In April, the lambs are born and Icelandic farms enter the busy season. During the Easter holidays, I went to a farm for the night to see the newborn lambs, and if I was lucky, hug them, smell them, and heard that the lambs smelled like creamy ice cream. Arriving at the farm, when checking in, he asked the farmer if he could hold the lambs, and the owner said that the government does not allow outsiders to see the animals on the farm. Seeing that I was lost, he explained that Iceland is an island country that has been quarantined for a long time, and now tourists from all over the world come to Iceland, but the animals are not resistant and are prone to disease. I nodded in understanding.
I made a cup of tea in the evening, held a novel, and read in the fully heated farm room. Another room stayed for a British couple, guarding the window waiting for the aurora. There was nothing to do in the countryside, it was quiet all around, I was sleepy, and I went to bed at 9 o'clock. At 5 o'clock in the morning, I opened my eyes, couldn't sleep anymore, pushed open the window, like a whole new bag of air, cold, took a breath, swept away the drowsiness, two reindeer chased and ran on the field in front of the window.
Went to the living room for breakfast and the hostess got up earlier. Milk, cereal, toast, butter, bacon, tomatoes, fried eggs, everything is ready for self-service. Holding a steaming teacup, I saw four glaciers outside the living room window, like four waves solidified river. The farmer came into the house and waved at me, smiling and looking in a good mood. He asked me if I had seen the Aurora last night, and I said I went to bed early. He was amazed and said I wasn't like the average tourist. I said I work in Reykjavik and I wanted to meet the newborn lambs. He was in awe, let me have breakfast and went to the sheep shed with him, winked at me again, and whispered, don't tell the other tourists.
Following the farmer, he pushed open the door of the sheep shed, turned to me and said, "You may not be used to this smell." I took a breath and smiled and said it was the smell of nature. Near the door, a black cow saw the farmer and rubbed against the wooden railing. The first time he saw me, there was no hostility in the black bull's eyes, and I reached out and touched it, and it raised its neck toward me, signaling to continue, like a spoiled cat. Inside, there were all sheep, and in the area separated by the wooden fence, there were three or five sheep each, and the sheep were crying one after another, and the cries were continuous. The farmer bent down and picked up a milky white lamb from the fence and placed it in my arms. At that moment, so soft, so fragrant, the lamb pressed against my face, bringing a burst of warmth.
I could feel its heart beating, a new life. The arm that held its small body was a little nervous to the point of trembling. The farmer said the sheep was born four days ago, and I could hold it for a while, and he was going to take care of the sheep's feed. The mother sheep tried to break through the fence, screaming and shouting, urging with some anxiety. I gently put the lamb back to the mother sheep, and it was quiet.
Satisfied, drive back to Reykjavik and encounter good weather along the way. In the distance, the snow-capped mountains were stained with pink sunrises and became a pink mountain. The colorful colors of Spring Iceland and Summer are different, and they are different from the white expanse of winter, more restless and excited, little lambs are born one by one, and Highway One comes and goes. Somehow, after holding the lamb, every time I smelled the aroma of lamb, I was ashamed.
Sheep are important animals in Iceland. When the Vikings came to settle in Iceland, in order to survive the long cold polar nights, people lived together with sheep, wearing wool clothes during the day and sleeping warmly by the heat of the sheep at night. Generations of Icelanders have stopped suffering from freezing and starvation because of sheep. Icelanders also have a unique way of raising sheep. In the summer, the sheep are herded and leave the farm, anyway on the island, not to other countries, there are no wild animals here, no need to be vigilant at all times. So the Icelandic sheep are free, going up the mountain to eat fresh grass, going to the waterfall to drink spring water, nibbling on blueberries in the grass, and becoming fat without restraint.
These sheep traveling around the island, standing in the middle of the road, confronted the car, felt that they were the owners of the road. Even the sheep that don't stand in the way are arrogant enough, sticking their heads out on the hillside, chewing grass, and the humans in the car are the scenery that accompanies the meal. Until autumn, when the Sheep Circle Festival was held throughout the country, farmers gathered the sheep together and brought back their sheep according to the shape of the ear marker.