Check out my bales

Yes, that's right, an open invitation to check out my bales. It only happens once a year, so take advantage of it whilst you can... Very proud of my work, although my performance review from Dad might not be great when you factor in multiple baler clogging, magical net wrap disappearance (seriously, we're talking Magic Circle worthy) and best of all trapping my hand in the reel, which hurt.  A lot.  Nothing Magic Circle about that one.

But that did not slow us down.  No more than 'The Rock Who Wanted to be Barley'.  So desperately did this rock want to join it's grainy friends, it had the audacity to enter the combine thus suspending combining for a morning.

Only so many times in these warming days you get the opportunity to say "F***ing glaciers." [Apparently in the last Ice Age, the glaciers stopped North of Colchester i.e. at LDF and dumped a variety of very pretty, but very annoying rocks in our so not Grade A agricultural land.  Although let this be a lesson to you all, a combine is to harvest, not to plough.]

But never mind, that's why we keep a couple of spare combines for parts.  Without them, and Dad's mechanical genius, I wouldn't get to write: Winter barley, harvested.

Next time I reverse into, or lose Humbug under one, I shall remind myself to be grateful for their presence.  Bring on the spring barley!

Harvest 2012

Faster than Usain Bolt, our Claas Mercator takes to the field for the first time.  Even the cows are happy to see harvest underway!

RIP Hat

Whilst the nation rejoices in the success of Team GB, we are in mourning, for one of Humphrey's hats has gone over to the other side.

And yes, the other side may be the council fabric recycling bag, but it is a loss Humphrey feels keenly.  For those who have met Humphrey will know, he is always to be seen in a hat.

In the winter, he chooses to adopt the Smurf look, occasionally tending towards French beret when worn at a jaunty angle.  In the summer, he models a range of sun hats in various shades of grime, from off-white to khaki.  From the fisherman's hat to the floppy-brimmed cricket hat, all are to be found protecting Humphrey's bald pate from the ferocious sunshine for which the Cote d'Horkesley is known.

And whilst Hannah may despair, and cruelly wrest these hats from him or behind the tractor seat or scattered around the farm (life is a catwalk), to make them moderately sanitary, the millinery parade marches on.  Some even say it runs in the family.

And so to the passing of the hat.  It's demise came when it entered the washing machine and the oil, diesel and dust holding it together were lost.  Seen here in better times, the international stardom years on Google Streetview.

And so, it is with sadness in my heart, and a rapidly disintegrating sunhat in my hand that I sign off this blog post.  RIP sunhat.  You've gone to a better place.

(And no Dad, we're not saving it for rags.)

Typical Harvest Conversation #1

[A typical farmhouse kitchen table.  Neat (relatively) piles of paperwork surround a family having lunch.  A Humphrey reads a tractor magazine, his wife tries not to drip tea on the paperwork, and the daughter is failing to win £100 from the Waitrose crossword. Barley in field ~20%]

Humphrey:   I'm going to sit down. Wake me if it rains, I've got to put the combine away.

Unqualified cloud expert aka Wife: [Looks out of window]    It really looks like it's going to rain.

Farmer:   Of course not. I have time [Sleeps, safe in the belief he controls the weather]

[It starts to rain.]

Farmer:   [Woken by slightly annoying fairies cheerfully yelling 'Pitter patter!'] Is it raining?...It's not raining.

Rain Fairy 1:   Do you mean water falling from the sky, or another type of rain?

Farmer:   I cannot see rain.

Rain Fairy 2:   Would you like me to go and stand outside to prove it?

[The rain fairies depart to prove it is raining and rescue dog and washing.  Humphrey happily leaves to move the combine.  The local farmers chorus: ****.]

[It pours.  Feed Barley in field >20%]

Happy Harvest

It's raining!  Good news as it meant limited guilt when I abandoned the farm for the Olympic eventing final yesterday.  You should know, I love the Olympics more than Humbug or my family.  To the point I walked Humbug the other day by sprinting to a friend's house (fortunately within the death distance - approx 1/8 mile) in the break in the men's gymnastics all-round final.  Apologies to the local farmer who had to witness my attempt at running (less Usain more Jumanji) along the edge of a sugar beet field.

But it IS harvest, and the combine IS ready to go  - at last testing barley was at 20% moisture, so not long now.  And so it is time for a vintage picture.  I've recently been sorting through Grandad's photos and negatives from the '30s (after dark, late at night - all hours must be accounted for pre-harvest).  Last week, I came across this picture of a time before the JCB/Manitou took the load off a farmer's harvest.

Having spent a long time as a child climbing/being lifted one layer higher on a trailer of bales (whilst wearing a natty knotted 'kerchief), this photo brought back fond memories of harvest.  It is a strange time, in my opinion the most stressful and most enjoyable time in the farming year.  But, just as at the Olympics, everything comes down to this.  And having worked increasingly with Dad over the past year since I returned to the farm, I would like to encourage all involved to 'Make the Promise' to come home safely.  Don't get me wrong, we may despair of HSE at times and we do not have to harvest in the conditions in this photo, but it is important to get through it in one piece!  As the HSE executive say: Do it for yourself, your family and your farm.

Good luck to everyone starting harvest, finishing (you lucky things) or struggling to get heavy machinery into boggy fields!  It has been a challenging season in the UK but spare a thought for our American counterparts.  With extraordinary drought conditions across the US, we are lucky to be able to head into the fields to harvest.  There'll be lots of cursing, screaming and probably a few tears (from Humbug) here at LDF, but here's wishing you all a safe harvest.

Carpet Dynasty

Introducing our very own Axminster.

Brand new miracle daughter* of my favourite, Rug.

Quality name for a quality calf. She's huge!

*Yes, seriously, another "miracle".  At least we know the AI is working...

Lath, scratch coat, top and finish

Top facts about lime plaster:

1) Lime is sacrificial, it rots away so the timber does not

2) It burns

3) Several Chinese goats were shorn to provide hair for the mix.

4) Lime plaster is very very heavy.  I may mock my lovely sister here on the blog, but I now have the muscles of an Olympic weightlifter.

There is obviously a lot more to know about lime plaster and we were lucky enough to have the wonderful Roy Cafferty running the lime plaster course.  What Roy does not know about lime is not worth knowing and he is an incredible craftsman.  Thank you to Roy and once again Katie Seabright from Essex CC Heritage team for an excellent course.  And to all the participants who worked very hard and lathed and plastered up a storm. The majority of panels were covered in only two days, and as you will see, the Mill House is looking rather spectacular.

We're currently finishing the last few panels, and then have 2 - 3 weeks grace (with some care) until we start on the top coat.

Best of all, restore a couple of doors and the windows*, and hey presto, Humbug and I have a new hiding place.

Thanks once again to everyone on the course.   It was lovely to see familiar faces from last year's Managing a Masterpiece timber frame course. I do not think we could have asked for a more enthusiastic group of pro-lathers!

If you missed this course and are interested in learning about traditional building techniques and materials, information on future seminars, lectures and hands-on courses can be found in the Essex CC Traditional Building Courses booklet.

*...plus a little work on the roof etc...

SOS Dairy

Dairy farmers from across the country are meeting in London today to call for wholescale change in the dairy industry.  The recent regime of price cuts have resulted in the lowest retail milk prices for seven years and immediate action is needed to bring about a sustainable dairy supply chain.

There is a lot to celebrate in the British dairy industry, but not the current regime of price cuts.  Milk producers deserve a fair price.  We may only be 'Dairy' by name, but we are 100% behind British Dairy Farmers.