29 June 2016

Making Hay While The Sun Shines

The haymaking was very late this year.  Richard, the farmer, is now semi-retired and no longer grows tobacco and sunflowers in the fields adjoining our property.  There is a big farming enterprise nearby and they come with their state of the art tractors and cut the fields and take away the hay.  They also cut Philippe's field for him.  There is another field at the side of our garden that is owned by another retired farmer in the hamlet.  He just cuts the grass once a year and leaves it.  I understand that he receives a payment from the EU for leaving the field fallow.


 A wet spring and the grass just keeps growing...

 
At last the boys and their big tractor arrive to cut the hay. 


 The hay field is almost hidden by the vines.


In no time at all the hay is turned with the tractor's spinning spiky thing. Twenty four hours later another machine comes along and swallows the hay before giving birth to giant bales, carefully positioned so that they don't roll down the hill.



All done.

12 comments:

  1. I very much like watching the grass being cut and the aroma that arises at night time from a fresh mown field and those round balers are fascinating machines
    too ! Often wonder who first had the idea of round bales ?

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    1. Essence of hay and chestnut flower here today.

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  2. Reeee-chard emptied our fosse for us a few years back; good man.

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    1. I like Reee-chard a lot, he speaks French very slowly and clearly.

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    2. Especccccccccccciallyyyy for you.................

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  3. These big machines take care of it in no time, especially with wall to wall sunshine which appears to be the climate where you are. The grass here grows longer and longer and the rain comes down in sheets two or three times a day with sunshine in between. Not the weather for cutting I am afraid.

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    1. No wall to wall sunshine here this year - it's been the wettest spring ever. The last two weeks have been quite dry and pleasant though.

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  4. What a pity that your neighbour no longer grows sunflowers! The month of July here, especially in Tuscany, is beautiful; bright yellow sunflowers under blue skies and golden giant bales on rolling hills.
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. I used to make my daughters pose for photos in the middle of sunflower fields. They hated me!

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  5. The hay bales and sunflowers are grown especially for the background of the Tour de France.

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