February has ended and a dry month with only 32mm of rain the old saying is dry February wet June so we will see I really hope not as a recent booking for the roadshow is the Middlewich folk and boat festival and as I’m there on the Sunday it will be another birthday out on the road. Defiantly not next year (see my 2000 June report for a clue as to why). To learn more about the festival which started from small beginnings click here.
Last night saw our Angus cross have a nice looking Angus heifer and also I have acquired a hand powered chaff cutter for the collection. The chaff cutter is also now un-seized but it will need some careful repair welding to two of the drive cogs as someone had been heavy handed trying to free it off in the past. Plenty of WD40 and patience is the only way with such things especially when working with cast iron. Thursday sees a visit from the Manley (near Chester) garden club to look at the museum and view the video. Many of these people are retired with long ties to the land so I’m putting my head on the block speaking to more experienced peers so I think I may learn more from the visit than they do. Much warmer last week with highest temperature at 15.8c little rain so it’s on with those outside jobs.
Our visit from the Garden club went well with all enjoying our film presentation and at the start I invited any comments. One retired farmer aged over 80 said I was wrong in praising a machine featured (the Blackstone horse powered hay turner). “We had one” he said “it was never any dam use” It just shows to me opinions were just as diverse then as now as my Uncle swore by his. Our sited shipping container now has a roof between itself and the one next to it giving us approximately a 20×20ft storage area as well as the new container. Holly our pup is now learning to stick with me when I go about my work so soon she will only need fastening in during milking. The ford 6600 tractor now fixed so we have nearly emptied our muck store and except for about 4 loads we will now be able to load the spreader from the ramp for the first time since before Christmas.
The Chaff cutter is now working and waiting for its coat of paint along with our now finally finished sheep shearer. Having restored an antique straw cutter we were forced to repair our tractor powered straw chopper as a one in a million chance of a stone getting wedged meant that the shear-bolt protection failed breaking EVERY one of the fixed ring of cutting blades here are the repair photos. We have finished spreading the Rancho and are now doing the Humpety back which is to be ploughed ready to sow spring oats. Jack our regular works experience since September has applied to Reaseheath College to study agriculture so well done Jack. Here he is with his latest skill scraper tractor driver. Over the last three weeks we have been joined by Aiden on Mondays and we have another victim starting on Tuesdays after Easter. So the next few weeks should be fun.
Bye for now PHIL.
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