I’ve recently started listening to audiobooks.
A friend suggested it was a great way to engage your mind during the more mundane jobs around the farm.
I’ve taken out a monthly subscription, and you’ll find me cleaning the dogs kennels, laughing to Kevin Bridges, as he describes his journey to comedy fame.
Last week our ewes were gathered for a fluke dose and a good check through, with the thinner end being shed off to lift their body condition on better grass.
While on the dosing gun I listened to Barrack Obama narrate A Promised Land on my headphones.
He’s an inspirational man, with drive and determination to do the right thing for his country and the people he represented. It’s maybe something Boris Johnson and his cronies would benefit from listening to, rather than throwing Downing Street parties and taking the piss out of folk in the country he’s meant to be leading.
One of the hardest listens I’ve had was The Body Keeps The Score.
It documents how personal trauma and stress in our lives can manifest as ill health if not addressed.
HEALTH
Our physical health can be affected by our minds and the stress we carry. I’ve had continual mouth ulcers for the past few weeks and no matter how many bottles of Floradix liquid iron I downed, I couldn’t shift them – a sure sign that my batteries were running low.
As well as my usual workload we’ve been doing up our holiday cottage.
The refurb has gone well and our first guests arrived last weekend. There have been late nights cleaning, putting the place back together, along with the ordeal of flatpack furniture and a leaking washing machine, which was thankfully discovered before the new flooring went down.
The mouth ulcers were my body telling me to rest.
MINDSET
There’s a mindset sometimes within agriculture to put your head down and just keep going – you finish one job and move on to the next.
The weather can have a devastating influence on what we have to deal with – physically, emotionally and financially. Inflation and rising costs compound the pressures.
Our industry is dealing with labour and skills shortages, adding to the burden of many who are working alone and putting in very long hours on the land.
We’re great at looking after the health and welfare of the animals in our care, from faecal egg counts, blood screening for disease, trace elements and tailor-made feed rations.
My dogs receive salmon oil, joint supplements and are fed varying protein levels according to their workload, body conditions and dietary needs if they’re intolerant to wheat or gluten.
I know why horse and pony owners are a dream for feed merchants. Every small detail of their needs is considered at length by their owners.
My lad Boxer, who’s growing old disgracefully at 24 years young, is on conditioning linseed mash to keep him in good order in his retirement.
Lulu on the other hand is on a low energy balancer, as – like her owner – she would tend to fat very easily.
Lulu and myself are both on a fitness campaign to make sure we can easily feel our ribs going into spring.
I think it’s going better for her than me. She’s coming off the beach after doing fast work, still with a spring in her step, while her rider resembles something more like the colour of a burst tomato.
It’s not easy when you’re trachled with mountains of work but we all need to give ourselves a break. Our health and wellbeing are key to our success.
I sometimes think if I put as much thought into myself as I do for my animals I may have a better balance.
Joyce Campbell farms at Armadale in Sutherland.