06 December 2006
still on Saturna
Monday 4 December
After breakfast we went out to feed the sheep while Jacques fed the horses. Then we went out in the tractor to feed the cows and the other sheep. We stacked 12 bales of hay on the trailer, then drove up the track with the dogs, stopping off at a couple of places to put out hay (mostly under trees). Jacques rounded the sheep up with Carrie (and Jock helping) which was impressive.
After lunch, we went into the slaughterhouse to start cutting meat. The lamb carcasses were in the walk-in cold room. Jacques cut them up using a knife and a bandsaw, and we packed the various cuts in waxed paper, writing what they were on the packages and putting them in a cardboard box. The lambs weighed around 40lbs, and when all cut up they fit into a box about 18 inches long and a foot square at the ends – so not an unmanageable amount of meat for a family. They have a waiting list for lamb, as almost all of their meat goes to long standing regular customers who order almost a year in advance. It was interesting to see where all the different cuts come from.
In the evening we went to the Community Club meeting and potluck dinner. The Club runs a community hall (where the meeting was held) and also runs medical services on the island. We like island life – it is a lot like a small village but because of the isolation they run a lot of the services themselves.
Tuesday 5 December
This morning Rowan didn’t want to get up because he had a cold. We fed the sheep and horses while Jacques got the slaughterhouse ready.
We cut up the rest of the lambs (9 in total) and some beef offal. In the afternoon we went to the store to drop off some meat and check our email. We spent quite a long time on the internet emailing and blogging.
After breakfast we went out to feed the sheep while Jacques fed the horses. Then we went out in the tractor to feed the cows and the other sheep. We stacked 12 bales of hay on the trailer, then drove up the track with the dogs, stopping off at a couple of places to put out hay (mostly under trees). Jacques rounded the sheep up with Carrie (and Jock helping) which was impressive.After lunch, we went into the slaughterhouse to start cutting meat. The lamb carcasses were in the walk-in cold room. Jacques cut them up using a knife and a bandsaw, and we packed the various cuts in waxed paper, writing what they were on the packages and putting them in a cardboard box. The lambs weighed around 40lbs, and when all cut up they fit into a box about 18 inches long and a foot square at the ends – so not an unmanageable amount of meat for a family. They have a waiting list for lamb, as almost all of their meat goes to long standing regular customers who order almost a year in advance. It was interesting to see where all the different cuts come from.
In the evening we went to the Community Club meeting and potluck dinner. The Club runs a community hall (where the meeting was held) and also runs medical services on the island. We like island life – it is a lot like a small village but because of the isolation they run a lot of the services themselves.
Tuesday 5 December
This morning Rowan didn’t want to get up because he had a cold. We fed the sheep and horses while Jacques got the slaughterhouse ready.
We cut up the rest of the lambs (9 in total) and some beef offal. In the afternoon we went to the store to drop off some meat and check our email. We spent quite a long time on the internet emailing and blogging.
