The other day I walked past the local slaughterhouse (two streets away), and people were pulling in with trailers full of sheep. It was December 18th, and I remembered the ad in the local paper, announcing the opening of the abattoir that day. As I crossed the road, I distinctly heard a bang from inside the premises.
We all like food on our plates, and I like lamb with mint-sauce as much as the next person, but you don't want to know what happened between a happy, woolly sheep standing in a field and that chunk of meat on your plate.
This morning, the sun rose at 9.11 am. It will set again at 3.34pm this afternoon, making it the shortest day of the year - either today, or tomorrow. The sun will grace us with his presence for all of 6 hours and 23 minutes today. Just as well there are no clouds. The strange thing was that in the hour before sunrise, the mainland hills, 60 miles away, were as clear as a bell. After sunrise, i.e. now, I cannot see them at all.
Local council have egg on their face this week. In a civil action by a local company, they were ordered to pay £140k ($280k) in compensation, plus an estimated £100k in costs. Back in 1996, the company had tendered for a contract to provide streetlighting. It was the second lowest offer, but the council awarded the contract to its own contractor, the DSO. In doing so, it overlooked the fact that the DSO did not have the assets in place to carry out the work and had not budgeted for them. After the external company started litigation, a breathtaking litany of procrastination, obstruction and non-cooperation followed, which stretched for a decade. Last Monday, the court made the above decision, vindicating the company, which nearly went bust. It is alleged that that might have been the objective of the procrastination.
Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Glad it was not me that heard that bang, I would want to rush in and rescue them all! It has to be done, we have to eat but I do hate the thought of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the very reason I wouldn't go with my husband to our friends house to butcher the goats. I watched those little cuties growup. I would never make a good farmer:(
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling, I used to work down the street from a pork slaughterhouse.... so sad. But I really love a good pork roast, or bacon with my eggs. = ) I'm glad the small company won that civil action case, it angers me to no end when they take advantage of the little man.
ReplyDeleteJoann
This is one of the factors in my not eating meat ~ I know all too well the horrors slaughter and slaughterbound animals endure. I would find myself avoiding that area ~ when the old stockyards were functioning close to where I grew up I would drive miles out of the way just so I didn't have to go near.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I completely agree!! I like eating meat and will probably continue to do so but i really don't wanna know how it got there!!
ReplyDeleteJenny
Well, a 1 sheep/lamb can be saved, because I don't care for it, in anyway shape or form. But...I do like fish, chicken, pork, turkey & beef. So I know that they must all sacrifice themselves in order to land on my dinner plate. Sad...but a fact of life. The Bible even says that "man has dominion over the animals."
ReplyDeleteSo much darkness now... but all that wonderful light in the summer!!!
ReplyDeletebe well,
Dawn
We had friends who raised sheep. I always wondered why their fields didn't fill with sheep with the babies. The same way I wondered why my father's cattle fields weren't over run with them. I am happy to eat them all. i'll take a pass on fish. Growing up landlocked there wasn't a whole lot of fish to be had. LOL
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays, Barb