Shearing in the Worst June Ever!

We have just finished our second lot of shearing. Usually we have one great big day and all 1200 ewes would be strutting up and down showing off to each other, discussing how they hadn't really put too much weight on over the winter, and how so and so looks to have lost a little weight and really Mrs Ba could do with losing a few pounds! Well not today. Today they shivered and shook throwing their eyes up to the heavens asking "why..... Why Now"?
We have had to do it in two lots so far, and still have another lot to go where our sheep are on tack at Llangunllo. Last Monday we shut in 450 ewes and lambs in order to keep them dry ready to shear, and today we did 470 which again had to be shut in from yesterday lunch time in order to ensure them dry ready to shear. As we only have room to shut 470 ewes and their lambs in we had to split them into two batches, so that meant two separate days, we finish off on Wednesday morning when we can say, 'well shearing's finished for another year'
Today must be one of the most awful days we have ever sheared. The wind was driving the rain in through the slats in the sheep shed, and even the shearers, who usually find shearing quite a warm job, were seen to be wearing their woolly hats. I'd cooked a nice Welsh Black Stew for Lunch, not the traditional quiche and salad, and after going back out the men had decided not to turn the ewes out (Oh they do have hearts sometimes!) but to keep them in until the weather improves a little.
We had four men shearing today, then there was Wyn, Len & James moving the ewes in, sorting ewes from lambs and pushing them up into the picking chambers. Philip, Andy, Colin and later Rob (a late arriver) were wrapping fleeces. A total of 11 personnel to do this task. The shearers charge us 65p per fleece sheared and double for tups (male sheep) Wyn and Andy are on the payroll, and believe it or not even the farmers Len, Philip and Colin would like to make some money for their days work. I think the Wool Board are paying 50p per fleece this year so mathematics now
450 ewes @ 65p = £292.50
20 tups @ £1.30 = £30.00
2 x 6 hours wages @ £14 per hour (incl on costs) = £168.00
3 x 6 hours wages .... now what shall we pay the farmers same as the others? yes £14 = £252

Total cost of shearing today = £742.50
(plus I cooked lunch for everybody!!!!!!)

Total income from shearing......
470 fleeces at 50p per fleece £235.00

as you can see shearing has cost us 507.50 today that's from 7am - 1pm, we did the same last Monday, so far shearing has cost us around £1000 ... loss
So when people ask why is lamb so expensive- what can I tell them?