Viking Sheep Summer Series: Hairy Trees
We are keeping the Viking sheep in their winter paddock, in view from the house, until the lambs are big enough to be out of our sight. The days have been very sunny and warm so the sheep have been spending much of their time in the forest. Still, when I jump the fence and ‘baaa’ they come-a-running.
Ramstein, our ram, has become very affectionate. He takes his time sniffing out hands (looking for bread) and sometimes uses us as a salt-lick. Our runt, Ba Ba, the black sheep, has been looking a little ragged lately. I’ve read that Gammelnorsk spælsau are natural shedders of their wool but no reading can prepare you for the real deal.
When the wool becomes loose it gets a little itchy for the sheep and we often see them scratching themselves up against trees and posts. Anything that can rip off their wool now wears a General Custer mustache or Santa beard.
The sheep also help each other by taking a mouthful of wool and ripping it off. Ba Ba has lost all her wool now, so she looks like she has been shorn. In this state you can see a great resemblance to the Norwegian goat. I’m sure some (non-villsau) people would think these were goats.
Our paddock is scattered with wool. We are not picking it up – it’s part of the circle of life now. Local kids come round every day to participate in farm chores and like to amuse themselves with the wool. One boy took some home and washed it in the washing machine. He was very proud to give it back to me smelling like fabric softener.
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The walking-street takes you from Central Station to the Royal Palace.
Many Norwegians know what they are doing when they pick wild mushrooms. This knowledge is passed down the family during mushroom hunting trips. The hard-core mushroom hunters go into the mountain wilderness for days to get the best finds.
How Norway became a country is shrouded in mystery and folklore. The most well known tale is of Harald Hårfagre who gathered the small kingdoms of the north into a unified nation in 872AD – and of course, this story is about love.
Norwegians love their mountainous nature so much they spend whatever time they can in it – for recreation, fitness, hunting or just family time.
Today herding reindeer is synonymous with the Sami culture. It is recently thought that the Vikings were the first people to herd reindeer.
Have you thought about selling to wool to be spun into yarn? I’m half Norwegian and also a big knitter/crocheter (a gift from my Mormor’s side of the family), and I’m sitting here practically drooling over the idea of pure Norwegian wool yarn….
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From L-Jay:
It is a good idea. Shearing is not an option for us at the moment as we keep our sheep outside all year. They need their coats fot the -15c temps. The other day I was in the sheep paddock and I literally pulled off a whole side of wool from Panda. I find that the sheep have a particular smell, almost soothing – I guess it is from the lano in their wool?