To School Through the Fields by Alice Taylor

Author:Alice Taylor [Alice Taylor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847176141
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2013-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

Tea in the Meadow

WHEN THE SUMMER had proved its intention of staying with us, cutting the hay began. With his meadows ripened to a honey coloured hue by the sun, my father went to the haggard and, taking his old mowing machine firmly by its long shaft, he eased it slowly from under the overhanging trees where it had sheltered throughout the long winter.

A simple, solid machine with two small wheels and drawn by a pair of horses, it had a raised seat for the driver at the back. On one side was a cutting knife which lay flat on the ground when in use and was raised up for the journey back and forth from the meadow. Inside this knife was a long blade with diamond-shaped edges called sections. At first my father oiled and greased the entire machine, which had seized up during the winter; then he sat astride the shaft of the mower and laid the long blade across his knee. There was a skill in edging the blades in which he took a particular pride. He had a long edging stone with a timber handle, which he kept on top of a high press in the kitchen. This was taken down and inspected and when found to be in perfect condition was the cause of great satisfaction. What could possibly have gone wrong with it is difficult to imagine, but I suppose he had discovered over the years that very few of his tools were safe from his energetic brood. Now, sitting in the warm, sheltered haggard, beginning at one end of the blade and taking it section by section, he edged along with a balanced rhythm, occasionally dipping his stone in a rusty gallon of water which stood on the ground beside him. Gradually the rusty, archaic blade assumed a new life, its teeth gleaming with a razor sharpness, and along its base lay a ridge of brown and grey froth like the moustache of a monster man. I sometimes sat on the ground and watched this deadly weapon come to life, in awe of its power, for my father gave us strict instructions regarding the dangers of farm machinery and the use of his gun, and his commands were obeyed unquestioningly.

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