Skip to main content

Geting ready







It is that time of year again, hay making. Tomorrow  our newly acquired rented fields, 7 kms from our farm will be cut. The weather has been good unlike the forecast on the Internet which is changing daily from dry sunny days to  isolated thunder storms and showers.

So farmer J and his haymaking partner have decided to bite the bullet and start cutting. A few days of dry weather are needed in order to cut it,turn it over to dry a couple of times, line it up ready to bale.

New machinery has been brought a second hand baler, which has been tested to see if it works before it is needed by lining up straw in front of the hanger a few times enabling enough to be fed in to make a bale.

I am so glad I don't have to take part in making those small rectangle bales anymore, although an idyllic country scene pictures in your mind of working with friends following the tractor and  baler, stacking the bales ready to be put on the trailer and then all throwing them up to the stacker on the trailer it is not one that sticks in my mind. It has to be a hot day, sweaty dusty and scratchy from the hay your arms and legs end up raw,not to mention your hands hurting from the bailing twine. Being on a time restraint to get the hay in before it rains you then have to get it off the trailer to stack it in the hanger. The only conciliation was a cold beer once the last bale had been stacked. No far better to make sandwiches and a flask and wave to farmer J as he heads off down the drive
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2ENJ093 - FRANKLIN

Eight years ago today Franklin came into our family, a rescue dog from the SPA in Rodez we drove to see if they had a dog to re home. He had been there a month after being left tied to a bin in the town centre, chosen because he didn't bark, he came to us to say hello and was completely different from the dog we had lost days before Christmas. 120 Euros he cost, a young boy still a pup, very thin but with a look of take me home please. A collar put round his neck, forms completed, cheque handed over and a kiss from the manager and he was ours. Five minutes down the road in the car he threw up. Five minutes in the house and he had weed up the settee and collected an assortment of treasures including socks, toilet roll inner tubes, tissues and soft toys all placed in a pile under the table and garded. He ate at an amazing speed, fearing he would loose it to our other dogs. Then he started to bark, he has a fine bark on him. He barks for his tea, when a visitor arrives, the ...
2 comments
Read more

Parisot lake

As it is a holiday today here in France (Bastille Day) we took the afternoon off an popped over to Parisot lake for a walk with Sorrel. It has all changed, since the lake was emptied and cleaned up this year you can now swim in it, as well as inflatable toys to play on, a life guard, bikes to hire, a new fenced in play area for small people and a total spruce up. But there is a price we were charged! 3 euros an adult, which I guess is OK if you are using the facilities but Sorrel didn't fancy a dip. The cafe is still open but that would of been too much for Sorrel to cope with being so close to people and music so we opted for a bench to sit on in the shade before walking around the lake. Sorrel opted for being Billy no mates and laying by herself, if be it for a short period of time before bikes and people went by. We are now waiting for the free firework celebrations over the chateau tonight - if we can stay up that late.😃
4 comments
Read more

Lavender

One plant that does grow well around the gites and garden and that I don't seem to be able to kill is lavender. In the summer the bushes are swarming with bees, hummingbird moths, butterflies and other flying insects, lot of holiday photos have been taken by keen photographers, some setting up chairs and waiting for ages with big cameras and lenses waiting for the right moment and right insect to land. It does give a lovely show and smell as well, its picked and placed in vases in the gites by guests. Its very tactile and difficult to pass without a rub of a flower that's if you like the smell. I think its very much like marmite you either love it or hate it, a smell of memories of grans and old aunts who use to get given Yardley's old lavender smellies for presents. I like the smell but it can be quiet overpowering, especially when this year I have finally been able to save the dried flowers. Previous years other things have got in the way and its bee...
1 comment
Read more