of irrational cruelties of nature.

There is nothing wrong with taking time over crofting, idiots shear sheep in 10 seconds, shepherding is very wrong when sheep cannot be afforded diligent care to welfare. We don't have many sheep, in 1 3/4 years I lived at Woodburn our flock hasn't exceeded 70.

The trailer was loaded with six lambs.

These lambs did not get to go to market, this evening they are to be wormed, dagged and treated against any potential maggot infestation.

As we were about to leave a neighbouring farmer waved to me, we, me and Charlie have played him at Carpet Bowls; his two sons farm a large area of the surrounding valley.

Its an old familiar drive down to Longtown via Langholm, from the Scottish Borders, through Dumfries and Galloway, then into England, roadworks break up monotony.

We arrived at Longtown mart, docked and unloaded our lambs.

After a cooked breakfast we visited the holding pens to see the lambs one last time before they are sold; this auction mart is kept in good condition.

Charlie fell asleep in our truck as the lambs waited to be auctioned.

Not tired enough to sleep, from the stuffy truck I visited a nearby lake for a breeze of air.

Six lambs sold for £130 which Charlie thought undercut, and I wondered if lambs only being valued for their meat (because the wool industry has been destroyed) is the causation of such a disparity. Our lambs to other lambs are small but have lovely wool.