Claim to Fame

César- Adult Ouessant Ram

There is an oft quoted phrase associated with the breed. The mouton d'Ouessant - the worlds smallest breed of sheep. Whilst the Ouessant sheep is certainly small  and could be considered one of the smallest, there are other contenders for the title such as the Garole sheep. The Ouessants claim is not without merit however.

What about Frances only native short tailed breed of sheep - I think that deserves a mention. European short tailed breeds of sheep belong to an exclusive group, most of which are to be found in northern Europe notably nordic  and baltic countries - the Ouessant sheep  geographically is out on a limb, it is also one of the least developed, its small size has meant it has been considered largely redundant in terms of commercial agriculture for many generations. 

How about Frances most primitive and therefore oldest breed of sheep.  For such a small breed of sheep it has some impressive claims to fame.

For information on the breed and some of its vital statistics visit the Ecomusée du pays de Rennes  LINK   It is refreshing to see the breed in context with the other breton breeds and also the acknowledgement that far from being an insular variety of a mainland breed it is considered the archaeic form.


Le Mouton d'Ouessant parfois nommé le plus petit mouton du monde - une vérité même s'il y a d'autres candidats pour le titre. Le mouton de Garole par exemple. 

On peut dire aussi la seule race de mouton à queue courte d'origine française. Les races de moutons à queue courte sont pour le plupart trouvés aux pays nordiques et baltes,  le Ouessant est considéré  à faire partie du  même groupe. La race ovine  française le plus primitif  donc la race le plus archaique,  une liste impressionnant pour un mouton si petit.

Pour plus d'infos sur la race surtout en contexte avec les autres races de moutons bretonnes cliquez Ecomusée du pays de Rennes  LIEN
 

Broken Skies

Tonight for the first time in what seems like weeks the sky is overcast and there is a freshness on the breeze. It has been glorious, sultry and hot. The sweet smell of hay fills the barn once again and summer moves forward. Long may it continue:-)

Un ciel orageux, mais un été  splendide, il n'y a rien de mieux :-)

Candidly

Eusa, a natural in front of the camera /  Eusa, à l'aise devant l'objectif

Naturally Ouessant

I am determined to  make some inroads into the amount of fleece and fibre that is accumulating. However I couldn't help stopping for a few minutes to put together this basket of goodies. The knitted panier is a kind gift from Fanou and is a mix of Ouessant fibre and angora rabbit, it  is just perfect for displaying some of the variety of natural colours. All the fleece here has been roo'ed and then combed.

Le panier tricoté par Fanou de la laine d'un de mes moutons et d'un lapin angora est parfait à vous montrer la beauté des couleurs naturelles qu'on peut trouver chez le mouton d'Ouessant. Toute la laine sur la  photo était épilée et puis peignée. 

Inadvertant Introductions

New acquisitions can inadvertantly bring with them a whole host of uninvited guests. It is wise to assume no matter how scrupulous people can be that new stock may be harbouring parasites that don't have to be introduced to your pastures.

I alway take care to ensure that sheep and lambs coming from outside the flock are treated for internal and external parasites prior to letting them onto my pastures. Of course it may be a lot longer before I get any decent photos of them!

 La mise en quarantaine de tous les nouveaux arrivés  est le meilleur façon à protéger le troupeau contre les introductions non invité. Un traitement  pour  les parasites interne et externe est obligatoire en même temps. 

Gone Fishing....

Some fish need a different kind of bait. 

Tactician

As the fleeces come off the sheep my fingers job is to learn as much as is possible about each one of them. Armed with new knowledge from my spinning exploits, my fingers run through the fleeces teasing and testing the fibre to get a "sense " of  its qualities and the differences between fleeces.  This is  part of the process  that I really enjoy. Most of my fleeces have been rooed this year, gone are the prickle sharp ends of the hairs to be replaced by smooth silky fibres.  I imagine how they will spin on the wheel. To try to illustrate this texture in photography is another art and one that I also enjoy experimenting with, I'm not sure I've captured it yet but I have a few more ideas.

La laine des antenaises est la plus douce de toutes les toisons, encore plus douce s'il est possible  à épiler la toison au lieu de  la tondre. Quel plaisir pour mes doigts à connaître chaque mouton en profondeur. Quel plaisir à comprendre la laine et ses qualités de cette façon

Teen Angst

Ok that may be exagerating things somewhat, watching the lambs grow  is always a fun time but you want them all to do well, grow well and look beautiful. Right now I am evaluating last years lambs as their fleeces come off, it is interesting comparing their photos from last year at around this time to now as yearlings without their rugs. Between now and then for this years lambs as the fleeces start to grow it becomes more difficult to really judge how they look. It has to be said that at this stage this fella doesn't disappoint, I only hope I feel the same in 12 months once his fleece is off and his horns have grown. Speaking of  horns..... trying to work out what his are doing  at this stage is  impossible but I'll keep taking photos!!


La vie est belle pour les agneaux de cette année et ils sont beaux, mais  rien est sûr. Il est à voir si  en été de l'année prochaine qu'ils seront encore  beaux après la tonte.