Too Good To Refuse

[poliphilo]

The thin young man at the door was a farmer, come round on the off chance that we might let his sheep graze our fields. He's in the middle of lambing and said it was nice to have an excuse not to be in the yard. I don't suppose I've ever- in all my life- worked as hard as that young man is working now.

He isn't offering any money but undertakes to mend our fences and harrow our ground for free. I called Matthew for his opinion and he was all in favour.  So I called the young man and told him he had a deal.

Comments

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

That should be worth a leg, at least.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, payment in kind would be nice.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

It's good to keep fields grazed, else they grow up in weeds.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, this'll halt the slide into wilderness.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Bargain! Fence repairs costs a small fortune...

And if you can manage the grazing right you may end up with a wild flower meadow!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This is going to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Does this mean you'll be able to look out of one of your tea-sipping windows, or your patio, and enjoy the bucolic sight of sheep grazing in your fields?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Indeed it does! :)

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Cue the Handel....

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

If I had a field that wasn't busy doing anything else, I'd be tempted to take up such an offer just for the joy of being able to say "Look! Sheep!", but I am easily amused. The fence is a nice sweetener to the deal.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The field has been lying fallow for two or three years. The choice is either farm it or watch it turn into a wood.

[kamomil.livejournal.com]

My family still owns the farm that my dad grew up on. No one lives there, it gets used as a vacation house. The entire property has become a forest, apparently there was a tax for leaving it unused. I think the government planted the forest. It doesn't look anything like I remember it when I was visiting as a child which is too bad. Well it's too bad for my memories, but good for the creatures who probably live in the forest. I would like it better if there was a way to walk through it, but it is pretty dense. The ground was muddy nearby as well. I will bring my rain boots next time I go.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Grazing land or farm, either would be good. I read the other day that Britain has less woodland than any other European country- apart from the obvious ones like Holland. This surprised me; there seem to trees everywhere, but I suppose there's a difference between lots and lots of trees and proper Wind-in-the-Willows type wildwood.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a good deal for all of you!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think it is.

[basefinder.livejournal.com]

Excellent arrangement! I look forward to photos.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I look forward to taking them.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Back to the land...

Nine

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's not right that good grazing land should be unused.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

And just imagine... A field full of sheep! I love sheep, so to me that sounds quite wonderful to have. And, of course, you don't have to worry about all the practicalities of animal husbandry, so I'd say it seems like a good deal if only for the aesthetic value of it.

(Also, if you're not using the field for anything anyway, why not?)

Though personally I might have asked for a peppercorn rent in the form of a lamb shank and a bag of wool each year. Just because I love sheep, but I also love lamb shanks and wool...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The farmer will be doing his bit by repairing the fences and harrowing the soil- but a lamb shank would be good.