Hello and Welcome Fellow Ramblers: Harvest Home!

The 1^st Frost

One morning last week saw the first frost this season, which resulted in an icy covering on the roof of the car! Brr…

Acton Scott Historic Working Farm Museum

Sunday, although a bit on the breezy side, was a lovely autumnal day. A trip to the Acton Scott Historic (Victorian) Working Farm Museum seemed like a good idea! Only being a distance of about 7 miles from where I live it’s a convenient place to visit, but just like all our local places of interest, people from out of the area visit more often than we do!

Steam Threshing

Most weekends have a theme at the Museum and last weekend and next are devoted to steam threshing! It’s a subject which is close to my heart as my dad, uncle and maternal grandad were involved in the process many (many!) years ago!

Grandad’s Claim to Fame

Grandad’s claim to fame was that he fetched the first self-propelled traction engine to Shropshire all the way from Lincolnshire (nearly 100 miles!!)! Which in those days (100 yrs ago) must have been no mean feat, as travel to my family meant popping down to the village shop or the pub (or both!) about two miles away!

Grain, Chaff and Straw

Grandad drove the traction engine which in its turn was the power source of the threshing machine and the bailer. My dad (before he was my dad!) and uncle were mourners, part of the team who followed the threshing box from farm to farm turning the crops of wheat, barley and oats into grains and chaff, and straw, which was bailed up. Grandad, being father to ten children, lived an altogether better life than his wife and kids due to the fact the men were fed (and watered!!) well on the farms, while the wife and children, usually many in number (children that is, must have been something to do with the country air!) sat at home eking out a crust of homemade bread and a pot of jam, if they were lucky! According to my late mother, grandad also relinquished most of his wages to the landlord of the first public house he encountered on his way home! Shame on you grandad if you’re reading this in that great wheat field in the sky!

Furrowed Brow and Sore Feet

Anyway, Sunday was a perfect day. Being away from any main roads Acton Scott is a peaceful spot! After paying our entrance fee the first activity we encountered was a team of heavy horses ploughing! I use the terms activity and ploughing loosely as not much was happening! Whereas when my dad ploughed with the horses he walked anything up to 10 miles to plough one acre of land, depending on the width of the furrow being turned. The Acton Scott ploughing was a case of ‘too many cooks…’ or ‘too many chiefs…’! Lots of people who probably knew little more than me, standing, pondering over what to do next, while the horses became bored! Ploughing in dad’s day was a source of great pride amongst the ploughmen, who would all congregate on Sunday morning and walk round inspecting everyone else’s work! Ridicule fell upon anyone whose furrows were ‘as straight as a dog’s hind leg’!! The drinks were no doubt on him!!

Ducks, Geese and Smutty Bits

The threshing was well under way when we entered the ‘stack yard’, passing ducks and geese on the way. (Rain is really needed as the pool where the water birds spend most of their time is seriously muddied.) Again there were loads of people all rushing about looking important. The ‘chug chug’ of the steam engine and the occasional smattering of smutty bits (from the engine’s chimney) had the audience enthralled. The scene transported me back to when I was about four years old, watching from the window, (the threshing box was then propelled by a tractor!), while everyone rushed about actually doing something, with the added horror of rats and mice escaping from the disturbed sheaves being despatched in no uncertain terms as they ran for their lives to hopeful freedom!

Top pic:Steam traction engine

Mid pic:baling the straw

Bottom pic:my dad with tractor and threshing box

Anyway, see what you think!

Thanks for your time!

The Bumpkin Rambler xx

Hello and Welcome Fellow Ramblers: Seaside, Sparrows and SAD!

Summer versus Winter

It’s cold! The weather has taken a turn for the worse and after last week where we were searching out ‘little worn’ summer clothing it’s a real contrast! A week ago I was sitting on the beach at Borth in the blazing sunshine – yesterday I was shivering at home hoping the ‘sweep’ turns up in a fortnight’s time to give the chimney its annual de-soot! Yes, I’m afraid I do my share of polluting in the winter months, although I feel I make amends in lots of other ways!

Borth

Although I have enjoyed a few fair-weathered family holidays in Borth (which is on the North Wales coast) when the children were small, day trips have never proved very successful. Our first expedition was a ‘treat’ on the train! On reaching Borth it poured with rain and the wind was hurricane force – it was awful! And, on the homeward journey we were delayed at a tiny remote train station called Dovey Junction due to flooding!

Another memorable trip, in more recent years, a warm mist hung over the seaside town all day, robbing my LTA of his favourite occupation of peering out to sea through a pair of ancient (2nd World War) binoculars! And, yes there is a third memory (‘they’ say everything comes in threes!!) which began as a beautiful morning and gradually developed into a horrendous thunder storm, which confined us to our car to eat our picnic and an early journey home!! Wow! Borth is our nearest seaside destination. Lovely when the weather’s fine, but ‘no place to hide’ when it ain’t!

At the moment sea defences are being constructed there! Part of the beach is still cordoned off while huge ‘plant’ machinery (I should know the names of such monsters as my LTA spent a large proportion of his working life operating such machines!! But you know how it is!!) threatens to level and position tons of stones in varying sizes. The part which had already been ‘done’ had in my opinion (for what that’s worth!) been spoilt! Although there appeared to be a few small ‘surfing’ waves, there were no shells!! No shells, imagine that!! My main reason for any trip to the seaside!!

Mugengyo Taiko Drummers

Since my last ‘blog’ I have been to the Theatre Severn to see and ‘hear’ the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers! Two plus hours of amazing drumming by muscular men and women! How such a level of athleticism and concentration is maintained over that length of time I can’t imagine! I felt tired sitting watching! My daughter learnt the basics at ‘big’ school, so it seemed like a good idea to go along and see the professionals! Not my usual ‘tipple’ but highly recommended for a very entertaining and almost hypnotic evening! Friends and family asked me ‘wasn’t it boring, two hours of pounding drums?’ The answer was definitely ‘no’! Truly astounding!

Making Up

Well, I must go and feed my birds! (Making up for the smoke pollution!!) I have a huge ‘squabble’ of sparrows at the moment! (There aren’t supposed to be many about!! I seem to have them all!) I find sparrows such a cheerful bunch. They have a way of lifting the spirits with their energetic twitterings, which at this SAD (seasonal affective disorder) time of year is essential!

Harvest Festival

The local farmers are in a frenzy, hurriedly trying to outdo each other on the hedge trimming front, ready for the Harvest Festival service at the local church, where their ‘god’ is thanked for the yearly bounty! I used to have to attend such gatherings when I worked at the local primary school, and my thoughts were always drawn to the poor starving people of countries where there is no food! Where is their ‘god’?

England Rugby Hopes Dashed

And as for the England Rugby World Cup squad, the less said the better!! You’ve got a few months to pull it all together chaps, before the Six Nations!!

Thanks for your time!

The Bumpkin Rambler xx