The plan for Thursday was to head into Snowdonia to photograph the Devils Kitchen at the top of Cwm Idwal. But the “best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” or as Rabbie Burns put it “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”
Thursday saw me having to take Teddy to the vets, He’d picked up an eye infection, could be a grass seed, our local council don’t cut the verges too often, or maybe he’s banged it somewhere, cos he’s an inquisitive and playful dog.
Anyway by the time I got back from the vets, it seemed a bit late for heading into Snowdonia. Decided the best thing I could do was take a little drive through Denbighshire, maybe I’d find something interesting.
Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.
– Edward Weston
Several years back, I photographed this tree surrounded by yellow daffodils. They are long gone to be replaced by what looks like a field of barley.
Bit boring really, I need something more interesting to photograph but I wasn’t having much luck. Even the church was locked so I couldn’t get in. Looked interesting as well.
It just wasn’t happening and it was time to head home…..and then sometime you get lucky. Who’d have thought they would be shearing sheep underneath an elevated roadway. At last a possible photo op. If they let me take some photographs. They did.
Up above is the slip road to the A55, a major trunk road through North Wales. You could hear the rumbling sound of traffic above but it’s a good place to pen the sheep.
Sheep were moved forward to another holding pen by a working dog who’s got them at the single gate which leads to the shearers. No messing from the sheep, any that challenged, well a swift nip soon sorted that out. I watched the dog, if he had to he went for the thick wool coat.
With the dog controlling the sheep the only way to go is through the gate, one at a time….
….straight into the shearers who were working at a frantic pace.
Once sheared, the sheep are moved into a field, the pelt is rolled up, eventually it will end up at British Wool which is owned by sheep farmers in the UK. The wool is graded and sold on behalf of the members to be used for carpets, furnishings and clothes.
Well that’s it. I’m trying to be more productive with blog posts, back to my schedule of at least one a week – Mike
Say It With A Camera 
Enjoyed the images, especially the sheep. Think you found a great subject to photograph!
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Sheep everywhere in North Wales, but it’s the first time I’ve come across them shearing, Syd.
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