Enjoy The Fruits Of Your Labour

After taking pictures of the Icelandic horses, I spotted two riders and their trusty sheep dog herding the first group of sheep.

The corral looked like a large wagon wheel with a circular pen in the middle and divided triangular-shaped pens outside of it.

The sheep are first herded into the circular pen to be sorted out by the sheep farmers, their families and friends into the triangular-shaped pens. Each sheep has a tag in its ear, so they are sorted out according to these tags. (The different tags represent the different farmers in the area.)

The roundup is one of Iceland's oldest cultural traditions that dates back to the days of the early settlers.

The sheep in Iceland roam freely in summer to graze, so roundup is a big job because many of them were grazing in the mountains. And there are a lot of mountains in Iceland! Here is a picture of  a lone sheep Brian and I spotted high in one of the mountains. (I wondered if the farmers found that one.)

Afterward the roundup, there is always a big celebration of singing, dancing, eating and drinking. The Icelanders enjoy the fruits of their labour, which the Bible says are gifts from God.

"And people should eat and drink

and enjoy the fruits of their labour,

for these are gifts from God."

Ecclesiastes 3:13 (NLT)

Here is me in the black jacket and beige pants watching all the excitement!