5th October 2016 Suffer little children..

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Wednesday 5th 38F, 3C, calm and clear. We were woken by a tractor spraying the back fields at 6.30am. It stinks like petrol out there! The Head Gardener insisted I stay indoors instead of working outside. This has been our habit since we first moved here. The moment we see a sprayer on the local fields we go indoors. Though I am sprayed on average about 6 times a year as I cycle and walk.

Field drainage earthworks point unexpectedly to an 11th century church. 

I saw somebody yesterday backpack spraying the weeds on his tiny gravel drive with a small, curious child within a foot of the spray head wearing sandals. Our neighbour's kids used to have a game of running through the spray drift from the farmers' activities on the fields bordering the shared drive.

One of our former neighbours fancied himself as a  weekend farmer. He used to spray more often than anything else. Meanwhile his children played nearby or ran after the tractor sprayer! It didn't stop the supposed weeds growing [at all] but everybody needs a "harmless" outdoor hobby. He used to brag that you could put Roundup on your breakfast and probably did.

Another neighbour has small children who follow him about as he uses a backpack sprayer. Though it must be completely harmless because it only killed a whole run of his own, recently planted hedge! Many of the local children have suffered from all sorts of developmental and behavioral problems. It's no wonder they have closed many of the rural schools. A last desperate measure to distance the nation's children from the toxic mono-culture, ruinously unprofitable, agricultural regime?

Not that it helps when an octogenarian farmer sprays the field upwind of a large campsite on the coast. As hundreds of children enjoy the pool and playground facilities in glorious sunshine. The spray drift was visible floating right across the campsite in a stiff, mid-morning, summer wind. Rest day working hard on a project to strange smells from the upwind fields.  Northerly and northeasterly winds are very unusual here but due to stable high pressure over Sweden.

Thursday 6th 48F, 9C, heavy overcast and windy. Expected to continue like this all day. We are both suffering from cold-like symptom today. A stiff wind as I had a short walk. It felt as if it should be raining from the heavy cloud but is forecast to remain dry. A few seagulls fought their way untidily upwind looking for breakfast.  Rest day, tidying the trike shed. I'm now aching all over after rearranging shelving and carrying boxes of junk in and out. I am a hoarder. One day at a time.

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