The Bob Tom’s June ramblings
All I seem t’be a’talkin about at the moment is the Weather. Since I last hed a wud along with yu that hev bin changin about as if Old Mother Nature don’t know what t’give us. We hev bin a’havin some rare hot days und then when that rain that holi chuck it down. I were a’talkin t’my Brother tuther day. he only live about 10 mile away und he recon they hed a master thunder storm und he hed about 20cm/ one inch rain in about an hour while we dint hev nothin in Carbrooke. We did hev a nice steady rain tuther night, thas what my dear old Father would hev called a “Growin Rain”. What he meant by that was that as the rain fell that hed time t’soak inta the earth und do some good t’the growin plants. Mine yu that meak the old weeds grow un all.
A drivin about I see that the old Winter Barley thas a’runnin inta ear und the old Sugar Beet plants will be a’meetin in the rows by the Suffolk Show (last week May) In fact all the crops in the fields look well at the moment. That mean there could be a good harvest, but hold yu hard , a lot can happen afore then so them Farmers arnt a’goin the start a’coutin their chickens afore they hatch.
I were a’readin in the peaper tuther day that they are doin some experiments t’see what difference a’grazin sheep on a field will hev on the followin crops. They were a’goin t’split a 12 acre field in half und graze sheep on one half und then plough the grass in und see if there were any difference in yield on the following crop compered with the half that dint hev any sheep on it. I don’t know why they want to go to the trouble t’find that out. I think there are a few farmers und me who could hev told then the old sheep would meake a difference. They hev only got to look back inta History t’find the answer. That were all started by Turnip Townsend at West Raynham Hall in the late 1700s. He started a using sheep in the Norfolk Four Course Rotation t’put fertility back inta the soil. A friend of his just up the road , Coke of Holkham, made all his Tenant Farmers use this rotation as part o’their tenancy agreement. You hev only got t’look about the fields in the village now t’see gret old heaps o’farm yard manure a’standin about ready t’be spread on the land und ploughed in. All them gret old out door pig units are a’puttin goodness back inta the soil. Yu dont want t’do an experiment t’find that out.
I went up t’Carra Rood tuther Sunday t’see them Canary Legends a’playin Inta Forever. That were to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Norwich City a’playin in the UEFA cup. Du you know there were nearly 18000 folk there. I read some where that were higher than the Tractor Boys average home gate for all last season. (I must remember that t’tell my Brother) I’ll tell yu suffin, them players may be a bit slower than they were 25 years ago but they can still pass a ball better than some of t’days players.
Photo: Roger Harris, Photoaction
Photo: Roger Harris, Photoaction
Them Council warkers they are still a’tryin t’git them pot holes on the roads filled , they still hant done the ones on the main road inta Watton. There seem t’be a rare lot o’houses f’sale at the moment. I hed a count up tuther day und I recon that in Watton Green und our end o’the village there are suffin like Seven houses up for sale. There’s plenty of different prices dependin how deep yar pocket is.
As I hev said afore I like a’teakin pictures w’me camera. Tuther week-end a group on us went away with our caravans. Where we were a’stayin we found out there were a Badgers Sett near-by. As that were a’gettin dark two on us thought we would go und see if we could git sum photos. As we drawed close t’the Sett we see one Badger dive inta a gret old hole in the ground. Well we stood there about another 20 min und that were gettin suffin dark when I noticed a Badger a’watchin us from another hole. We both got a photo on it afore that disappeared . Then we see another one from another hole but by this time that were to dark. We were a-talkin to somebody who reconned we could hev used our camera flashes as some animals don’t see them cos the flash is too quick . We recon next time we go there we are a’goin t’hev another go only this time we are a’goin t’teake sum pea nuts with us t’spread near the holes. The Missus recon I’ll eat um before we git t’the Sett.
Fare ye well t’gether und du yu keep a’troshin
The Boy Tom