We have come to a place in the middle of nowhere called Grange de Lings. It is the venue for the Sixtieth National Ploughing Championships and not far from Lincoln. As you can imagine we are totally overwhelmed by tractors, Oh! and ploughs and sometimes the two all rolled into one. Today I went out with a long lens, I’m not completely satisfied so tomorrow will take a prime lens 25mm, a wide zoom and a telephoto. If that isn’t a recipe for confusion I don’t know what is!
This is a Crawley Agrimotor and was built in 1920. I bet the owner was the envy of the world. The current owner certainly is.
This is slightly earlier an International Harvester Mogul dating from 1915.
And away they go.
Heavy horses polished to perfection.
As are the ploughs if not the ploughmen.
They really are gentle giants. I love watching them work. The ploughman just keeps talking to them…….”Back up………..go on……slowly now….Plum! You get pulling now”. On it goes, you can imagine the consequences if one horse pulls harder than the other. A circular furrow…………not good with the world looking on……..be nice to see someone just starting out on the job though. One can tire of perfection.
Even the bow has to be just so.
Time moves on and this Fordson is doing sterling work pulling a Ransomes plough.
Time has moved on. These modern tractors are ploughing so fast and so accurately that it has to be seen to be believed. GPS mapped fields mean a computer can virtually drive them. No romance but being in an air conditioned dust free cab means no farmers lung and no arthritis which must have played havoc with the old ploughman's health.
We are here tomorrow and will get pictures of steam ploughing engines. It really is a show and a half.
I’ll leave you with this the business end of a plough share.
They shift some dirt with the shoveller.
ReplyDeleteThose early machines look so tiny compared to the big tractors that go past my house every day.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm showing my age - I can remember walking beside my grandfather in the heat and dust behind the draught horses as he ploughed the field! As you say, those horses are such gentle giants!
ReplyDeleteBob, that they do.
ReplyDeleteJolynne, I dread to think how big tractors get when they have massive areas to plough, the fields in Lincolnshire are probably as big as they get in the UK.
So many 'toys'.
ReplyDeleteMust be like stepping back in time.
Those horses are magnificent animals aren't they.
Pauline they are beautiful, it's a grand place to spend a weekend.
ReplyDeleteKeith, I love these does. Just I get carried away. So much to see and so little time to see it in.
For me that's one of the most enjoyable posts of yours yet. Absolutely ace. I look forward to the one when you've got your lenses sorted to your satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteGB, thanks, I really enjoy these does. Still sorting but I should get at least one post out today.
ReplyDeleteMuie la iehovisti, mormoni si atei!
ReplyDeleteA bit if everything to go at there Adrian. Pity the weather was so dismal.
ReplyDelete