Mrs Downs Diary

The thought is swilling round amongst farmers that rape has a potential as a fuel crop. He has put an order in for some seed rape and is hoping that the price will pick up next year at harvest time. A friend is looking into the possibilities of buying a crusher and burning the crop as a heating fuel. Who knows? The chancellor will probably slap a tax on if he thinks that someone has discovered an untaxed fuel source. Despite all the so called encourage for environmentally friendly alternative fuel sources.

All other harvesting is at a stand still. The corn is not yet fit enough and I have seen little evidence of many combines out. As I write it is raining once more so that will delay matters further. Work on John's mother's cottage has also halted. The joiner who has been engaged to fit the windows and doors has gone on holiday, or at any rate is not at home. This is very frustrating and John is wondering whether we need to bypass our building contractor and set our own joiner on to make the fittings.

Full version appears in the West Sussex Gazette of August 18