Well old mother nature is playing on us up agin, fust we get a day or two dry then she start a sendin tempists in the arternoon. The farmers ha mead a start on harvest but when I am a writin this (early August) the weather ha made them put brakes on, stiil, as my old father used t’say – ‘there’ll allus be a seed time & harvest… und du yu know….. he was allus right.
The old weather put pay t’the Wayland Show this year. I arnt a goin t’say whose right and whose wrong about a cancellin it but thas a rear shame for all them folks who hed got livestock ready and all them folks who were a lookin forward to a day out. Next year will be the 140th year since that started. I remember m’father a coming to it in the 1950s a showin cows. One year he cum with a red and white Friesian cow und when he went inta the judging ring with her the judge asked him if he were in the right class.. he (the judge) thought m’Father should ha bin in the next door ring with the Ayrshires.
One show what hed a good day were the Sandringham Flower show. That were suffun hot there and there were a rare crowd o’folks a jammin around a havin a look. The Missus & I were there a helpin with the Heavy Horses. They were a givin a display in the ring. I were doin the talkin on the Public Address so folks knew what they were a lookin at. The Missus were a helpin on the Heavy Horse stand a sellin things.. she’s good at that cos she were in selling afor we got married, she recon folk like a bargin when they see one…I reccon she thought I were a bargin when we got married…….though I dussent ask har.
Afor we got goin we hatta line up wi the hosses when Charlie boy and his Missus cum a riding past in they carriage, the Missus were suffin pleased cos the Duchess said good marnin to her as she went a ridin past.
One thing the Missus did notice were that nearly all the folks there were about retiring age, we got a talkin about that and she recon that if yu are under sixty five you wont remember hosses a warkin on farms, she’s rite yu know cos I’m sixty seven and I only used hosses when I were a boy, I don’t get s’meny old boys acomin up t’me now a sayin “I remember when I were a usin Heavy Hosses” as I did twenty year a’go.
I were a readin t’other day that that the average age o’farm warkers is a goin up and over the next ten years 60,000 younguns will be wanted to start a warkin on farms t’replace them as they retire. Thas 6000 a year and folks are a wonderin where they are a comin from . I ha said afor that I ha got a little job a testin folks on tractor drivin arter they ha bin a trainin at Easton College, outa them folks who I test very few on um are a goin t’wark on farms, they are a goin t’be mechanics, go inta horticulture or wark with ridin hosses. I know farmin is long hours but that int such hard work as it was when I started cos everything is lifted for yu mechanicaly, Yu ha got t’get the younguns interested, I wonder how many school job advisors know anything about farmin?.
By the time yu read this the Olympics will be over. I ha bin a’watchin them cyclists, my heart they crowd their old bikes along, the Missus recon I could learn a few lessons from them, I say t’her I’d never git on my old bike on me own if I hed the saddle set that high. Still they are a doin well, less hope that get some of the younguns out a doin some sport instead o’sittin in doors a’playin with their phones or computors.
They tell me there’s agoin t’be a big week-end in the village at the end September when there are goin t’be a showin the old village maps and Bibles in the church and they are a goin t’unveil the new Village Sign and the Hunton Hoss Plough and hev the Harvest Festival in the Church. The Missu and I will be a’drawin along t’that. Lets hope that,by then, “All is Safely Gathered In”.
Fare ye well t’gether and du yu keep a’troshin.