Well....... this isn't something I thought I'd see on a bike ride around one of the village back-lanes.
The photo is of my Gran (who I never knew as she died when I was one) on the binder, my grandad standing on the right by the horse and up on the horse are my Auntie Winnie, her twin brother - my real Dad Edwin and my Uncle (who became my Dad after my real dad was killed in a motorbike accident just before I was born). The man on the left is named on the back of the photo as Bill Green who must have been helping with the harvest on the farm at Ringshall, a village not far from Stowmarket.
Sadly after my Gran died my Grandad sold up the farm so I never got to experience farm life but maybe our 23 years on the smallholding was always meant to be.
What a lovely photo, full of your family history and a treasure to pass on eventually.
ReplyDeleteI'm so lucky to have a few early family photos.
DeleteMy Mom had 2 uncles, one was a hedger and ditcher and the other was a thatcher and ricker - I would imaging this is how he would rick the hay back then.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a ricker was like a thatcher but for putting the roof on hay and straw stacks? Not sure
DeleteFarming's in your blood, just as horses and stitching are in mine. Genetic memory perchance? LOVELY photo.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the corn stooked like that again.
Colin's Dad was a farm worker all working life so we both had a bit of farming in the blood
DeleteWonderful photos Sue and so pleased to see the Wheat in the fields has they use. It would be lovely if only the children could see it today.
ReplyDeleteHazel 🌈🌈
There's lots more wheat fields all around but usually cut with a combine!
DeleteIt really makes it an old scene with the horse there. I have one of my brother aged about 2 and my father with the binder with his first tractor which looks like a skeleton of a tractor compared to today's. I remember us using the binder well into the 1960s to make some thatching straw for the stacks. We had the combine harvester by then of course.
ReplyDeleteI can remember when combines were so small they could fit up the lane between our house and next door neighbours and it was only about 10 feet wide
DeleteProbably only 6 feet wide. We had a 12 foot cut and it was the biggest of its time. Now that can be three times that width.
DeleteDo you think there might be some sort of show or reenactment festival coming up? I have similar photos from farming in NZ, and it is lovely to see yours. We were still stooking green oats like that until quite recently to make chaff for horses.
ReplyDeleteNo, it was just a local farming family giving a try out to their old tractors and binders. I found photos on the local face book page later
DeleteBeautiful photographs and sad memories Sue.
ReplyDeleteI think I would have liked my Dad and Grandma - never had a good relationship with my step dad/uncle and losing her husband so early affected my Mum too even though she re-married and had my half-sister
DeleteConicidentally, one of our local farmers has done that recently. People are visiting especially to photograph it.
ReplyDeleteI expect a lot of farmers have an old binder tucked away in a barn somewhere - good to give them a run out
DeleteWonderful photo and what a history! No wonder you treasure it.
ReplyDeleteI'm very lucky to have a few old family photos from the 30s
DeletePhotos of our past generations are priceless. Love yours. Farmers and farming families are so critical to a successful society... and often so overlooked.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true. I'm reviewing a fascinating book about farming tomorrow.
DeleteWhat a lovely photo to own, not only all your family together, but of them working together to take in the harvest.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of my favourite old photos
DeleteWhat a precious photograph!
ReplyDeleteIt is
DeleteIt is good to record your story here with the photo so your children will know the history in their family. We have so many old photos of people that we cannot always identify. My sister is the keeper of the family photos but I wonder who will step up in the younger generation of our family to keep the photos and stories going...
ReplyDeleteLuckily when some family research was done in the past so that most of my photos have info on the back about who the people are
DeleteWhat a super photo. It reminds me of my family although we had a Fergie tractor and not a beautiful horse like yours. Love reading about the old farming days on Rachel's and Weaver's blogs too. Your idea to put details on the back of photos will be so helpful for your family.
ReplyDeleteWendy (Wales)
We had a Fergie tractor on our smallholding but it didn't run well so Colin part exchanged it for something not so old
DeleteThat is a very special photo and must give so much history and meaning for your family. I cherish family pictures and especially the very old ones for the family and history shared. Thank you for sharing the picture with us!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I have a few old photos of family
DeleteThat is a great family photo. It is a wonderful multi-generational picture of your family devoted to farming life. Your children and grandchildren must be very proud of their family history.
ReplyDeleteI hope one of the children will keep the photos for future generations
DeleteLovely family photo.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thank you
Deleteyour picture brought up a long ago memory... my Mother, Grandmother and I took a bus from London out somewhere (?) As we walked down a country road there was a field full of wheat stacks on one side... bright golden in color. Also bushes of blackberries which we picked and my Grandmother made into pie!! 1950's...
ReplyDeleteBlood runs deep x
ReplyDelete