Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Posie's Blog. Tales of island life on a hebridean hill farm

Wednesday 25 July 2007

Hay Bales












My blogs are becoming a bit thin on the ground of late, but I have the perfect excuse, please don’t cringe, but the sun has been shining here for days now! The hammocks have been up in the garden, the paddling pool out for my youngest, and the horses have been lovingly groomed and put through their paces by the eldest. I even got serenaded by bagpipes through lunch the other day as an old friend of the happy farmer turned up at the pottery with his wife and children. Nothing was doing, but the happy farmer whisked them all over for a bite to eat and an impromptu ceilidh in the garden.

I tackled the weeds growing among the vegetables yesterday, and thinned out the carrots and young turnips. It is looking mighty impressive, although eggs have appeared on the broccoli and caterpillars are hatching out, looks like I have got competition, and if I don’t act fast they will have eaten their way through the crops before me! The lettuce has gone a bit wild, I think I may have planted a bit much, it gets to this time of year, when you reap the rewards of hard labour, look at all of the thriving plants and realise you have got some amount of eating to do, to make it all worth while!

The happy farmer got a field of hay cut, and has been turning it several times a day to allow it to dry out in this blissful heat. Making hay is a precarious business, especially in today’s climate. Once the hay is cut, it lies in the field for several days to dry out. Once the process of turning the hay has begun you do not want any rain, as this will affect the quality of the hay, or ruin it completely. Yesterday he got the field baled, the tractor and baler working away, as the children climbed on the bales, the sweet smell of hay in the air, and a truly happy farmer!

10 comments:

patsy said...

No better smell than fresh mown hay and a horse's neck to nuzzle into. How idyllic!

laurie said...

imagine having a bagpiper just show up in your yard. i'm glad you're not getting as much rain as your neighbors to the south.

we have no rain at all, and my heirloom tomatoes are getting black bottom rot.

bradan said...

Hi Posie Rosie,

We have had days of sun here too. I also live on an island off the West Coast, a bit further north than where you are. Hope your veggies are okay!

Best wishes xx

Faith said...

Glad happy farmer is happy. Love the tractor pics - reminds me of when I was a child down on the farm, lovely.

muddyboots said...

you have sunshine...WHY??? our hay is all but dead sticks, AND.. the contractor drove through all the new lakes & has done some BIG time paddling. hubby is NOT amused..

Suffolkmum said...

Wow - sunshine - hammocks - paddling pools - all just a distant memory here! Glad you're able to get the hay in. The bagpiper does sound amazing!

Un Peu Loufoque said...

Spent yesterday morning discussing this years poor hay yeald and problems of lack of feed for stock this winter and I am not even a farmer!!! Glad you at least got yours in whislt the sun shone..

@themill said...

Have left a comment about this blog on the last blog by mistake. Time for bed I think.

Cait O'Connor said...

I am glad someone is having a proper summer and managing to make hay! Your life sounds idyllic with the piper and all. In Wales it has been nothing but rain and more rain. (Farmers are getting desperate!)

muddyboots said...

your hay looks like hay, ours looks like old sticks, all the seed has come out & it's well and truly dead. busy turning & spreading now, hope to bale tomorrow.