Berlin

Well, Bear and I have just had our first break from the sheep business. A full week.

I went off to Berlin and Bear went to stay with his work mates at Georg and Margot's.

Bear thinks that he had the best time but I say I did. I LOVED Berlin AND I was there when my sister and niece were. We had a fabulous three days together. It was a splendid, happy coincidence.

Here is just a quick, idiosyncratic "highlights".

A Good Day

All my days are good. But yesterday had a lovely rhythm to it. Bear was on song and worked beautifully, the weather was sunny and mild and I found the environment enchanting (not a herding word!!)

We had been here before but we had not gone further along the track while I was there (Working in the Mountains 2, June 2). Yesterday we went into the dappled forest and it was just lovely.

See how the crop has grown

So pretty

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But the best bit was witnessing the extent of Bear's growth in the job.
Bear was sent in to move some sheep back into line with the others. So he had to make his own "line" or "border" to get to them and to return without disturbing the rest of the flock. He is told to "go on" and the rest is his decision making. The magic of the GSD.

As I did not anticipate Georg's instruction it took me a while to get the camera (phone) out and into action. So this video starts as Bear moves the sheep. Look closely centre left!!!!

My Workplace

I was standing with Bear and the sheep and I looked around and marveled. "Bear, we are here in Germany with a flock of sheep. Can you really believe it."


Amazing is it not! Georg and his dogs are down below. In the shade of course.

Of course not every day can be idyllic and while I "commune with nature" Georg is working for a living. 

The days are long, the work is every single day and the weather swings from far too cold to far too hot. 

The thunderstorm did not last long and we were fortunate to be close to a picnic spot

And remember the snow and the rain from earlier blogs!!

Another thunderstorm is rolling in.



But I love my part in this. I come for approximately 4 hours six days a week. I usually come in the mornings so some of that time is taken up with sheep resting, from the sun or to digest their morning feed.

I find it an incredibly intimate, personal life with your stock. You are observing them continually. I keep an eye on Bear as he can be a devil when left to his own devices (he can have his own agenda). I watch the sheep as they too can be devils with their own "ideas". And I sometimes watch for vehicles.

Georg has it harder. He watches his dogs, his sheep, me, Bear and sometimes for vehicles. He watches not only for the pattern of grazing but also the health of his sheep. And then he has to think about the where, when and why of the grazes he chooses. As I have said before, this is not a "passive" work life. There are dozens of decision making moments during the day. You must be proactive and alert to what is the best for these animals you know so well.

 I told Georg I loved this photo. I think it is Romantic (in the literary, artistic sense). Being a pragmatic man he responded with a quizzical look 😖
(Bear and Yukon are the dogs).

And because I am talking about my workplace;

My "commute" is 10-15 mins of no traffic with this particular delight every time.

Bear's Third Report Card

Bear is continuing to progress. 

As you will have deduced from the photos and videos, he has now settled well into his job. He works with all of Georg's dogs and he can do most of the tasks asked of him.
The tasks that caused him trouble when he first arrived (eg In the Meantime April 23) are well behind him. 

Bear is full of enthusiasm and confidence and often takes the initiative.  Sometimes as we would want, and sometimes not!  But one thing is clear; he is a keen worker who learns.

What more could I ask for?

He is now tackling his herding "demons" and I am confident that he will overcome them as he has all else.

 Ⅰ.   Standing still and up close.


Did you see him stretch? Displacement/stress relief. He manages the sheep returning
to the pen reasonably well. He knows they cannot "escape" him!!


Ⅱ.   Standing still and up close, while the sheep move of  out of sight/control


The sheep took forever to come out. It was a hot morning and they had no desire to
 move. Sometimes they come out like rockets. Bear did not move (Bravo), just a little fidget 
and some whining. He was impatient for things to happen but he is now able to hold
 himself together.
Unlike in the past, he has no trouble with closeness, but he still hates to stand for so 
long.

A Fishy Story

This Post is for my Melbourne friends who torture me with photos of food and wine. In particular the photos sent from Tipo 00 that gave me my only bout of homesickness. How I would have loved to be with them.
I enjoy the food here and am fascinated by the Schwabische cuisine but I do miss Melbourne restaurants. Especially when something like this is sent.

I adore green food and risotto is always a favoutite,
  the flavours usually being so intense.

They have a brilliant wine list.

However, Hausen, yes Hausen, has a culinary delight to match any. A smoked trout, straight out of the Lauchert, and sold on site once a month. If I could organise myself to buy a great wine here it would be a worthy accompaniment on the balcony.

I will not give you a plated photo. I cannot match what I have received and would do the trout a disservice. But enjoy scenes of it birthplace. Both literally and culinary wise.

Out of Hibernation 2

 Our Summer Solstice was June 21 at 6.34.

Earlier (17/3) I wrote of the animals coming out of hibernation, most notably the TRACTOR.

Well, the tractor seemed to ease off for a while but once again he is running around busy to get a job done. 

The fields up here are now all being cut for hay. 

We are in the middle of a week of hot weather, late 20s, so they are are all coming out of their stables early in the morning and then busy, busy all day till close to dark.








Up here in the mountains the "Tractor" is a slightly different genus. He is a bit older, a bit scraggier looking and a bit smaller. But like his lowland relatives he lives in the towns and is a very productive worker.


Due to the dictates of the landscape and history I guess, the farming up here is less "industrial". There are fewer large barns housing dairies so the need for local bulk feed is not so important. Down below, hay and silage is stored loose and moved with a bucket/grab. Here they turn the grass into mostly square bales. There is still a lot of maize growing but it is still some time away from harvest.

But like Lampertsweiler and environs the crops and the work involved are up close and personal. You see it happening around you.


I will meet tractors on the road every time I drive. I see them parked in villages and of course I see them in the fields every time I go out in the car.

It makes sense when you see it working!

This is outside the Hausen "pub"!

 

Bear's Idea of a Good Time

I was going through some photos and Bear came up to look. It was soon clear by the tone of his snorts that we had a different view of what is "newsworthy"!

So to placate his sensibilities I came up with this video of what he thinks is worth doing.....
Sorry about the music being so loud. Just pour yourselves a stein of beer and imagine you are at the Oktoberfest. That is the source of the music! One of the hazards of using disparate sources of free editing is that fixing a problem is too much of a pain in the neck. Sorry again.