Jj is for Jottings 39. The Spitty Story Didn’t End There.
When I removed the grass seed from Manuel’s eye (see Jottings 36 A Spitty Story), I had noted that it wasn’t a full grass seed but, having carefully lifted both upper and lower eyelids, I had concluded that that’s all there was. How wrong I was. Every day his eye varied from weeping a little and looking a bit uncomfortable to being quite inflamed and looking really uncomfortable. The shearer and I had a really good look when he was firmly secured on the shearing table and we could find nothing. Another day when it looked particularly bad I haltered him again and struggled to check his eye whilst holding him with one hand – still nothing.
Then one morning I thought I saw a grass seed – THE grass seed – inside his lower eyelid. I haltered him again – not too unco-operative this time; I think he knew I was trying to help him, just as when he (usually) stood to have his eye sprayed. I tied his head up against a post and, pulling the halter hard against the post to help immobilise his head with one hand, I had to try and get the grass seed with the other – no mean feat trying to pull down his lower eyelid and remove the grass seed with Manuel spitting at one end (it had all got too much for him by this time) and dancing about at the other end! After a few instances of pulling his eyelashes instead of the grass seed – success! It must have been a huge relief for the poor fellow. And what’s one of the first things he did after it was all over? Wipe his eye on a patch of dried barley grass!

That eye is looking good!