Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Haymaking in Teesdale

Last time we walked past this tree, in January, we were knee-deep in snow but on Monday....

.. they'd recently cut the hay and it was lying in the sun, drying out. This picture was taken from almost the same point as the one above, but six months later. The aroma of new-mown hay is one of the great scents of summer in Teesdale.
Once it has been cut it needs to be turned, to speed up the drying process before...

...baling.


Haymaking requires hard work, coupled with judgement and luck, picking a dry spell that will last long enough to get the job done. This week (so far) there's been sunshine and little rain in Teesdale ..... good haymaking weather.

10 comments:

  1. One man does so much work! It is different here.

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  2. I'm really enjoying this summer.....I have always preferred winter. This change has to be partially down to you. I may not know what I'm looking at half the time but a little knowledge of flora and fauna quadruples my enjoyment of a walk.
    Doubles the length of time it takes but I'm rarely short of time. Thank you.

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  3. What a difference six months make. I love the scent of hay-making.

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  4. What a coincidence. I've just been filming the same sort of activity here. Must be a hardier breed there, all the tractors here have cabs.

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  5. Hi, Phil. As a lad born and bred in the valley of the Wear, I always feel slightly disloyal when commenting on the beauty of Teesdale. But it is a grand place, I can't deny.

    Severely off topic, so apologies for this, but your BDS link is out of date, they're at www.british-dragonflies.org.uk

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  6. Hi lotusleaf, I guess the smaller dales farms can't afford to hire a lot of help.

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  7. Hi Adrian, When me and the missus go out for a walk I spend most of my time diving into hedges to take photos while she strides off into the distance - so I don't tend to cover a lot of ground.

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  8. Hi John, quite a few local farmers around here have vintage tractors and like to use them.

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  9. me too toffeeaple - one of my favourite scents.

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  10. Hi Graeme, the flowers in Teesdale have been particularly good this year. Thanks for the tip-off about the link - will fix it now. Really envy you seeing Primula scotica - beautiful plant! cheers, Phil

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