Wednesday 1 June 2022

Haymaking


This (below) was a normal sight back in the 70's, 80's, and into the 90's. As soon as we heard the bailer we'd be out there with our pitchforks either neatening the rows or throwing the new (rectangular) bales up onto the trailer.

Lady M (below) was even known to drive a tractor pulling a trailer piled high with bales. When she shouted "How do I stop this blo*dy thing?", we all laughed and walked away (as one would). We rescued her later!


It was a Laurie Lee view of life in the countryside, and we loved it. These days people (other than some of us) wouldn't lift a finger to help a neighbour. But then, not many neighbours make hay these days anyway.

My lovely neighbour Claude baled our grass for us, and we did our bit by putting everything into rows, and tidying. 

It was hot, so after a quick plunge into the icy water, we later retired to the banks of the pool for a glass or two of 'rouge'.  Such is life.

 

25 comments:

  1. Nice hay crop. Fantastic photo and just think what good all that long grass had done for the local wildlife population: insects and everything that feeds on them.

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    1. It didn't look too good when we first arrived. We'd hoped that a gardener would have been looking after things for us.

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  2. That first grass cut makes such a difference doesn't it. Love that photo.

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    1. What a difference to when we first arrived. It was really depressing. Now we are happy again!!!

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  3. You must have been brown as berries (what berries are brown) and fit as fiddles from all your outdoor work.
    You certainly had plenty of grass if you could bail it. Hope you can now enjoy lunches on your shaded patio and lots of red around the pool.

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    1. It has been a lot of hard work getting everything tidied-up and cleaned. 9 months away is too long. That first glass of red in the evening is always extremely welcomed.

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  4. Haymaking brings back memories of a mis-spent youth in the 1960s when I had the job of baling hay and straw on the farm where we lived. No-one seems to bother with hay now, just silage.

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    1. Silage takes away the angst. As long as it's reasonable dry, all is well. I love that slight sweet liquorice aroma after the first few weeks of silage wrapping. Lovely.

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  5. I xan feel my hay fever kicking in just looking at that photo.
    Well done to you and Lady M.

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    1. Oh dear. We have a friend here who suffers terribly. Not a good time of year for hay fever. The Chestnuts will be in flower any day.... and that is really bad.

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  6. Where I lived on a farm and a neighbour's or our own hay harvest was threatened by rain, it was all neighbours on deck to help. Ours of 365 acres was considered large back then. Now it would be considered small as companies have bought up farms and amalgamated them. I doubt such spirit exists among shareholders.

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    Replies
    1. Bigger farms means less camaraderie. Big machines have replaced 'friendship'.

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  7. That photograph of Lady M could be mistaken for an Old Master.... a lovely shot. Enjoy your time in France ..... I look forward to hearing your everyday adventures. XXXX

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  8. What do/did you do with the bales of hay?

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    1. They'll go to feed Claude's Cows. Delicious hay too!

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  9. The allure of country living can't be beat. The photo of Lady M working with the hay is lovely.

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    1. She's a good worker; she deserved her bread and water for supper.

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  10. I've always wanted to spend a day loading hay on a wagon. In fact, I've always had a hankering for life on a farm. The image of Lady M doing her part is lovely.

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    1. It was a lovely day too; around 28C. Perfect for haymaking.

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  11. How funny! When I saw the tractor mowing your yard, I thought, that would be great for baling. Glad it went to some use. Is it too late to pop some tomatoes in a pot?

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    1. It's not too late to plant them but as we are only here for 10 weeks or so, I don't think they'd have time to fruit. We shall have to rely on our plants in Brighton on our return.

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  12. I've been involved with haymaking, the only thing I didn't like was how itchy I always was after.

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    1. That's why having a nice icy pool is so useful.

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  13. It's really nice, knowing you're back in France for the summer. I can't really imagine you in England. Cro and SW France will always be linked in my mind!

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