Beware, carnivorous sheep!
When strolling on the foreshore in North Ronaldsay in the Orkneys, should you chance upon one of the native, primitive sheep, show a clean pair of heels (clad in Our Bestselling Unisex Classic Range 100% Twin Face Sheepskin Boots) and head for the high ground. These petite sheep will advance upon you, bearing their teeth in greeting; do not be thereby encouraged to tarry. These little darlings have their hors d’oeuvre in mind and will be tempted by your toes. Although their chief diet is seaweed, living on the shore as they do, they have a penchant for the legs and feet of dead seabirds. This recherché diet came about as a result of the construction of the nearby Dennis Ness revolving lighthouse. The poor birds crashed into it and their corpses came to rest on the beach. Fortunately, the sheep’s diet is leavened by a short spell on pasture land each year, so that they may eat grass, thus obtaining the trace elements absent from their usual, recondite fare. Too long on the grass, however, gives the sheep copper poisoning as they have adapted to seaweed.
Once you have shimmied over the 12 mile long stone dyke, which separates the sheep from the grass, bolt for your B & B and flop on to the inviting bed. You will naturally have draped our Sheepland XL Aussie Shearling over your bed to keep you snug in those Orcadian breezes. As this is one island where you may not wish to count sheep (their little faces leering into yours earlier in the day may have put you off that idea), why not pull on our Sheepskin Gloves, so that your fingers remain defrosted sufficiently to turn the pages, and read a book about tallow?
Why tallow, you ask? Because in eighteenth century Europe sheep fat for making tallow candles was worth twice as much as the carcase. Likewise, in the Middle Ages, the fleece was worth much more than the meat, whereas today, the meat fetches between 10 and 20 times the price of the wool. Bearing this in mind, think of the poor Sheepland workers drooling at the thought of roast lamb, but only able to afford it if you were to treat yourself to one of our Handcrafted Long Fur Sheepskin Rugs. These divine, springy rugs come in a variety of colours and are sure to complement your décor.
The redoubtable North Ronaldsay sheep are strange in other ways, too. They have strong personalities and can face down a sheepdog, hence they are rounded up by people on foot and a JCB digger, which rattles a bucket of stones at them to gain their compliance. The sheep, whose last territory is on this island, can also swim and give birth to twins, triplets and quadruplets. However, the ewes are only allowed to rear one lamb per season and the rest are killed soon after birth.
Released On 30th Jan 2018
