Mid Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Cider Boys]

Morning Barney, thank you for your kind wishes......the fete went well, it was lacking a few of the stalls, because of the lack of helpers but, i think the number of people through the gate was about the same, what was pleasing. I don't know the total amount raised, as the Church Warden is still in bed...

I did think of you Friday evening, Barney, as Cook had an acre of pasture cut and baled, so i was picking the bales up off the field. Never get tired of that wonderful smell of freshly baled hay.....brings many happy memories back from when i used to to a bit of work on the small farms in the village as a lad. Got 102 bales of the acre field so was very pleased....also the contractor only charged £100 for cutting, turning and baling.....a very fair price indeed.

I'm glad the fete went well oldherbaceous and that your hay is baled and dry at a most reasonable rate. 102 bales from an acre is very good. I'm afraid my haymaking days have been substantially reduced this year; basically I've been sacked by my son due to him investing in all the latest equipment and spaceship type tractors and me being a bit behind the times he now prefers to employ a young modern up to date lad experienced in using all the new fangled spaceship technology, (I don't blame him either). Although I was allowed to wall up a field for round baling using a modern tractor and large implement when under supervision. I've posted pictures of happier days when using equipment that I understood of me walling up one of the best crops we had for years.

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Barney

[Primrose]

What a lovely photo!

I fear that this "space age" technology is rapidly taking over all areas of our life. I'm getting to the stage where I almost dread having to replace any of our domestic kitchen equipment because all the replacements seem to need somebody with a degree in computer technology to operate the darned things.

Even having to reprogramme all the equipment to cope with the one hour change to summer and winter time is fraught with obstacles in this house where we have to hunt for the wretched manuals sometimes to achieve our objective. No wonder I just leave the clock in my ancient car as it stands. It doesn't automatically convert like modern cars do, so have the year I just have to remember that it's an hour out of synch.

And talking of technology, why is it that I have to replace a perfectly good iron because the external outer coating on the cable has started to fall apart and expose the inner wires. I really resent this kind of waste but I can't find any skilled electrician capable of replacing it. And it's almost easier to buy a new car than replace a dud headlight bulb these days!

[peter]

Primrose, take care when buying and ask some questions.

To change a front bulb on my Lard Rover Freelander 2.
Open bonnet. Undo two bolts on revealed lip. Pull plastic T handle behind light unit. Slide unit forward when released and unclip electrical connection. Then slide whole unit out. Unclip top end of the T and fold out of the way. Undo three clips to hinge rear open, replace bulb opening and closing locating clip as needed.
Reverse process to finish. Takes about ten minutes.
The Renault Modus we had, take off the cars chin. Undo various hidden fixings and catch light unit as it falls out. Takes at least half an hour. Then put it back together, at least three quarters of an hour. Many other Renaults share this construction.

[Ricard with an H]

Still battling with germination battle for succession sowing of dwarf French beans

I had a 100% failure sowing 3 bush-bean seeds per hole in ten sowings in a bed that had emerging borage seedlings that had self-sown. I wondered if borage seeds release an inhibiting chemical to stop other seeds from germinating in a similar way that Hungarian grazing rye does.

[oldherbaceous]

Evenig Barney, they are wonderful photos indeed....the type of pictures you can look at and drift off into happy years gone by, so thank you for putting them on the forum. The contractor still runs old tractors for all his work, but i quite understand that things have to move forward. It's just the speed with which everything is changing that does worry me......

Richard, i'm not sure what the answer to your question is, but very annoying for you.

[Geoff]

We have a neighbouring farmer who uses a "thumpity thump" hay baler to make the traditional old bales. Mind we aren't much more up to date up here than this article from 1949 reproduced in this month's parish newsletter:

"It has nothing modern about it except a few radio sets - and they run on batteries. Too far from the world ever to watch the world go by, all it gets from this scientific century is a weekly visitation from a butcher and a grocer, a monthly appearance by a hardware van, a daily glimpse of a postman, an occasional motor bus at a cross roads two and a half miles distant and a chance to telephone the doctor in an emergency. It has no electricity, no gas, no water taps"

Electricity came in 1960 apparently, the bus is now five and half miles distant, we still have the red phone box but the fastest internet in the world.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I had my cataract operation on Monday afternoon and was amazed how crystal clear and bright everything looked on Tuesday morning. You don't realize how bad your sight is when it comes on gradually. My new eye is now much better than my previously "good" eye. I can really appreciate the vibrant blues and purples of the delphiniums now, they are wonderful.

[alan refail]

Dear Plumpudding

Great to hear of the success of your operation. It really is amazing the morning after when you realise what you have been missing, isn't it. I was "signed off" yesterday by my consultant for the first eye which he said has healed perfectly. We are now waiting for a date for the second eye. Hopefully very soon.
Congratulations again.

[Shallot Man]

After three failed sowing's ,Have given up attempting to grow runner beans this year.

[JohnN]

Primrose: I just bind some plastic insulation tape round the iron cable where it frays. Doesn't look very nice but makes it safe.

[Primrose]

John, yes i did bind insulating tape around the cable but it has all frayed away leaving the inner two wires bulging out like a very bad hernia and If I rebind with insulating tape again the inner cables will be twisted up and crumpled which I'm not sure is a safe long term arrangement.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Thanks Alan, I'm glad to hear that yours has healed well too. At least you know what to expect for the second one so it won't be as scary.

I've picked 9kg strawberries, 7kg red currants, tayberries, raspberries, and black currants today, plus french beans, broad beans and beetroot. Looks like I'll be making jam, ice cream and wine tomorrow before I start weeding.

I've even managed to beat the blackbirds and eaten six cherries before they got them. They've had most of the crop.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Plumpudding, glad to read you are taking it easy....

[Monika]

Wow, PP, what a great yield! Have fun using all your goodies!

[PLUMPUDDING]

I'm not one for taking it easy OH but I have been following their advice not to do any heavy lifting or drive for a few days.

I've had an enjoyable day processing all the fruit and the strawberry ice cream is delicious. We've almost eaten one litre already - another three to go though.

It's been a very good year for all the top fruit so far, and there are lots of gooseberries and blueberries ripening.