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... the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves ...
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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Mon Nov 13, 17 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I assume that is a women's refuge Jam Lady. Nice ideas for donations. We can't give out medications at the Food Bank, but all the other stuff apart from tokens would be very well received by us too. The diapers sizes are the very ones we get asked for and are less likely to have too. I suppose being larger they are more expensive and also that people are less likely to think about what happens when the baby gets a bit bigger.

Must say that the old square terry nappies (diapers) had a lot going for them as they grew with the baby, and there wasn't the trouble about what size. The disposable ones were just coming in when my son was a baby and weren't much good, so the terry ones with plastic pants over the top were far better.

Husband and son went to a Classic tractor fair on Saturday, which involved a lot of travelling, so we had a quiet day yesterday. Think son and DIL were at the Remembrance Day parade in their town with the Brownies; son either pushes DIL in wheel chair or acts as sheep dog to the Brownies to keep them together if DIL uses her buggy. Fine but cold, so at least they didn't get wet this year.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Nov 14, 17 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I didn't realise the food bank did baby clothes as well as food, JL, MR. Seems a good idea, as many of the withouts would appreciate nappies and the like I am sure. It seems wrong that there are so many people with nothing to their name. I hope we get something better with coming out of the EEC-oops EU. I am knocking on, now so whatever happens with the EU exit won't have a massive effect on me. But I expect there are those who will be affected and some not necessarily for the better.

I have been to my friends' at Bridgnorth for my birthday celebrations, all successful, until I came from there at 4am to go to straight to work. I was going down the stairs in the dark with an armful of clothes and managed to catch a picture, knock it off the wall and the thing smashed all the photos are still intact and not damaged, but I spent some time picking up the glass off the floor on the stairs as well. I had to do it as the dog doesn't have shoes like me. Anyway I got out and went to work, frosty roads for the first 8 miles of lanes, so a bit slow, but then I got on the main A road and the traffic was moving well even at 5 am there were a lot of cars-I expected more lorries-so I was in a 50 miles per hour queue, but that was ok.

I would have enjoyed the classic tractor fair MR. I have a Massey 35X which my neighbour is going to do up in the summer he threatens. I guess he will want me to give it to him when I go into serious decline! I have seen nothing of Remembrance Sunday except what was shown on the news. I normally watch from start to finish-an addiction to bands and bagpipes helps too!

Talking about nappies MR, I think it was shown that washable nappies worked out cheaper than disposables, taking into account the washing costs of the reusable ones and the disposal costs of the throwaway ones it was said to be much cheaper, especially if you have another child! Though how many washings they take I don't know, but my nappies were first used by my brother! There are enough jokes about nappies not to repeat any here!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 15, 17 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Our food bank has disposable nappies as those are the ones usually used these days Gregotyn. I don't think anyone uses the old square terry ones these days, although I agree they are better in many ways, including costing a lot less overall.

Glad, apart from the mishap, that you had a good birthday weekend. We have 2 in this month now; husband that was the previous weekend, and DIL who is next one. I have to find a present for her when I go shopping.

Husband and son enjoyed the tractor fair, and I think they had several different varieties there. They went particularly for the Leyland-Marshall, but I know there were other ones such as Fergy and probably Massey.

We have been clearing out a section of felled trees along the edge of the pylon line the last couple of days. Unfortunately there are layers of timber separated by layers of brash, so son has been bringing the little tractor and forwarder in to remove the timber then we have been getting the brash out and separating it into charcoal wood and burning up the tops. He has a bit of a pile stacked trackside now to take up to the stacking area with the big forwarder, which can't get into the felled bit. I finished the day yesterday by doing a few more log sacks, so my work will be mainly that and brash burning for the foreseeable future.

Have a couple of besoms to take to one of our outlets today, as they sold the 2 they had, so another small earner. Nice to have a range of things on the go, and hopefully ones other than firewood will develop.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 17 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There is no question MR, that having more than 1 string to the bow is worth having. Whereas I see firewood as a main income for me after my paid working time is over of 5-6 hours daily, I am always looking for other additional products for selling. I have, this coming season, to do a few car boot sales at the start of the spring, primarily to rid myself of my gross excess of goods never to have been, or to be used, but bought 'in case' or 'it will come in' but doesn't-I doubt if you have such stuff, but I collect a lot of stuff and never going to use it. Downsizing has to be the next project. I am planning to retire from work soon. I am starting to get annoyed with always being wrong. And having had a couple of items taken I am not happy. Someone has taken my pallet demolisher and a work supplied coat. Annoying to say the least. I will miss the money, but job satisfaction is more important at my stage of life. And I am no longer enjoying my work as I did. I think they take things knowing that I am forgetful. I can't cope with theft from workmates I would give them whatever it is rather than have it stolen.

