Tractor Tuesday

I have in the past mentioned how farmers wives in these parts are expected to muck in particularly at silage/haymaking time. The men sitting in their air-conditioned monsters whizz around the fields while the women are expected to wield the heavy hay rakes and move all the cut grass out of the "difficult" to get to corners into the field where the machines can get to it.

This afternoon Franz cut the grass for our haylage.

Many don't believe me and she is the proof. Top photo, the farmer in big John Deere with "butterfly" tedders and the wife at the edge with the rake.

The bottom photo is again of a farmers wife working alongside the river on our dog walk near Ottobeuren. It's a bit unfair on the male species as just five yards away was husband with a similar rake doing the same job. I Bliped the farmer in March when he was out with a tedder trying to clear up debris from the frequent floods in this area. several months ago.

As they were right next to the path, I spoke to them and said I had Bliped their tractor a few months ago. They were quite chuffed and said they had seen me back then and were puzzled as to why anyone would be photographing them or whatever I was doing. We had a good laugh when I said my theme today would be of farmers wives and rakes!

I had gone to Ottobeuren out of frustration at not getting the parcel delivered. There is a DPD package shop in an off-licence. I asked the owner when the drivers were there. he shrugged his shoulders - never can tell! Gave up.

Sent an email to the bee supply people asking for the reference number so that I can try to find out what's happening. The reply came in the evening. The one-man band bee supplier had suffered a TIA attack on Thursday and spent three days in intensive care! Had never heard of TIA but it' a minor stroke. He's back home now, the package was all packed up and he will get it out Wednesday.