IT’S one of those things that when you do something for the right reasons, it then comes back and bites you in the bum.
That’s literally what happened to Islay’s Donald Fletcher, recently, when he was doing the farmer’s hop chasing sheep off the road. To circumvent the little blighters, the Persabus potter had to run down the road and then try and wriggle his way through the very thick hedge that he had planted some years ago.
This was enacted by going in erse first, but he forgot about the blackthorns, hawthorns and every other kind of thorns that he’d planted in the hedge and which had thrived to Jack in the Beanstalk proportions in Islay’s friendly climate.
Upshot of it all was that when he finally reached the barbed wire bit, he caught the crotch of his waterproofs on the wire and ended up falling out over on to the road ... just in time to see the pesky lambs disappearing into the horizon.
New waterproofs and Savlon required methinks!

Johnny-come lateleys

BEING LATE for an EasyJet flight is not an option as some Blackface breeders found out when they tried to travel this week to Belfast for the annual ram sale there. Duncan Beaton, Newmill, and Peter Myles, Dalbog, were amongst those denied access to the plane, even though it was still on the stand. They felt there was nothing for it but to return home, though the breed’s official photographer, Catherine MacGregor proved a bit more resourceful by catching a later flight to capture the action at the sale. However, what we don’t know is that while they may have counted them all out, how many were counted on the way back. Some would appear to have been in a easily-persuadable state to remain in the Province and fully forgetful of the ‘gathering brows’ at hame.

Beavering away

I SEE that an attempt is being made to shore up the beaver trial in Knapdale, Argyll, by introducing a further 28 Eurasian beavers sourced presumably from Scandinavia, where the original trial beavers originated. Anecdotal evidence from the area suggests that the initial trial was not a great success and that even though they had been supplemented from the ‘reserve’ bench, the ‘first team’ did not really get up and running. In fact, they have little clue as to where the beavers are now. It also begs the question: ‘Why not trap and use the beavers from the Tay system which seem to have acclimatised well’. This would have the double benefit of costing less and reducing damage on Tayside, taking the destructive rodents from where they are not wanted, to where they are. But then, maybe that’s too simple?