One more day and the weekend starts. I just wish the firewood seller would hurry up and get my nets still not bought any. I am waiting for the day when I run out of the current 'netted' stocks, and he has no wood to sell in the shop-this could concentrate his mind. The 3rd/4th week in January is the cut off point for my current stock then nought to pack 'em in, so nought to sell! I may look for another outlet when I retire, to the point I may start selling from my gate.

I don't remember the whole story of Harry Ferguson and Massey and later the Massey-Ferguson. What I can tell you is that Harry Ferguson was an exceptional engineer and inventor of engineering products, mainly for tractors, amongst which was the 3 point linkage. It was a mixed blessing in the first instances as it was attached to the engine running, but deactivated when the clutch was engaged. I once had to take pig food from one farm to the other. The sacks were too heavy for me to lift so the link box was on the ground. I lifted up the full link box and engaged clutch, the link box descended to the ground quickly. I got it worked out eventually but what a job. Once they could get the hydraulics separated from the clutch system, and to the engine drive direct it was sorted and you picked up the load independently of the clutch. This started the rest of the tractor makers having to follow suit.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 17 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We do have rather a lot of stuff, but it is things that I inherited, things that we have used in the past and don't now and that sort of thing. Like everyone, I have made some purchases that proved to be useless, but luckily not too many. Have never been one for rash buying, so tend to be a sellers nightmare.

Doesn't sound as if the people you are currently working with are very nice. If you can afford to do so, it might be a good idea to retire and just do firewood and odd jobs. At the very least they should respect their elders. I suspect if you retire they will find out just how much you do and how much they rely on you. Still, do them good to do the extra work by the sounds of it.

I didn't know that about the 3 point linkage, but just told husband and he says he knew it. He never used one until relatively recently though, so you have the advantage of experience from the beginning there. When did they first come in? It is amazing the things we take for granted these days, like chainsaws, that are really very recent. I think the first chainsaws didn't come in until about the 1960s, and they were so heavy they were a very mixed blessing. I have an idea I remember before combine harvesters, but not too sure, as it wasn't an everyday thing to me. We lived on the edge of country, but my father wasn't working on the land, so it was a thing I 'saw' rather than something I lived with.

Had a busy day yesterday. Filled some more log nets, so now have the next order ready to go; 50 nets again. Have to keep going though, as we may well get another order for 50 in a few weeks, and I want to have 100 ready to go before Christmas just in case. That is as well as the probable 10s and 20s that might come in. Yesterday evening gave a talk to a Horticultural Society on 'What makes a woodland?' which went very well. Nobody went to sleep that I could see, I managed their headset microphone, and several people said they had enjoyed it. Absolutely exhuasted afterwards though. Still, just food bank today, so just a frantic couple of hours in the middle of the day. We are two people short, but should be all right, although a bit slower I suspect.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 17 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I am as I said a hoarder, and am currently living in corridors, as all my rooms are rather full of stuff, I will get there sometime. As soon as I retire I will have to think a bit as to how to rearrange my stuff to make it into order of some sort. I get worried about throwing stuff in case it comes in for somebody besides me. Basically my house is stuffed!

The people I am working with are not of an age yet, where they have to tolerate folks of my age group, both their fathers are about 10 years less than me, so I qualify as an old git to them. I only work because I want the money and the company. I have friends, but they are some distance away. And with my lack of skill with the telephones as all others are today, I am not very communicative-email suits me fine quick and easy. I can also correct my mistakes with email, before changing feet! If I retire they will take on a junior boy to replace me. They have had a few of them before me but found them too unreliable. The current stores manager is just 30, however a straight from school boy who is very good and capable and has an amazing memory- knows where everything is to within a box or 2! Whatever they pay him is not enough. He is to become a farmer when his father retires, but has already got his first lot of sheep and is breeding rams for sale successfully.
Regarding 3 point linkage I don't remember when it came about, but was certainly around in the early 50's on Massey Ferguson TVO 20hp tractors. When our family went on holiday to Cornwall, the farmer Mr Pascoe, used to load the churns of Guernsey milk onto the link box and cart the milk and a load of clinging on children to the road unload the churns and we rode back. Highly illegal now but then, anything went. Regarding combine harvesters I don't know when introduced, but we went to Cornwall during his corn harvest. Us kids-about 6 in all followed the reaper/binder picking up the stooks of corn and stacking them to dry out in the field-stooking, before the threshing machine came to detach the grain from the straw, a job done in the rickyard usually. The corn would be put in a loft to continue drying, by turning it about on the floor. The thrashed straw would be stacked in a rick and thatched to keep it dry inside, or if you had an covered barn, you would stack it inside that, but it needed to be dry as damp straw could go on fire-I have forgotten the principle as to how but it did. All done by combine harvesters and balers, made and stacked by machine! Except for the people who do oats for the straw for thrashing and thatched roofs since they want long un broken lengths of straw.

