Sales!

Had to go to Oban today to collect two fiddles one of which cost in the region of £4000! I can tell you I was driving very carefully on the way back! While there I spotted there was a cattle sale on at the mart so stopped and went in for a nosey.
My goodness its all so sophisticated. When I lived on the island, as a child I would walk the beasts 3 miles to a big stone fank. The drovers came from either Inverness or Oban and had made deals among themselves on how to dictate the price to us poor islanders! Often my grandparents would have to walk some beasts back as the prices these guys were offering were derisory, other times they just had to sell the beast. Sometimes I would see a drover coming after my grandfather and demand something they called luckspaw! where they demanded money off my grandparents for luck for their beast! My granny always threw holy water over each beast before selling it, she beleived she was passing on the health and courage of each beast.! Other times they would have to walk the beasts to Carishval which was over 14 miles and often we didnt get back until well after dark!
Now they have transporters hooked up to amazing 4 wheel drive comfy vehicles or big fancy fast track tractors or floats. Aye these were the good old days...not!