The tractor man arrived at 10 as scheduled to look at what we thought was a problem but it turns out to be a feature. The gearbox does not have synchromesh and if you change gears too quickly it produces a grinding noise as the gears engage. OK that means getting into the habit of pausing for that second too allow the gears to stop turning. Doable. This is a pristine new tractor replacing the old one who's engine needed major work i.e. it would overheat in 30 minutes when slashing. The old one didn't have power steering and was very difficult to turn when loaded and in tight places. The new one is a dream. A big investment but one that had been in the back of our minds for many years and was the object of a special savings program. We spent a long time evaluating the different makes and deciding on the size and features we needed. In the end the choice was between two Japanese engineered makes and the smallest physical size that would run our 4 foot slasher. Being only 25 acres and having lots of trees easy manoeuvrability between obstacles was a must. We really only use the tractor to slash grass and move things about with the front end loader but having that moving muscles saves a lot of time and a sore back.
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| Provencal Garden |
10.30 and our guests arrive bringing with them a perfect sunny Winter's day. Coffee and cake in the garden jokingly known as the Provencal Garden. A little bit glary with the sun low in these cooler months but the warmth of the sun and absorption of vitamin D was a pleasure. Morning tea moved to a freshly opened baby Havarti ( only 4 weeks old) with sesame and Oregano Lavoch. A dry cider for some and a European Lager for others. At midday we moved inside to enjoy lunch of Radicchio and Mint omelette.
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| Havarti & Lavoch |
Life is not all toil and hardship.
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