Dad is playing the harvest weather game and dashing out to combine between the showers. 
Fortunately, the blustery sunshine dries the grain quickly and Farmer Humph is, in general, more concerned about the Mercator getting wet than the barley! Barley straw holds the moisture well which slows down combining, but we are making steady progress. Better still, during a trip to Manns of Saxham for new cutter guides, I found a new cabless combine in our price range!
Only joking Mercator! Much to the surprise of the other customer (sporting a Claas fleece - free with a brand new combine), not only do Claas still make Mercator parts, but according to the engineer, there are in fact three or four people locally who come to Manns for Mercator parts every year. Three or four? It's nice to know we're not alone.
Questions have been asked regarding the aesthetics of the back end of this mean machine. Little do people know that "crumple chic" is top of Claas' optional extra request list. Yours, for a small fee. You could of course just park it on a hill without the handbrake on.
