Bringing the hay home

 

It was six days ago that this photo was taken. I have walked many a mile since then, but not in one straight line, as in going from one place to another, but going up and down and round and round the far field of Labartere.
It was haymaking time.

All we were going to do was cut the grass of the field.
It wasn't cut last  year, but I did scythe and make hay bales from in it the previous year, mostly by myself because Lester was busy working on his computer with his ex-UK employer. It took weeks. But I got it done.
However, we now have a compact tractor,
and we have a topper,
so we thought it a good idea for Lester to cut the field,
only the topper would not cut the grass cleanly unless I walked behind it and raked the piles of cut grass away from the uncut grass.
Which I did.
This was to be the start of my five day marathon.

The thing is, that tall standing grass needs to be cut when dry.
Which means that the sun needs to be shining.
Which means that it is hot, hot, hot.

And here is the view from the far field, looking back towards the house....
 

..... and so I marched behind the tractor until the field was cut.
Five hours was all it took. It felt much longer.
And as we looked at the cut grass it came into our heads that perhaps we ought to dry it and make hay, rather than let it rot.
We had a five day window of hot, sunny, weather, to get the job done.
 

 

And then it was the second day, and the turning of the hay, and the turning of the hay again, and the turning of the hay again, etc......

 

So on the morning of the third day we were wilting. It was taking us two to three hours to get the hay turned over so it could dry.....

 

and then the Universe sent us in people to help...

 

Kathy
(the bodhrum player with our band, the Bollards)

 

 

and husband John (left)

(singer, and 'drummer' with the Bollards)

 

 

And together we four got that hay dried and baled.

 

 

....and the storm clouds started gathering, and the rain drops they did plop,

but we raced the weather,

and we just about won.

The first of the much needed rain fell

just as we brought the last bales in.

 



 



 Thankyou, John and Kathy, for your efforts,

we would have never done it without you!

 

And the new residents in the bathroom...

 



 

...four little balls of fluff!