This is WAR..

I have hands that have the texture of coarse sandpaper. It starts in the spring, when my hands come into contact with soil. They dry up, they form patches of hard skin, which peels and flakes. The ends of my fingers split, on the corners of the nails. And the slightest knock, and I have wounds that bleed profusely. Knuckles are skinless, where I've knocked them against harder surfaces. To put it bluntly, my hands are a mess.

I have an army of hand creams, some are good for moisturising, some are good for dealing with cracks and cuts. But they do make my hands slimy. I can't use them during the day, as dirt sticks to it. I can't wear gloves, because I need to feel what I'm doing. So I just get on with it..

Evenings are the best time for sorting it out, putting the creams and lotions on, and just before bed. Forget for a day, and it's back to square one. Trust me to enjoy growing things, and needing to handle soil..

Busy day today. Went to borrow N's potato ridger, but it wouldn't fit on the tractor. So I borrowed H's instead. Couldn't fit that to the tractor without removing the draw-bar, and that was seized up. Couldn't move it to one side, because the pins for that was seized too. Ended up taking the whole assembly off.

Pulled up ridges for my potatoes, planted, and then split the ridges back. Did 8 rows in 15 minutes once we'd got started. G gave Tanni a good run on the beach while I was playing with the tractor (and banging more knuckles!). Then ridged A's rows up. Planted 12 rows of parsnips, and 12 of beetroot, and 18 rows of carrots with the seed drill. And then split A's potato ridges back after hed planted his..

Took the ridger back to H, and watched young (8 or 9 years) M pull a lamb out of a ewe (under the watchful eye of H). The ewe had been trying for an hour with a single (larger) lamb.

Music..