Chairmans Chat 2018

December

WELCOME TO THE END OF THE YEAR

CHRISTMAS IS COMING THE GOOSE IS GETTING FAT PLEASE PUT A PENNY IN THE OLD MANS HAT, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT A PENNY THEN A HA'PENNY WILL DO AND IF YOU'VE NOT A HA'PENNY THEN

GOD BLESS YOU.

Well the run down to Crimble has begun, I know most of my fellow linkers are going to their groups Crimble meal/party over the next couple of weeks just remember eat, drink and be merry for you can start your diet on the morrow.

I am sorry to announce sad loss of David Gridell in a freak accident, this has brought it home to me that we all need look after friends and neighbours, when something isn't the normal routine we need to pop round or ring and ask around.
The funeral is on the 13 December. I hope to get address for a card for your info.

In the farming community weather permitting we're all trying to catch up with the over winter ploughing (this will allow the weather to break down the soil making the spring cultivations much easier.) There are also the winter crops to bring in, sugar beat and sprouts being the most notable (I told you should not pick sprouts till after the first hard frost!) Beside this there is the hopefully warm jobs in the workshop (that is if your lucky like me to have found a good old cast iron wood burner with hot plate for the coffee !) where we try to mend all the stuff we've bent/broken or worn out and cobbled up to keep going.

Tony Paul - Chairman

November

Hi to ya all November here.

First if you noticed some pics mysteriously vanished off my last chat, I'm sorry, but I dropped a clanger, all the pics I usually use I assumed were free from the pages I used, however last month I used some that were copyrighted by mistake, I'll endeavour not to do this again.

Anyhooooo it was great to see so many faces at the Norfolk weekend and many congratulations to Jenny, Chris and all their helpers for putting on such a great shindig. There will be a full report on the web site soon so keep an eye out, below is a taster of one of the visits to a Norfolk turkey farm.

Just to let you know the pic. Of the puppy was not because I'd lost my Molly, as you can see she is still with me when you can prise her out of her blanket. Thank you for your concern to all of you who enquired about her.

This month is quite a quiet one for the farming community a bit of late drilling due to weather and of course sugar beat lifting, don't forget to buy our sugar with the red tractor on! Most of us will be out the weather in the workshop repairing everything we broke or wore out ready for the next season.

Also this month is guy faulks night, if like me your a fireworks nut and have one or two big bangs planned not actually on the 5th then be kind and let anyone near you with horses or other livestock easily startled to know which night you intend to explode.

Tony Paul - Chairman

October

It's October

or should I say "stoptober" for all you smokers! Yep bit controversial but ad's for it are all over.

I apologise to all for this being a bit lacking in content and short but I'm in the middle of a four week contract loading and carting potatoes and working 12 hour days does not leave much time to write these things.

Don't forget Summer time ends this month so if your like me bring on that lie in even if the feeling only lasts a week.

Also for all you fans of the macabre it Halloween so enjoy the parties and fancy dress and for all you unlucky ones who get pestered by those trick or treater's why not turn the tables and scare those little whatsits with a trick of your own.

Have a great October eat drink and be merry, don't forget that your diet can always start tomorrow.

Tony Paul - Chairman

September

September's here and I think summer's gone.

First things first the deadline for our Autumn weekend is here if you have not already done so get your final payments and visit choices in now to avoid disappointment.

With this extraordinary weather I think now (certainly round here) the cereal harvest is all done and dusted and all the straw carted despite August being a tad on the damp side! Also the spud lifting is well under way, don't forget buy British spuds and support your local industry.

Let me apologise for this chat being a little short but with all the long hours worked in this last month I have run out of steam and as this Bank holiday Monday is the first day I've had not chasing bales, spuds or irrigating my brain has gone on a go slow after catching up with all the paperwork done this morning.

Tony Paul - Chairman

August

Welcome to August and the surprising weather

Let me apologise in advance but owing to the drought the early harvest (It has started 14 days earlier than I can ever remember.) a wedding (no not ours) present commission and some building work this will be a bit short and possibly a bit grumpy.(I'm sure most farmers will be the same way if it's not irrigating 24 hrs. a day to keep things alive it's using valuable winter food stuff to keep stock alive as there is no grass or water.)

