Drinking Tea

[Al R]

At silage in NZ years ago, old farmer and his wife supplied supper. We didn’t stop and the hamper was passed between cabs. I was last and the others kept calling up on radio asking if I liked the sandwiches. Tasted a bit different but it was dark and I was quite hungry. Later they took great delight in telling me it was homemade potted ox tongue. Every one else had taken the jam ones.

When I was on silage/combining or beet harvesting (whenever there was more than 4 of us) we’d get someone to get the chippy, all with battered sausage except 1 and that 1 wouldn’t have any curry sauce, vinegar or salt on it where as the others all had plenty of condiments... made a thing of it after a while on who had plain etc...

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

wouldn't do that for a night with Cameron Diaz ...

She says she would rather chuck tyres on a pit

 

[egbert]

She says she would rather chuck tyres on a pit

Why is she phoning you?...I thought I'd told her to turn the bliddy thing off

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Here is a 1 for you
Years ago a guy was chopping with a reno 106, no air con sweaty all day, young boy comes home from school, the lad was desperate to see the foraging, his mother gave the boy 2 cans of chilled coke, mum said take them down to the forager driver, he might let you sit in the cab,
Off the boy ran as fast as his feet would take him, running with a can in each hand,
Gave them to chopper driver, he'll the driver was as pleased as punch, he opened 1 and it erupted and sprayed all over the cab inside, as well as covering the driver, he was not happy

 

[Nearly]

Here is a 1 for you
Years ago a guy was chopping with a reno 106, no air con sweaty all day, young boy comes home from school, the lad was desperate to see the foraging, his mother gave the boy 2 cans of chilled coke, mum said take them down to the forager driver, he might let you sit in the cab,
Off the boy ran as fast as his feet would take him, running with a can in each hand,
Gave them to chopper driver, he'll the driver was as pleased as punch, he opened 1 and it erupted and sprayed all over the cab inside, as well as covering the driver, he was not happy

Which one were you?

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Which one were you?

Neither, as I was carting grass

 

[ARW]

We have worked in people’s garden with the slackers watching us all day drinking tea and never even offer us one!
Having a hot fresh tea is something we love to work for, it’s a great social and it just helps you on for the rest of the work and keeps moral high!

 

[Tarw Coch]

Many years ago we were doing an all day TB test in the pizzing rain.
The same vet went to another farm the week after where my mate happened to work. Vet said to him "i spent all day in cold and wet at one farm and I wasnt even offered a cup of tea!"
My mate thought to himself "I know where that is"

Speaking of TB tests, I heard of one farm with a lot of stock that TB tested over 2 days. On one of the tests the farmer made an offer to the staff, push on and get it done in one day and I’ll but you all fish and chips. They got them all done in a day but never had their fish and chips.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

As for good food places, years ago the man I worked for had a customer that was ace, his wife went out her way and well over the top,, looked forward to going there each year,
Chopper, 4 trailers, rowing up driver, and buckrake man 7 of us in all,
There was a new young lad on the team, came from not a good background, anyway we all went into the house for dinner, we all sat down at a big table, the farmers wife took 7 individual home made steak pies out of the aga,
Looked a treat they did, each with a good 2" of puff pastry on them, loads a veg put out to help ourselves in bowls, lovely spread,
The young lad looked at it, (he had never seen this before, ) and said to the farmers wife, "not eating that, have you some chips", she did not reply,
And that was the last meal we ever had there, and the lad did not last long either

 

[Cvx1170]

Someone gave me Tetley red bush, fkuk id rather drink dettol

 

[Princess Pooper]

I'm not sure who makes these fabled big meals but as 'the farmer's wife' I'm usually out there chucking tyres with them.

