(according to a fairly reliable
source - not Sheep as previously stated)
Never mind, a day for counting sheep perhaps.
Never mind, a day for counting sheep perhaps.
In celebration whereof, further
snippets from ‘As Safety Saw It’:
“HERE THEY COME AGAIN!”
“The hungry sheep look up and are
not fed.” And if Milton were in
Stornoway and writing today – although he wasn’t talking about the same kind of
sheep – he could say that the not-so-hungry sheep look up, and down, and in,
and round, and all over the place, poking here, there, and everywhere seeking
what they may devour.
It would not be true, however, to
say that they are not fed – because they are; often at the expense of diligent
gardeners. Long practice, plus a native resourcefulness and ingenuity, has made
them expert in finding means of entry to almost inaccessible places. Tender and
carefully nurtured young plants, spring cabbage, and all the delicacies for
which generations of marauding ancestors have given them a hereditary palate
suffer the inevitable consequences. “They” can be seen now morning and evening
on their rounds with the intention of breaking and entering patent in their
every move and look.
But the local gardeners are active
too. Compelled by the wary nature of the warfare to follow the unmilitary
principle that defence is the best form of attack, they are busily preparing
for a state of siege and barricading themselves in for another “gridless”
season.
To be a keen gardener in this part
of the world one, I think, must also be an incurable optimist. And it is this
optimism which keeps the gardener, as he looks for results from his own
efforts, at the same time looking each year for cure or amelioration of the
sheep problem. This hope has now become centred upon “grids”. Perhaps as a
decision to provide these has been taken, the project will be started reasonably
soon and quickly completed.
“Close the door, they’re coming in
the windows!” [A novelty hit song of the time].
M.S. in Stornoway Gazette, 20 & 23/03/1956:
As I See It
column, p.3
The full
collection of these articles may be read on pdf here (this one is on p.31 of
the booklet): https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B90F9J6p3hh5emRWbFFhSXNiZEU/edit?usp=sharing
And (no urban foxes, but...):
On
a street [in Stornoway] that will remain nameless meantime, where the majority
of refuse bins that lined the pavement were lidless, it was surprising to see
one rook, two hoodie crows, numerous seagulls, a cat, two dogs and several
sheep all nimbly searching for unhygienic sustenance among the ashes. An
enterprising sheep, showing the initiative which is a characteristic of the
local breed, had butted over a large bin, and the remainder of the birds and
beasts were making high and amicable holiday.
as above, 18 & 21/10/1955.
 |
| Lewis Castle Grounds, April 1957 |
 |
| Sheep on the Isle of Lewis |
They're everywhere... British Library Piazza, January 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment