Well I recon Summer is over, a’time I am a writin this (early October) old Mother Nature seem t’hev tunnned the hot tap orf. Thas wind is suffin cold, I hev had t’put my old vest on.
Since I last hed a wud along wi yar the Missus und I hev bin over the water agin w’our caravan. We he bin und hed a look at Austria und sum parts o’Germany.(Bavaria) We took it steady a gettin there.
We stopped a night or two in the Black Forest. I say t’the Missus “why du they call it that?” she recon thas cos the trees are dark in colour…..I recon they all looked green t’me. We ha’a drive along sum o’them German Motorways. There wernt no speed limit on sum of the ones we driv along. My hart they dont half crowd their old cars along. I were a’takin it nice und steady cos we were a pullin our caravan when sum fella cum past us a’drivin a great old Mercedes with a caravan behind. My Hart he were a’goin und the caravan were a’bobbin about behind the car, I say t’the Missus “I bet he dont hev t’buy new tyres f’his caravan very orften, cos they only a’touchin the road every half a mile”.
When we were in Austria we went und hed a look at the hotel we spent our honeymoon in sum 45 year ago. The Missus recon that hed got bigger since we were there. I told har that I hed got a bit bigger since I were last there………….She dint say anything, she just gi me one o’har looks. (I dussant tell har that she might hev got a bit bigger un all).
The farmers Austria und Germany were scrappin around doin a bit of hay makin while we were there. The fields arnt very big so they use little old tractors, the sort’a like the market garden tractors we hev over here, only they a lot lower t’the ground When the hay is made they pick it up loose inta trailers und cart it back to their barns. They wark on sum funny old slopes. I watch one on un a drivin acroos a slope a pickin up the hay, they drive ever s’slow. Und I’ll tell yu suffin else, they dont waste any on it, parts o’the fields that are to steep f’them t’drive their tractors on, they rake the hay orf w’hand hay rakes.
I recon I’m allus a tellin on yar about farmin. I recon thas acors, a sumbody sed once, farmin int a job thas a way of life. Even though I’m retired I still keep a gawpin over hedges inta the fields t’see was a’goin on und I recon I’ll a carry on a’duin that for the rest o’me life.
I hev told yu afor about how the Missus hev a’bin a doin har family tree. When we were a comin back through France we stopped orf near the Somme so we could go and find the names o’folk that she ha got on har family tree who fell durin World War One. Fust of all we went t’the Thiepval Memorial. Thas a gret old memorial und thas got the names of seventy eight thousand solders carved on it who hev no known grave. We found the names the Missus were a lookin for. We then drawed up the road t’a cemetery where we found the grave of har Great Uncle who was killed on the Somme. The Missus recon that she were the first member of har family t’visit his grave.
That meake yu think when yu are a drivin about that area of France cos that seem as if yu are a’cummin acroos a war memorial und First World War grave yard every mile or so. Und they arnt just for British Solders, thes memorials for the different Commonwealth Countries who sent solders to fight.
Them boys up a Carra Rood seem t’be a makin a good start t’the football season. I know thas a long way till next May but thas best t’be a the top o’the tree cos them other teams ha gotta win more games than yu t’get above yar.
Well I ha betta finish orf und draw back inta the garden cos I hev got t’shift a lot o’lot of last years compost out afor I can tun this years compost over inta an empty bin. Und them old leaves hev a’stated a fallin so I’ll hev t’start a rakin them up cos they meake sum lovely compost if yu keep them a year or two. As I he said afor a garden is just like a’keepin livestock, Yu ha gotta keep a feedin und waterin on it or that ount du.
Fare ye well t’gether und do yu keepa’troshin.