Cabriolet Weather

Or call me "Hans" weather which Nogbad may remember from last year. After a few weeks of daily change from snow to rain, the rivers and fields are at the saturating point. Today's heatwave of +10°C felt like late spring.

After lunch off to Ottobeuren for my last massage of six, prescribed by my GP back in November for an acute problem that had long gone before I was able to get an appointment in January! Still some improvement in the German health system needed, a point generally made by Mrs. Merkel at the Davos Summit today. She got rave reviews from many countries based on simply that - not trying to be the "best".

Its in marked contrast to the attitude of British politicians and press who seem to always and at every conceivable opportunity and on every subject, claim Britain has the best - NHS, environment, finance, democracy, benefits, immigration, border, police, ambulance, army, navy, airforce, public house opening hours, weather, politicians, smoked salmon, exports, cars ...... you name it, the UK has it. In truth, apart from Cornish Pasties and Indian Restaurants, all the others will be picked apart and criticised whenever the rest of the world isn't watching.

I suspect Mrs. Mays speech tomorrow at Davos will be a yet another churned out version of "We want to continue our very special, deep, long, important, vital relationship with Europe after Brexit. The same "special, deep......" relationship she has with every country she visits - Poland, Argentina, Africa, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Irag and any other country that she thinks we could sell a Cornish Pasty to in the future.

Talking of food and getting back to the Blip, after the massage I was ordered to bring in a bale of haylage. So the chance to take a cabriolet drive. The set up in the photo is anything but ideal for maneuvering but forced on me due to the rear bale fork loader, which farmer friend Franz and his son made for me a few years ago, having broken. Not my fault but Franz using it in the summer to bring in silage bales and driving too fast over bumpy tracks. One of the welds broke.

So this winter I am having to use a fork on the front loader. Not sure what a bale weighs but probably 400kg. Without servo on the steering, it is impossible to turn unless you have a heavy weight on the back. Hence the mower which is more than redundant at this time of year.

Part of the exercise involves driving on grass and thus you can probably imagine what it looked like given the saturated soil. However, Madam forgave me, only because I was delivering food for the horses.

I was thrilled that yet again with the "new" motor from 2016, the girl started instantly on the turn of the ignition after about a month of sitting around in freezing damp conditions and without me having hung the batteries on a trickle charger. Not bad at 53.

PS The poplars in the background are ours. About 60-70 years old and really do need to be felled. They are in a dangerous condition with very large branches suddenly falling off, even on windstill days. So anyone in need of firewood is more than welcome to come and fell one themselves. There are a few more to the left. Poplar may not have the best reputation as firewood as it's weight/quantity ratio is poor, but it has a lovely white colour, dries quickly and splits well.