That said, there are about 5 mainly fit lads there and I'm in my 50's so without any worries I slip away 10 mins early to get the beers and soft drinks out the fridge and put the kettle on. We offer them a chance to wash their face/hands off, choc/crisps/fruit cold drink or tea/coffee, the latter is rarely taken up, they are welcome to take the beer home with them if they wish. 'The boss' is usually with them and makes it clear he is happy with a 15 mins stop before they move off to the next farm and not a lot longer. If a contractor won't sheet and tyre down they won't get our business (none has ever refused). We don't have a teleporter so can't get the tyres up there without them and many hands make light work.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

And the worced place want in the kitchen for dinner,
The fat on the electric cooker was awesome, it melted when a ring was switched on, and set afterwards,
Was a steeple hammered in to the skirting board, and a pup tied with a bit of string to it, pup had sh1t on the floor next to where we were eating, cats drank out of the milk jug, none of us had tea or coffee, it looked as though papers and leaflets had been buckraked up against the wall behind the sofa, it was July, and the Christmas decorations were still up, all being they looked really dirty, there was a pain of glass broken but held in with silage bag tape, we never went in again for food

 

[melted welly]

When I was on silage/combining or beet harvesting (whenever there was more than 4 of us) we’d get someone to get the chippy, all with battered sausage except 1 and that 1 wouldn’t have any curry sauce, vinegar or salt on it where as the others all had plenty of condiments... made a thing of it after a while on who had plain etc...

On pea squad in Essex, the gaffer used to disappear around 10pm, would return with chippy tea he got cheap as they were shutting up shop. After a few wk everyone was sick of chips and stuff and he ate them all himself, until the night of the saveloys.......spent 8hrs sh##ting in a ditch!!

 

[Y Fan Wen]

The same for shearing gangs too.
Some bring food to the shed, some ask us into the house. Generally it’s the out and out stock farmers that are the more generous and the arable with a few sheep not so much.

English shearers say they tend to be fed better in Wales

 

[Av Gorritt]

Could feeding the contractor be a rather northern attribute ? . I used to bale for on chap and his wife would bring a full Sunday dinner on a big muffin - Roast lamb , roast potatoes , boiled potatoes and whatever veg they had , all dipped in gravy . It was some sandwich I can tell you , but Hell, it did go down well ! On the other hand mind , I was working to a very tight schedule one Sunday , and the farmer next field came asking me to bale his whilst I was there . Couldn't see him stuck so I set in for him when I finished what I was doing . He brought a basket of food into the field and a "delivery can " of tea , didn't even ask me if i would like some . Never did go again .

 

[ridger]

Was harvesting at a farm once and soup was brought out. Fella working with me says 'you must be having cabbage for dinner tonight, as we are getting the water it was boiled in now for lunch' last time we got food there

 

[ridger]

Oh and another time the same fella and me was at a different farm and to be fair the food wasn't good, so he had seen a dog below the table and decided to feed it. Problem was he didn't realise that there was two dogs, which duly started to fight over the food

 

[ridger]

Oh and another time we were at a farm and got in for tea and the husband and wife ( who couldn't stand each other) started to fight and argue and shout a bit at each other, I was enjoying it because I'd seen it all before, then they went off shouting down the hall and the fella with me says should we leave now when the going is good

 

[som farmer]

The same for shearing gangs too.
Some bring food to the shed, some ask us into the house. Generally it’s the out and out stock farmers that are the more generous and the arable with a few sheep not so much.

we had a shearer 1 yr, a friend really, sat down for several strong lagers and cake, he stands up, strips down to his undies, and dives on into the pond ! wife had to drive him back home, his truck and dogs stayed here, he woke up midday, couldn't remember a thing, and thought his truck and dogs had been stolen!!!! he refused a beer the next year

 

[som farmer]

good reps always get offered tea/coffe, it dosen't break the bank, and we always seem to get good service. silage gang get beer and cakes after we have sheeted down! the lads like it, and always stay to sheet down, even if they are really pushed they will make sure the sheet is on, even if they leave us to put more tyres on. by the same way, if we have to ring a firm up for info/ parts/advice. we are always polite to the person that answers the phone, means we get straight to the person that we need.
I have heard some really awful stories about some farmhouses. my old man went to sort a problem over grass keep, next door had a rig steer, who liked to get in with our dairy hfr's, the first thing was netting around the legs of the kitchen table.. hen and chicks. just started to get down to business, the sofa moved, a sow and litter got up and walked out to the yard. he gave up then. we kept 4 hfr calves, they milked really well !!!!