We went 3 years running twice during harvest and loved every minute of it. The second time my father put electricity in the upstairs for them, a revolution as far as the farmer's wife, Aunty Peggy, was concerned! My father then died the next Christmas, money was tight, but when the Pascoe's had not heard about us going she wrote and mother explained the problem, they called back to say that if we wanted to go they would and did collect us from the station and give us 2 weeks at Easter-all for free. A wonderful time we had too. Since then I have been back a few times with friends and girlfriends and my best mate had his honeymoon there! Oh dear I have gone on a bit!
I will try to find out when 3 point linkage came about-but what a revolution that was. The best thing since the tractor was invented-to replace the horse.

I bought a chainsaw, Sthil, when I was 17 and nearly sawed a foot off, but persevered and got the hang of it. cutting logs and so on for the house. I am one of those self taught idiots who learned by the mistakes I made and i made a few. They are lethal and I am one of the very lucky ones who has lived and can tell the tale. I now have a baby Sthil, after the heavy, big Husky I had before that and it does all I want of it slowly and carefully now.

I am off to the friend's Welsh barn tomorrow for another appointment with a tree stump. I don't know why, I have more than enough to do at home!

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8576
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 17, 17 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I've just asked Pirate....
the 3 point linkage came in about 1956,the combine a little earlier.
I looked in Wikipedia....surprisingly, it all started in 1826 in Scotland, developed from 1835 in the USA,1885 in Australia..and in 1952 it was introduced in Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combine_harvester

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Nov 18, 17 8:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That is all very interesting Gregotyn. What lovely people. Sounds as if you had great fun on the farm, and may even have been a bit of help too. Have fun with your tree stumps.

Thanks for that link Gz. By the timing it is possible I just remember before combines, as they would have been slow to come in to the smaller fields then used for grain round our way. Most of the fields have been linked together now, either by taking out the hedges or opening up gaps so the machinery can go from one field to another. There are fields on the northern side of our wood where old maps show 4 fields, now 2 with a gap in the hedge between, plus another 3 or 4 old fields, now combined to 2 all with access between them. Must be over 100 acres now all linked.

I had my time at food bank yesterday, but after that and the day before I went to sleep when I got home. We have to go and see a venue for our Coppice Federation meet next autumn today, otherwise a fairly lazy day with any luck.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Tue Nov 21, 17 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The holiday season begins!

New York Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show


Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue Nov 21, 17 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That looks amazing Jam Lady. As you say, the skyscrapers reflected in the pool look lovely. By the look of some of the mansions they were built in the high Gothic era, so perhaps by the 1920s they were looking very old fashioned, but very interesting non the less.

We went to a Christmas fair at a big house near us on Sunday. They have part of it in the house itself complete with portraits of past owners and beautifully decorated rooms, and part in a huge marquee. The weather was good, so it was rather crowded, but managed to get a couple of Christmas presents from people that made them. Went to their farm shop as well and although I didn't get what I wanted there, picked up an order for another 3 besoms (witches brooms).

Yesterday husband had to have a retinal photograph so I had to go as his driver. On the way back we went to a local café that is very good and had a massive salad for lunch. It was nearly all real salad as well; vegetables rather than pasta in various guises. Did more spinning in the evening. Have filled one spool and started the second, so will be able to start plying in a few days to see what it is going to look like.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Nov 21, 17 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think combines were introduced earlier than 1956, in so much as an old man I worked with in 1965-when he was in his early 60's-had done Australia as a young man and had driven a combine harvester which had men on to bag the threshed corn and pulled by horses. He was quite an interesting man in so much as he told me a lot about horse driving. He started in the UK as a stable boy and progressed upward. He learned to plough and eventually went to Australia. What always stuck in my mind was that he ploughed by the sun and went till the sun was in such a position and returned to finish his day by ploughing his way back. He said he drove the combine that they had there with a team of 9 horses you put the novices in the middle the sensible ones in the front and the also ran gang at the back. I am not sure I would have coped. It is as much as I can do to ride one horse which only plods along, though did a trip to the Welsh coast from Church Stretton over 5 nights which was fun but hard work after only 9 half hour lessons! Got quite sore as you can imagine. The Cornish farmer had a binder for his corn when we went there on holiday in the mid 50's pulled by his tractor.

