Saxlingham – May

I did think about a number of ‘inspiring’ variations of title for this post but ultimately words failed me. It has been a very busy month but there has been a lot of rinse and repeat about the type of work I’ve been doing. Much of that work has been for other farmers but I started in my field 2 where there were weeds growing amidst my young Corn plants – Massey Ferguson 6S and Hoe to the rescue…

I also needed to apply fertilizer to my grass fields and as I had some in hand, opted to do some fertilizing for a neighbour too…

…The 8S providing the motive power for these jobs. It seems that May is the high season for weeds and hay fever sufferers alike. I picked up a well paying job in field 11…

…And then fitted in some Bale Wrapping jobs…

…before concluding the week with another job fertilizing field 47…

…As it’s a field I am considering buying, it’s in my interest to ensure a healthy crop.

I had made a significant amount of money during that first week of May so when the second week began with heavy rain, precluding any fieldwork, I decided to bite the bullet and buy the Geringhoff corn header that I will be needing come Autumn. That meant a trip out for the Claas Lexion…

…I also took the opportunity to stock up on supplies…

Once the rain had cleared it was back to Hoeing again clearing out field 12…

…and field 33 where the mist was already forming over the river in the late afternoon…

The 3rd week of May started very misty after all that rain. I started by playing hunt-the-bale in a neighbour’s fields…

…I did find them all – eventually 😅 Then it was back to hoeing and a big job in field 42…

…I was against the clock with more rain expected. Unfortunately it arrived before I finished and I was forced to park up in the field boundary to let it pass…

…I finished off the week with another hoeing job over in field 39 where there is a pond sitting in the middle…

…I have speculated that the small clumps of trees in another field are on the site of ancient burials. I think that this field, surrounded as it is by trees, was once managed woodland that was felled for housing in medieval times and then put to the plough. It’s fun speculating though I note that on the real maps, several named wooded areas south of the Manor include the word ‘plantation’ which suggests more recent manorial activity.

The last week of May saw another early morning trip to do some bale-wrapping…

…and a quick crop inspection on the way back…

…The Oats look to be coming along nicely although there has been some crop damage.

To break the monotony I took a couple of mowing jobs…

…before returning to hoeing in field 36 – another field with isles of the dead…

…With expansion of the farm firmly in my sights, I was taking full advantage of the weed driven money-making opportunities and I concluded the week by hoeing field 13…

…I don’t think that mist in the dip ever clears even in mid-Summer! A quick check on the Corn on the way home concluded my work…

After all the work was done, I indulged myself and bought Stihl power washer…

…I really did need to wash my equipment! 😂 June is just around the corner – I wonder what waits in store…