Perendale Paradise.

Yesterday I took the boys' for a wee adventure.  I had a small photography assignment to do for a friend's new digital magazine.  She needed pictures of sheep.  Not just any sheep mind, Perendales.  As my friend is sadly city bound, I was only too eager to help.  But where to find Perendales?  Easy right? - Wrong!

Just Lovely Girls

It appears that the majority of woolly lovelies you see nibbling, frolicking  & bleating their happy existences, are a cross breed of one variety or another, little bastards are bloody everywhere.  So I donned my detective hat & called the local Elders Wool office (my Dad works for Elders in Gisborne & is well known by the locals here), which pointed me in the direction of the Doohan Brothers farm. Serious dedicated wool growers who only run Perendales - bullseye! (or should that be Rams-eye?)

Steve was a star, he has a small flock of 4 year old ewes that he brought down into his yards, which had a couple of small outside holding paddocks off the side, making it much easier to get the shots I needed.  Perendales are very astute, they will look you dead in the eye & if they don't want to do something, they won't.  Not adverse to being stroppy & challenging to work, but they make for great subjects to shoot - photographically that is.  Just a quick note on Steve too, he's a real sheepish romantic.  When I called to set the meeting up it was Feb. 14th, Valentines Day.  Where was Steve?  His wife had to let me know I couldn't talk to Steve, he was putting the 'Ram out to the Ewe's' - whoever said romance in NZ sheep farmers was dead.

Raw Perendale Fleece at the Mill

The boys' were entranced. "Sheeps Mummy" squealed Hugo. 

"What to sheeeep dooooo?" asks Louis.
"We shear the sheep & take off all their wool so Mummy's work can then making it into yarn for Mummy's knitting"
"Oh" ponders Louis "You make Louis a jumpers from these sheep Mummy"
Oh to cute!



After a little magic in the mill - all ready for the needles



On the needles and others stuff.

I am still ploughing my way through the Ombre shrug.  Now that I had the moment of clarity around my fundamental cock up in the back, I have frogged back & picked it up again & it is looking much better.  I am one slipper down on the pair to warm Mum's toes this Winter - so not been completely idle - just bloody slow.
 However it has been pretty rough time for Dr. Phil & I over the last three weeks.  Firstly Dr. Phil lost his younger brother very suddenly & unexpectedly.  It has been horrific for his parents & investigations into his death at this stage are still ongoing.  Also Louis first couple of weeks at school were not the smooth transition that any of us had hoped for.  So the decision has been made to return Louis to pre-school for another 6 months to help further ready him for being a big school boy.  He's actually really relieved, whilst he loved 'Big Boys school', he confided in his pre-school teacher that it was 'really hard & they try to make him eat food he doesn't like' - not easy for a wee man who is the fussiest eater on the planet & the school provides the meals.  That's boys' for you! I am just hoping that the family gets a gentler few months ahead -we could use the break.