I know all of you Linkers are sensible people but please spread the word to everyone not to have fires (that's obvious.) but less obvious as fire hazards are fireworks and Chinese lanterns to celebrate weddings etc. Also keep an eye out for those little fire bugs, round here 2 fields of standing wheat and one of bailed straw have been destroyed by those little b.....ers.

Humph Guess what............... It's Sunday morning and it's raining nice and steady, just perfect, this reminds me of the old Alan Sherman song 'camp Grenada' or 'hello mother hallo father'!!!!!! (those old enough to remember will laugh those not google it you'll enjoy.)

Anyhoooo I'm going to leave it here, enjoy August and I'll catch up with you all in September.

Tony Paul - Chairman

July

Well June has busted out all over and July is now here.

To all the farming community (and I include all from the humble gardener to big estate manager.) harvest is here early, in Essex where there is no irrigation and weather permitting Barley will be starting this week (more dead than ripe) and where irrigation is available were going nearly 24 hours a day to try and cope with this horrible dry time.

My heart also goes out to all of you affected by this fire up in the Yorkshire moors near Saddle-worth, You like us must be praying for rain.

Also this month for all you dreamers of repeat glory the World cup will come to an end (for all of us who are fed up of football taking over it won't be too long keep your chin up.). I was at a wake in Bedford when Germany was knocked out and the place erupted. As much as I dislike football GOOD LUCK ENGLAND.

Also for sport fans Wimbledon starts this month so if you aren't into sport it will be a long month! I like the old fashioned serve/volley games but this base line smashing with what seems to be an obligatory loud grunt/scream leaves me cold.

So in conclusion for this month please join me (it does not matter here if you are of main stream or lesser religion, agnostic or just spiritual) in a prayer (or rain dance of some sort if that's your wish) to try and get some real moisture out of the sky.

Tony Paul - Chairman

June

To quote Rogers and Hammerstein......June is busting out all over.

Looking outside it looks like summer is about here, good/bad news for hay-fever suffers the rape has gone over but the grasses and cereal crops are coming in. Yep both winter wheat and barley is coming into ear, the rape, peas and beans are podding the beat are starting to swell oh and yes all those ru.....y weeds are romping away as well. As sons of the soil (I include all farmers from window boxes to vast estates) our biggest problem at this time of year is the weather, at the moment we are irrigating cereals just so the ears will swell but the little rain we are getting is causing all the weeds in the root crops to romp away so loads of tractor hoeing and spray needed there.

For all you youngsters out there don't forget fathers day on the 17th and yes wives modern male does deserve one day a year!!

June also sees the start of the main county show season a double wammy women a chance to shop and the men a chance to gossip about each others farming practices (yes men gossip tooooo).

And to all the ancient souls out there the summer solstice (both Druid and Wiccan.) is on the 21st of the month so avoid the A303 that weekend!!

Tony Paul - Chairman

May

Well I ask you, what is happening to the weather, one extreme to another and the ground conditions - well they're a joke!

To all and sundry don't forget that time of year is here for our great National Weekend and AGM. For all of you who don't know we have two get togethers a year, spring and autumn and if you go to the gallery on the main site you can see
some of the things we get up to each year. (If you would like to know more please contact me at the address below.)

I hope you have a great May day festival even perhaps a few morris dancers. (although I did a little research and there are many forms of this round the country, some even look a little dark.)

I hope all you shepherds, stock-men and assorted animal minders are just about through your main new born's and you can get some sleep, I've spent today helping my neighbours move all their cows/calves down to the marshes for their
summer grazing, very noisy and excitable beasties.

I'll leave you with this thought - as a lot of us will be travelling to our gathering in Hull may we all arrive safe and sound before the devil knows we've left.

Tony Paul - Chairman

April

Wakey Wakeeeey get up you sleepy heads time to raise from your dormancy as spring has finally sprung it's warm and wet and every thing is growing.

FIRSTLY AND MOST IMPORTANT ANYONE WISHING TO GO TO THE SPRING NATIONAL WEEKEND THE DEAD LINE IS ALMOST HERE GET IT DONE THIS WEEK OR LOSE OUT ON A MARVELLOUS OCCASION. (If you want to know more about these go back to the web site and view the write ups' and look at the pictures.)

