Friday 1 July 2011

Hay - make it while the sun shines.






Sorry that yesterday's post didn't appear until today but I finally gave up on Blogger as it was so contrary yesterday.

Today the hay is being baled. This is as good a year as the farmer can remember lately. From cutting to baling there has been no rain and today the grass is crisp, dry and sweet-smelling.

Of course there have been hiccups, and watching the farmer I can see where he gets his patience from (it is unlimited I assure you). Inside the baler are great balls of baler twine - these got twisted (think of a kitten playing with a ball of wool!) and before he could proceed he had to sort it all out because the baler was spewing out unwrapped bales of hay which were just falling apart on the field.

However, now it sounds to be working properly - the paddock is next to the hall where I am working; the door is open and the smell of hay is divine. Mother and foal racehorses in the field the other side of the paddock have got quite tame and came to the fence to watch. I am torn between watching the haymaking and watching the tennis.

15 comments:

Dartford Warbler said...

I can almost smell the hay - it looks wonderful! It`s good to hear that the Farmer is pleased with its quality this year.

That foal has the most beautiful head in profile.

Heather said...

Poor Farmer - when the weather is on his side, the machinery isn't. Glad the crop is good this year. Those horses are so beautiful - I would love to fondle their velvety noses. I have chickened out of watching the tennis - my nerves can't stand the tension! I'll watch the news later. I'm such a wimp.

Pondside said...

I hope there's a treat of a supper for The Farmer after such a trying day!

Gerry Snape said...

Oh how it takes me back to Ballyferris and the farmer and sons taking us out to the hay fields...the wonderful smell and the prickles of the hay as it got down your back and into your clothes!

angryparsnip said...

To have your doors open and be surrounded by such wonderful views and smells must seem like heaven.

I also love the smell of fresh cut grass and hay.
The closes I get to that is when the monsoons come and the air is filled with sage, ozone and dust. It is beyond wonderful.

Glad farmer is having a good year !

cheers, parsnip

Granny Sue said...

That is some beautiful hay, weaver. I remember well those days of equipment breakdowns. Stress, frustration and anxiety! It's one reason we decided to only raise poultry and hunt venison for meat :)

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Or watching the cows at the fence in your header photo. I liked how you could tell how the things were going with the farmer by what you could hear. I do that, too, when my husband is at work on a project. However, rather than equipment, I listen for what is coming out of his mouth. Ha!

Bovey Belle said...

Gosh, that looks like a good hay crop. Not a spot of rain on it to spoil the colour and I could float on the scent (who needs perfume?!) The broodmare and her foal look sweethearts.

Dave King said...

I hope you chose the hay, or if the tennis that it didn't disappoint.

Elizabeth said...

Two excellent choices in your final sentence!
As regards teachers, I had many fine ones. Probably the best was "Hag" a chain-smoking (when not in the class-room) chain-knitting, painfully shy Welshwoman who taught history without a text book and kept us utterly rapt, and who was transformed in the classroom.
She brought out the best in all of us --we all strove to answer well and write good essays. I can visualize my yellow history notebook to this day. A marvelous inspiration.

H said...

My dairy farmer uncle always used to make hay and we would be roped in to help. One of my jobs as a kid was to balance on the side of the bale sled and lift the swing gate to allow bales to be released in heaps, ready for collection. As I grew older, I had to pitch in with the stacking (what hard work!) and once, I even got to drive the tractor!

I can smell that sweet, dry hay! Nowadays, it all seems to be silage!

Rarelesserspotted said...

Lovely lovely pictures
XX

Eryl said...

If watching the haymaking is good enough for a couple of racehorses...

Gwil W said...

Make hay while the sun shines - so it must be summer, though you'd never think it looking outside my window these last two days: cold, showery, windy.

Everybody loves the smell of hay, don't they. Recently I've been drinking hay-milk. They say it's particularly good for you. Is that true? It sounds like it might be.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Today is warm and sunny here and the smell of the hay still linger in the field - it is glorious. Thank you for taking the trouble to leave a comment.