Farming Widow

Once upon a time, I was told..."Never upload two blog posts in one day!"

I think I've made that up, but sitting here, on an Autumn evening, with the wind and rain lashing against the window, I find myself at a loss for what to do. The log burner is lit and dinner has been eaten, our baby boy is asleep and I'm turning to my blog as if it is a friend to talk to.

Don't get me wrong, my partner is sat beside me and I could definitely give him a poke and start a conversation if I wanted to. Sometimes, when he's had a busy day at work or a busy weekend, I know he appreciates being able to sit quietly and relax with some downtime. This can be difficult for me admittedly. There are days when he's at work that I have no one to talk to but the baby or the dog! When he walks in the door I have to hold back bombarding him with questions about his day, or the goings on that I've been watching unfold on various social media platforms.

I hear the term "Farming Widow" mentioned a lot and yes, it always makes me smile. I had no understanding of the term. That is, until I fell head over heels for a farmer who was staying in my county for the summer, working the harvest at a local arable farm. How romantic! I was hooked from the moment I sat in his John Deere! Hooked on him that is, not the tractor! Much to his disgust, I've always been more of a Massey girl.

It wasn't that I didn't have an interest in farming before I met him, being a horsey girl, you tend to end up with a few farming friends. My great grandfather was a dairy farmer. Still I never truly understood it and how all-consuming it was until I became directly involved.

I've realized that I become a Farming Widow to two main events throughout the year. Firstly; harvest. Secondly, the dreaded L word! You guessed it...Lambing! Last year was a particularly difficult one for us, I was desperate to help but being heavily pregnant, the risk of catching Toxioplasmosis from the ewes was a risk we weren't willing to take.

I doubt I'll be much help next year either, with a baby coming up to his first birthday! Perhaps I'll put together a support group for every person that loses their partner to thousands of pregnant ewes during lambing or acres upon acres of crops during harvest. Not entirely sure what the agenda will consist of yet but I can guarantee there will be copious amounts of gin drinking. Perhaps the sloe gin that I finished making this week!