Good to See....

I took off from the office early tonight, well OK I should say I left at the time I should leave every night. While driving down the motorway is the quickest way home, I decided to go through the back roads. I miss farming and this way gives me a good chance to see whats going on.

Considering Hampshire has escaped foot and mouth disease so far this year we still had to suffer the same restrictions. Land lies empty still in much of the mainly livestock areas and no tractors or other life can be seen in most places. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a field full of round bale haylage. Some had been wrapped and others were waiting for their winter covers. Its too late for silage, the grass has gone to seed already but this was a sheep farm and silage isn't the best thing for sheep anyway.

It took me back to early summer nights spent wrapping bales with the lads. The farm kids running over the stacked bales repairing the rips in the plastic, and being yelled at by parents for making more noise than the machinery. Runny nose and eyes from the pollen, back strain from heaving oversized bales off the wrapper (I'm all of 5'5") and eating huge packet of fish and chips from the boss while arguing, debating or joking with the rest of the team. The sort of nights you hope will never end but inevitably do.

Yes, as sad as it has been on a national and a personal level, it was good to see that life goes on despite life going on.