Yesterday things broke. And my luck began to teeter. But an urchin wind brought my luck back.
First it was the dishwasher – broke.
Then Tima’s gate – broke.
Then I went to rake the hay – Big red Rake – broke.
Then I began to hand rake and my fork broke! – BROKE!
Then we jumped into the triple T’s car to collect the other forks at the other barn. BRAKES BROKE!
Slightly panicked with four acres of hay stranded on the wet ground and a pig running about my feet, I called around and found a gorgeous old rake attached to a wonderful antique tractor that our friends were happy for us to use. So John went over there and drove the deeply ancient tractor back.
Once he returned, it became quickly apparent, that I was not going to be able to drive this behomouth of a tracter without practise and so, time being of the essence, I gave him a lesson on raking. (I usually rake the hay). I told him exactly what the hay man had said. The fact that the instructions was practically monosyllabic helped. It was his first time but he did ok and stopped to get his second set of instructions for the next field when we saw a huge whirlwind, a fairy circle, descend into the hay field.
Do you remember that fair ride that is a big cylinder, and you are strapped to the inside of it. Then they carnies push a button and it spins really fast and the floor drops away and you are held to the walls by a centrifugal force – I need to look that up but I think I am right. It was called the gravity something. Everyone screams in terror. (For the record I never went for a ride on one because when I was in the line a boy was coming off the ride …
and he had vomit all over his face and clothes. I don’t think I need to explain how this happened. My sister and I looked at each other in horror and decided to go to the Haunted House instead. )
Anyway back to the hay field, this whirlwind, on a warm cloudfree day with no hot wind blowing suddenly descended straight down into the newly raked hayfield. It was huge. As big as the lounge. It began to rev up like a dancer warming up into a pirouette and then she was spinning so fast that it lifted row after row of hay into its force field, twirling them about in the air, knitting them into its walls, creating a spinning cylinder of hay right before our eyes. This wide funnel grew higher into the air, the revolving space defined by the flying hay. It zigzagged across the field picking a bit of hay here and a bit there. It sucked whole lines of hay up, a whirlwind snorting hay cut heroin with a hundred dollar bill like in the movies. Throwing hay out like wild hair in all directions. Giggling and twirling, manic, like an enormous spin dryer in a tutu. We watched in a kind of delighted horror as it weaved to and fro across the field and in seconds the windrows were no longer rows. Just wind.
Then the tiny tornado roared straight for the tractor, fooling with us, whipping at our clothes and pulling them up and away from our bodies like cartoon characters in a gale. We both ducked, hands over our eyes, laughing at the urchin wind. Feeling its power and pull like a live thing. Then she bored of us and danced on. We rose from our crouches to see it whip out of the field and across the top of the green truck twirling its curtain of hay, then ducking its head and winking its eye in goodbye it swooped and dropped through the barn door. Sudden silence. Gone.
Later John fixed the rake, then fixed the dishwasher. My little barn fork was waiting while they took the rampage to Johns workshop. But by then I was in bed.
Today we bale.
I hope you all have a lovely day
Your friend on the farmy.
celi
PS WordPress informs me that I have been blogging now for three years. THREE YEARS. I want to say thank you. Many of you have been with me since the beginning. Johns Mum, my sons and daughter and Di were the first persons to sign up as members and still read daily and there are many of you who have also been visiting daily for years. Almost 1,500 a day actually. How long have you been part of The Fellowship?
We are very strong now. We have our calenders, your pig, soon our photo books, and T shirts and now a Book!
With 1039 posts there are 3,534 members of the Fellowship of the Farmy as of today. We are extraordinary. Very special.
I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you all. Farming is a lonely place sometimes. But not for me. I have you. I am only here because of you. If not for you – like that tree – I would fall in the forest without a sound. You are my voice. Thank you. Thank you.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
71 responses to “Urchin Wind”
First you train the animals to bring back their empty dishes, and now the hay has a blow dry! What next?
Many congratulations on three years of dedicated and unmissable (for us) blogging!
Happy Blogging anniversary!
What a whirlwind of a story. I was waiting for munchkins, or Dorothy, to show up and take you off to see the Wizard of Oz.
Yep! Happy Anniversary…..i think that I can speak for us all when I say just how proud we are of you.
You work away day after day, deal with one problem , then the next, you write books and definitely no doubt you write a damn good blog. Your words come from your heart and one can tell this when reading. I have always looked forward to hearing about your mishaps. your great events and your everyday living.
Wonder Woman 100%…so yes we can congratulate you for the wonderful job that you do and regardless of all weather conditions you plod on and on and on. many of us would have given up by now and retired into obscurity but not you. In fair weather and foul your blog tells us all just what a courageous woman you are.
and we all love you dearly.xxxx
You are my morning coffee : )
Your urchin wind sounds like magic to me. 🙂 Happy Blog Birthday! I don’t comment often, but do read every day that you post. Thank you for sharing your adventures on the farm with us.
Not sure when I started following along, but am so thankful I did. I cherish our friendship. Congrats on three years! What a day yesterday. That wind sounds amazing! Good luck with the hay today.
-poor boo
hope he gets some time to run loose.
he does ron, but not when there are spinning wheels, anything that revs catches his attention, certainly this big rake, but even the chainsaw, or the tractor, so for his safety when the big rake came i tied him up. c
I think Kate said it best..my sentiment exactly…”we are your urchin wind” and all that followed! I too, cannot remember when I became a faithful follower C. but it has been a very. long, time and I too wouldn’t miss a day without you! love love!
I can on remember how long I have been here but I start ever morning checking in to read what is happening on the farm
I wish I could have seen that cyclone of hay! I hope that, between it and the rain that has plagued the haying, that you are able to gather and bale all that you meed.
That’s one handsome dog. Things always seem to break at the same time in our house too!
Congratulations celi – it’s a pleasure and an honour to be part of your wonderful journey!
Happy 3rd blogging birthday, I think I’ve been following you for about a year now, might be more the way time flys! I agree with everybody about how enriching it is to read your words and look at your wonderful pictures. Ohh I would love to see a wind like that x
I am a relative newbie, coming up to a year! Wish I had found you sooner, but I am here for the long run now! You are my inspiration, my adviser, my mentor. I only have a tiny ‘holding’ compared to you, but my gardens, animals and birds benefit from the tips you share. And my recipes and cooking have improved no end too! But more than that, as you say, farming (and running a little cottage on your own) can get a bit lonely sometimes, but I have you to talk to and share things with! Thank You my dear friend!
Love the description of the urchin wind. That ride is called the Gravitron at our local fair. My kids haven’t been on it for the same reason as you :), and it didn’t exist when I was of an age to consider it. Glad the hay got raked. Hope the baling goes well (balers are cantankerous machines in my experience), and that the weather smiles till you’ve got all the bales under cover.
I think they started up in the early 80’s so my sister and I were certainly old enough to know better! c
I remember going on that ride several times with my friend Barb. She never ever stuck to the wall, she ended up going down with the floor and looking up at everybody’s feet. It was a hoot.