I hope you are/have survived Easter and haven't pigged out too much on chocolate and treats and look forward to seeing all the committee members for our postponed meeting from March, don't forget if anyone wants to see what we get up to you can ask to come along and so long a there is room you will be welcomed.

Now the big and mini 'beast from the east' has passed everyone involved with the soil from the humble window box to the big estates are now running round like the proverbial blue ars...d fly planting spring crops/flowers fertilising everything and spraying those pesky weeds off.

Tony Paul - Chairman

March

Yep it's finally happened I've lost the plot !

You know if you do a little research you find out just how naturally busy these months can be, both the Welsh (St. David's on the 1st) the Irish (St. Patrick's on the 17th) have their national days also there is Mother's day on the 11th, even Jesus has one with Good Friday on the 30th and looking at pic 4 a mother's work is never done!

There is also a bit of an irony in March, officially the first of the month is the start of spring, yet Summer time starts on the 25th so don't forget to put your clocks forward.

Talking of Spring, how's you all doing with the 'beast from the east', I've also heard it referred to as the 'post code weather', up north they have the first red warning for 30 odd years, over here in the east we've got about 5 inches of snow but nothing drastic and Karen (my partner) reports that her daughter in Brum has next to nothing.

The people I feel most sorry for are the sheep farmers with lambs due or nearly due this cold weather is the last thing they need with most lambs being dropped in fields not in the relative luxury of a barn. Before you start bleating I know cattle men are also dealing with calving but to be fair cows are a lot easier to deal with than sheep after all a sheep's whole purpose in life is to find the furthest, darkest, most inaccessible and boggiest place and drop down dead!!

As for us arable bods we've got 'till the weather warms up a bit before we start in earnest drilling spring crops and there are a few taking advantage of the frosts to do a little top dressing on winter cereals. There a few of us fools also going out at god forsaken hours at the mo' with snow ploughs on helping to keep our villages and roads mobile while the
beast is roaring.

Tony Paul - Chairman

February

Don't blink you'll miss February!

Hello to you all - anyone know where January went? Between sugar beat carting and 2 weeks of Jury service it seems to have slipped through my fingers.

Don't forget all you Romeo's and Juliet's (or should that be Fred's and Girt's) February 14th is Valentine's day but sorry lasses it's not a leap year. Having just gone through what I believe was "dry January" Wed. 14th is also Ash Wednesday so your supposed to be giving up something for Lent good luck with that one!!!

In fact that week is a busy one as the 13th is Shrove Tuesday so get your frying pans out raid the bee's or lemon trees depending on preference and get stuck into that treat, also may I wish all of you sporty types entering pancake races or tossing competitions good luck.

Also for you sporty types this month the 6 Nations rugby starts I hope all you rugby spouses' have things lined up for those lonely days!

Lastly to all you farmers out there I hope all your cattle are well I've been helping my neighbour who has a few cases of pneumonia in his calves caused by this weird weather of hot/cold wet/dry it can't make up it's mind (and this week is supposed to be coldest this winter with more snow moving in [PS this is in Essex I know some of you have had it much harder]). This wet weather is also causing havoc with the end of the beat season it's been a real dash out do a bit then wait days to dry before repeating all over again.

Tony Paul - Chairman

January

Happy New Year To One And All And Welcome to 2018

Firstly I'd like to thank all the committee and everyone else who has supported and helped me this difficult year and for all the crimble wishes and secondly apologise for not replying in kind but I stopped sending out crimble cards several years ago as I always forgot someone and now give a donation to charity.

I hope you have all had a wonderful Crimble and a festive new year, and not put toooooo many pounds on over the holls! (yes I meant lbs and I also think we should really mess the kids heads up and after Brexit go back also to the proper LSD coinage as well)

I also hope all of you find in this New Year everything you need and even a little of what you want.

If you have any sense in these dark cold and wet days you'll be in the warm by the fire or working in a nice cosy workshop. However some of us are fools running round trying to get sugar beet out of the mud or freezing our fingers trying to unfreeze water pipes for stock (and not the kind you make gravy with!)

Tony Paul - Chairman

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