Chance meeting

Another scorcher and so I thought I would try to mow a corner of the field we rent outside our own property. This corner never gets any sun and whatever drainage there may once have been, it is now blocked. Last year I didn't manage to mow it once and now it looks like a young forest plantation.

I knew that the weight of my very heavy 2WD John Deere together with thin tyres was going to be a problem and so raised the Amazone Grasshopper bucket and slowly set off mulching small strips edging ever closer to the corner. With grass flying all around me (passing farmers/tractors must have wondered what on earth was going on) actually managed to do 75% of the area before the danger of getting stuck became acute. Sadly I probably destroyed some wildlife that had come to enjoy the peace and quiet. I had deliberately not mown earlier not just because of the wet ground but also to allow any nesting wild birds to bring up their offspring in peace. Sadly did find the remains of a slow-worm.

As the horses have been on the field the last few days and as always are avoiding large areas of grass they consider unsuitable, did a quick high mow of the rest of the field which the horses should appreciate as it allows them to get at the tasty young shoots without any effort!

Just before I finished, MrB turned up on his "vineyard" Eicher followed by the owner of the field, Sigfried and an adjacent field shed part of which the horses use as sun/rain/fly protection. We ended up having a pleasant chat but I thought I should leave the two of them to get on with whatever they had planned which involved chainsaws and large trees behind the shed. Only days later did I find out that the meeting was pure chance and not pre-arranged. Siegfried, born & bred in the village has just sold his house and moving a few kilometres away as well as finally giving up the remaining agricultural bits and pieces he had after giving up active farming about 12 years ago. He does have a 1953 Deutz D25 for sale if anyone interested! It was Bliped back in the spring.