Winter has finally arrived – and so did some very welcome rain over last weekend.
Last Saturday saw us at the Shepparton and District Handweavers & Spinners’ Wool Day. It was a lovely day – much better inside the hall compared to outdoors – and involved many conversations and piles of coloured wool.
Meanwhile, down south our latest batch of Castledale combed tops is underway. The scoured fleece is now going through the steps to being double-combed and delicious! Today it was on the carder in one of the preliminary steps to open the fleece and prepare it for the gill and comb (photo below of the carded sliver in “cans”). It won’t be long before it is all done and we will be dyeing it frantically before the Australian Sheep & Wool Show next month. If you’re quick you may still be able to grab a bargain on a Bulk Buy pre-sale which is on until 30th June 2025 (unless it sells out prior). The Castledale combed top is one of our licensed products with the Australian Fibre Collective (promotion of 100% Australian grown & processed fibre) as well as with the Australian Made Campaign at the highest level as “Product of Australia”. In fact, we only just recently completed our latest audit with the Australian Made Campaign to prove compliance.
As we prepare for the Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo Showgrounds (July 18-20, 2025) we realised that this will be our 10-year anniversary of the very first Merino and Castledale processing runs!! Oh my goodness!!! Time flies when we’re having fun. LOL And in the spirit of Birthdays and Anniversaries…. we will have something a bit Special at this year’s “Sheep Show”. You’ll have to come along to see us at the “Flower Shed” (left hand side as you drive in via Gate 1) More details soon….!
Here on the farm it has been an anxious wait for the “autumn break” (we received a “false break” in March and then nothing until Winter. Ooops). Trying to juggle the expenses to keep the sheep well has been challenging at times. Lambing will be in August this year.
For those of you who remember our dear departed Drysdale ram Gilbert – we still have his older sister, Minty. She turns 13 this year which a grand old age for a sheep. No front teeth at all and is now blind and mostly deaf like her mother became. She’s fully retired and living in the garden with a couple of companions and enjoying her mealtimes. (So much so that I can never get a good pic of her except with her head in the food dish!) Not sure how much longer she has but we will try and give her the good things while we can.
Time to wind up for the evening – the workshop is calling with more wool that needs dyeing! If you haven’t pre-ordered your fibre Advent Calendar then you may want to get a move on….