Ploughing

There are several signs of spring around now-- snowdrops in abundance, lots of birdsong, a touch of green on some trees and the swans are nesting on Swanswater.
"Ploughing" is the title of the first chapter of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's great novel "Sunset Song" in which the young Chris Guthrie prepares and is prepared for what lies ahead for her in life. So the farming year begins too with ploughing. In the days of Sunset Song ploughing was a job done by horses pulling a plough guided by the ploughman: today a large colourful tractor and a shiny metal plough make the work easier.