I am off to my friends' in Bridgnorth again this coming weekend, for a christening. Matilda is a lovely little girl. I met her and she has a lovely smile. A bit touch and go to start life, but she is ok now.

I love the trains Jam Lady, my cup of tea completely. Unfortunately my budget would not let me put up such an elaborate layout, but I have the room, so there is a start-5 acres! I hope all is well in your area and your family now settled back into normality after the disaster.

I am wondering how Cassandra is too?

The tree stumps didn't cooperate so it will be dug mechanically at some point. The bad news is that the friend, who is going for planning permission, has got bats. A survey was done for 2 nights so he is looking for to rehome them. The good news is that there are several places in the barn where they can go! A girl did the survey, I wouldn't have wanted to be there alone at night!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 22, 17 7:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't think combines would have caught on in the UK very fast needing 9 horses to pull them Gregotyn. Most fields pre-1950s wouldn't have been big enough to cater for that many horses at once, and I doubt all but the biggest farms had more than 4 or so. He sounds a very interesting man. When we were first married we looked after a garden for an old lady who was equally interesting, but in a different way; she had been a teacher in India for many years and left in 1947 when the British left. They wanted Indians and Pakistanis to run things then. She came back to heavy rationing having always had servants and had to learn cooking and gardening. She said each night she took a gardening or cookery book to bed with her.

It might be possible to contain the bats in one part of the roof rather than rehoming them. We had a bat survey done in our wood during the summer and went out with them. It was really interesting and we were allowed red lights with white when we were moving about. We had to relocate one trap as the place we wanted it was a badger latrine.

Pity the stumps didn't succumb, so he will have to get a digger in after all.

Cassandra has been posting on FB, so perhaps just not been at her computer lately, but seems to be all right.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 17 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Have a good Thanksgiving Jam Lady.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 17 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The 9 horse combine was on the prairies of Australia, MR, certainly not suited to the UK, but would have been an interesting sight. Here they would only have settled down after it was time to stop for lunch as I suspect they would all want to play up in our small fields! Having said that not far from where I was working once I did see a neighbour's farm of 500 acres! Just the 2 fields and 300 ac. all in wheat; the other 200ac. in potatoes and sugar beet. He folded store lambs on the beet tops-well a neighbour did. Regarding numbers of horses I think there were plenty of farms with 2 horses in the Shropshire area, most small farms had a cart horse and a pony and trap. On a 500 ac. farm I worked on as pig man, there were 15 stables, which when I was there had been converted to pig farrowing pens. The horses had gone obviously and replaced with a "Bray" 4wd tractor, based on the BMC Nuffield. For those who are into soil types it was Bridgnorth series soil, which is about as sandy as it gets in the West Midlands, but grew wonderful carrots and early potatoes. I had gone to college when the farm was sold and as it was the first farm to hit the £1000 per acre mark, it was reported in the press. I have to say if I could have bought it I would have done-beautiful house, gardens and buildings-50 years on I still can't afford it!

How strange, my little old lady who looked after my shop also lived in India, Pakistan now, and was born there Her father was in the military attache to the state governor. She is the one who did SOE in the war, but said nothing! They too came home in 1947, but she, mother and brother had come back when the war started-an interesting passage-she described it; her father came back later.

Give Cassandra my regards!

I won't be around till Tuesday as I am off to the Christening, starting tomorrow with a meal out, and a trip to buy an outfit suitable for a christening and a present on Saturday, Christening on Sunday, evening to recover and a return home on Monday-my quiet day, and off to work on Tuesday! My friends have a computer, but I seem to make errors and it doesn't like me for some reason. This pooter in the library is all forgiving!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 17 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Have a good time at the Christening Gregotyn.

Our old lady lived in Lahore for many years and was the principal of a ladies college. They took girls from all religions, and some young boys too. Sadly at the time it wasn't unknown for important children to 'disappear', so the British removed them to a safe place such as her school. She received a medal for staying there all through the war to rally the locals in the face of the Japanese threat; although they were a good distance away, there was dissatisfaction with British rule and no doubt this was exploited by the Japanese and Germans.

That farm sounds very interesting too. I suppose one that size would need quite a lot of horses to run, and no doubt the famer and his family had some for riding and carriage work too.

Apart from cooking and spinning I haven't been doing much of interest lately. Had to stay in for a parcel for husband yesterday, but went out with the second log load as son had a nasty headache and couldn't manage, so he went home early.

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