Reykjavík Grapevine - jún. 2023, Blaðsíða 8

The Reykjavík Grapevine 6 / 23 8
WORDS Iryna Zubenko
IMAGE Art Bicnick
“Look, there is one
there that is breathing a bit weirdly
in the corner. We should keep an
eye on her,” says Pálína Axelsdóttir
Njarðvík as she walks around the
farm checking about 200 sheep
expected to give birth any day now.
It’s the third day of the lambing
season and the beginning of a few
busy weeks on her family’s farm
in South Iceland. With Sunna, whom
Pálína lovingly refers to as ‘my
puppy,’ by her side, she’s fully pre-
pared.
This farm has been in my family
for, I think, seven generations. My
parents live here, and my uncles and
aunts farm here. I help out as much
as I can and during lambing I’m
always here. I like to spend time with
the sheep and, in general, help out
and have an opinion on everything.
But I also live in Reykjavík with my
girlfriend María, and I have a job
there. I moved to Reykjavík when
I was 16 so I could go to school
there. Then I went to university and
did a master’s degree in Social
Psycho logy.
I’ve been helping out as long as
I’ve been able. As a kid who lives
on a farm, you get tasks as you grow,
and you always get more and more
responsibility until you are doing
everything. I always liked it. I don’t
think I’ve ever really seen it as a job.
Obviously, it is a job, but it’s also
just your life when you live on a farm.
As a child you enjoy being around
animals, your parents, relatives,
and just being out and about.
I feel like I get the best of both
worlds. I get to spend time at the
farm, but I also have a life in
Reykjavík.
A SHEEPFLUENCER
I started my Instagram in 2015 and
I didn’t really expect much. I thought
maybe someone out there wants
to learn about sheep farming in
Iceland, and I have a lot of pictures
and stories to share. I just started
posting and somehow it took off.
I would like to say it just happened,
but obviously there is a lot of work
behind it. I really enjoy it, and
obviously I have strong opinions
regarding everything connected to
sheep, farming, animal welfare and
so on. I don’t like factory farming. It
should not be called farming. It has
nothing to do with how people farm.
I feel like I have a message that
I want to share – I think sheep are
quite underrated in general, people
don’t really know them. But sheep
are great animals, as you learn when
you see the connection that you can
have with them. My Instagram opens
a little window into this world.
CIRCLE OF LIFE
During lambing season, someone
has to be in the sheep house every
hour of the day. We take turns during
the night, someone stays up a
bit late, someone wakes up in the
middle of the night and someone
goes very early in the morning.
Throughout the day, we all help out
with what has to be done. During
lambing, you don’t sleep enough.
If something goes wrong, you get
called out and you have to go and
help the sheep deliver.
It’s horrible if you see a dead lamb
and you know it’s dead because
you weren’t there. We want to avoid
that, obviously. We feed them twice
a day, in the morning and then in the
afternoon. Between the feedings
there’s just a lot to do – we’re always
keeping an eye if someone is giving
birth and then we keep an eye on
the birth so we know if we have to
help them. Usually we don’t have to,
but it’s always better to know what’s
going on.
If you see that there’s only a head
coming out and no legs, you have
to go in and find the legs. And if
you get the back legs, you have to
get the lamb out quickly. I feel like
today I know pretty much everything.
That’s why I get the least sleep
sometimes.
This year, lambing will be a lot differ-
ent for me, because it’s not just the
sheep who are pregnant – I am too!
During pregnancy, I have to avoid
some things, so I am playing a less
active role than usual. But of course,
I want to be here and be a part of
everything.
THE TIES THAT BIND
If you have animals, you’re going
to get connected to some of them.
We were walking with my Sunna
earlier today. She grew up in our
basement because she was very
weak when she was born. I took her
home and nursed her back to health.
She’s deaf and she was really tiny.
She wouldn’t have stood a chance
alone because her mother didn’t
care for her. We have a very strong
bond. She’s more of a pet, really.
When we walk around the paddock
to look at the sheep, she always
follows us like a dog.
We’re all animals, in a way. We all
have feelings. We all feel sad, happy
or hungry. Sheep have sheep friends,
they hang out with their families, we
often see a mother and her daughter
spending the summer together, even
if they are both adults, and sisters
spend summers together too.
I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of this.
The farm might change, but it will still
be our family’s farm. The roots are so
deep here. I can’t imagine not having
this farm and being able to be here
as much as I want.
Follow Pálína’s farming adventures
on Instagram: @farmlifeiceland
Islanders Juggling Two Worlds
Icelandic farmer Pálína Axelsdóttir Njarðvík balances farm life and city life
I think sheep are quite under-
rated in general. People don’t
really know them.