In a tiny house, in a tiny field ...........
- now I've given myself an ear worm
Fens aren't subject to flooding, that's the whole point of the drainage system. Dukes of Bedford and the Dutch in the 1700s [I think
]. That's what worries me now, that fields stand in water because lack of something: doesn't allow rain to run into the dykes. The water in the dyke at the bottom of the garden stands stagnant
instead of running away.
In parts of the Fens houses have required concrete steps in order to access the front door due to shrinkage of peat over the Centuries. We drove by one recently and seeing it jogged a lot of memories
Nicholas keeps intense records. If you read his reports it is quite interesting. Also he's in a farming area of long standing so like you, has seen many alterations. Hedges and barbed wire [wicked stuff
] keeps stock in but mainly it's arable. Wheat/barley rotation; sugar beet for the local factories; Beef cattle. Pig farms. A few sheep. Soft fruits. Most of the orchards grubbed out when we went into the Common Market because 'they' wouldn't buy our apples and pears
.
When I was growing up food stuff was seasonal and looked forwards to. Bananas for example. Asparagus - for 4-5 weeks then stopped cutting now it's earlier and earlier into the shops as well as imported from Peru. But it needs cooking almost B4 it's cut in order to maintain the sugar content
. Slathered with butter and black pepper
I love Derbyshire. I yearn for a view ;-). I haven't read Farmers' Weekly for years
. It's hard to imagine the toil that farming is unless one has spent hours bent over, weeding strawberries ............ or been up in the early hours, breaking icy water for the cattle.
May we call in next time we're up your way sheila99 ?
