I have mentioned in earlier posts how indebted we are to the agricultural community for their relaxed approach to tidying up after themselves. It is this trait that we need to encourage as it affords us these priceless moments of excitement as we drive around the countryside. This little Massey bagger combine was parked up after a hard days work in 1969 and hasn't turned a wheel or gasped a breath since. It has been left for dead in the battlefield that is cereal production, and now stands as its own memorial to those more lively harvests of hard graft, sweat & cider and perhaps some horse-play. Early harvests do bring to mind that lovely passage of Patrick Leigh Fermor's in Between The Woods And The Water, when he and his friend enjoy a lazy hay stack afternoon with a couple of peasant girls after a swim in the river. It is frightening to think that as Brian Aldridge trudges the shows in search of yet bigger and more efficient kit, he too perhaps enjoyed the pleasures of bagger combines,not so long ago. MORE SWEAT.
15 comments:
Just wonderful Diplo. I want it. I want to live in it. And the way it's going if I don't stop blogging and get some proper work done I might have to.
Great bit of agricultural archaeology.
Ah Between the Woods and the Water - picking strands of hay out of the plaits of Transylvanian maidens. Wonderful. If only he'd publish volume three of the projected trilogy.
Philip - if you're a PLF fan may I recommend The Traveller's Tree if you've not been there ?
Just glancing at your labels, I note 'Brian Aldridge'. What's the matter with him? If he spoke to me like he does to thingummy I'd smack him in the Ambridges. And I bet he doesn't have dusty-pink rusty equipment lying around. The Grundys would soon have it away.
Lovely stuff Diplomat. Wish I had a combine.
I feel I must use Diplo's blog to comment on the distinct lack of blogging / commentating going on in our environs. And where's Camilla and Lady Skelton? Thank goodness we've got Thomas Harris and the lovely Milly Molly Mandy, otherwise I'd be forced to get on with some real work.
Forgive me intruding, this is all a bit new to me, but is that wonderful piece of machinery for sale by any chance?
Alas no - you can be assured, Lord Carrot, that if such a fine piece where for sale it would have found itself at Diplo HQ by now, ready for crating and export to Italy for Ron Combo.
Thankyou for replying so promptly Mr. Diplomat. It was just that we have a Massey Ferguson Combine in the barns at Carrot Court, and I thought this could keep it company.
Agricultural machines will, I suppose' always be left as rusting monuments because they are...well...agricultural. They have no self respect. Robust but basic design and engineering.If it's broke, weld a bit of angle iron on, or short cut it or just ignore it.Now if the makers had included a bit of walnut and leather or even a touch of chrome I'm sure they wouldn't be left for dead.
Diplomat, are all these lovely old bits of rusting heritage gradually disappearing to fuel China's thirst for scrap iron? Now may be the time for a 'Save Our Scrap' flashmob, at Harvey Nicks, first Saturday of the month. Pound a pint, Belgian chocolate lingerie, and a group of abandoned-machinery enthusiasts, (or a group of abandoned machinery enthusiasts, which is much more likely) could gather in the 5th floor bar and then march, to the 4th floor linen department. People would talk about it, for minutes.
Talking about abandoned machinery enthusiasts, what's happened to Camilla? Probably tuning-up a Borgward with an aeroplane driver. Come back Camilla, wherever you've been.
Yeah c'mon Camilla, get 'em out for the lads. Or have you been off on a 'fun' weekend with Alois?
That's a little ungentlemanly Ron. I think all that's happened is that Miss Jessop has had to go and visit a maiden aunt in Hove. I can see Camilla now, long graceful fingers atop the steering wheel of her Guildford Speedster, the wind blowing in her Innoxa-perfumed hair,an AA patrol smartly saluting her as she crests the Downs at Poynings, her....
Apart from a very obvious lack of Diplo, where the hell's Camilla, and Alois come to that? I think we should send out a Cyber Search Party into deepest Surrey. Tommy, put the rotor arm back in the Mark Nine.
Post a Comment