Monday 30 March 2009

Out like a lion.

Well this year March came in like a lamb but, true to the old saying, it is going out like the proverbial lion. I hate strong winds but they have at least dried up the mud that lay on all my dog walking routes and, more importantly for the farmers, the fields have dried sufficiently for the spring work to go ahead with tractors working till late in the evening, even after darkness.
They have bright lights fixed to the rear of the tractor cabs to enable them to watch the machinery.
I passed by a field today where rolling was taking place and at times all I could see was a cloud of dust. It reminded me of one year when I was a youngster and had been given the job of rolling a field-----with horsepower!...these were the pre tractor days! (Yes, I'm Methuselah's sister!) The reason I wanted the job was so as I could ride the Clydesdale, Queen, back to the stable at lunchtime and teatime. Queen was an old experienced worker and could have done the job herself. What I remember most was the awful dust that seemed to get everywhere...in my hair, in my ears, up my nose and in my mouth as all the clods had been broken down to a fine stour,(ie.dust) and the fierce winds blew it mercilessly. However, after I had unyoked her from the roller, with the help of a neighbouring worker in an adjoining field, I clambered aboard the sweating animal and still remember the pleasure of riding her the half mile home, even although the sweat stung my bare legs. There were no jeans, as we know them, back then.

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