Feeding the Fields!

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This is the time of year where the crops should be growing like crazy! It is most important that they don’t go hungry and so we feed them with some fertiliser. In an ideal world we’d use dung from cattle, sheep or pigs, unfortunately we’d need so many to cover even a small farm like ours, that there would be no room to grow crops. So the ‘feed’ has to come from a one-tonne bag…

Feeding the Fields

This is the time on the farm you know,
When crops need feeding to make them grow.
We use calculations as a guide,
To work out the fertilizer rate applied.
If we lifted the bag we’d come unstuck,
It has to be raised by a fork-lift truck!
Into the spreader the granules flow,
Spread twenty-four metres in one go.
A little warm rain and ‘Hey Presto’,
The crop sighs with relief and continues to grow!

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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Counting Goals with Frank!

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I have a friend who often travels to watch football. Despite his support of another team rather than Manchester United, I thought of him when United played Everton yesterday. United were winning 4-2 at home when six minutes of the match to go, Everton scored against the run of play, and then with just four minutes left on the clock, scored again. Final score 4-4. Apparently this is normally a trick pulled out of the bag week in week out by United but for once they were left to look shocked at the final whistle…

Counting Goals with Frank!

My friend Frank
Has always followed United,
A workmate got some tickets he was highly delighted
So yesterday,
They made sure they weren’t late,
Booked into a hotel so they could celebrate!
Got to the match,
Were in the upper tier,
Frank didn’t mind he was in the atmosphere!
The first whistle blew,
They were on their feet,
When United scored Franks joy was all complete.
Then they scored again,
And again did score,
To Frank’s amazement they soon had notched up four!
Someone had told him:
“If you want to get out,
you must leave the game before the final shout.”
So after 80 minutes,
United lead 4-2
“That must be that there is nothing else to do!”
By the gate
They heard a muffled roar
“Must have been United with a final score!”
They went to a pub,
Drank fast to beat the crowd,
Didn’t notice subdued fans who weren’t their normal loud,
They finally learnt
While watching Match of the Day,
‘You can’t count your goals before the final play!’

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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The Crafty Cabbie!

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I’m always on the listen-out for new stories to pass on to you. I heard this one last night, told by an American friend and her husband (not the ones in the story). If you have any funny stories or anecdotes that you think others may enjoy on these pages, please send to baldockbard (at) u-boot.co.uk (replace (at) with @). I hope you enjoy their story…

The Crafty Cabbie

Once a cabbie I used to know.
Picked up two tourists from Heathrow,
Now he was known by one and all,
By the practical jokes he used to pull.
“Welcome aboard, First or Second Class?
Depends on where you park your ass.
The wide seat at the back the pile is deeper,
The small fold-down seats being much cheaper.”
The two large Americans immediately chose
And spent the half-hour journey in a very painful pose!

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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The Waltons at the Boot Sale!

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One of the great things about the Baldock car boot sales is the diversity of the people and events. This means that no two Saturdays are ever the same. This morning was just another Saturday (with forecast of showers) until I had to tow the burger van onto the pitch (a first in 20 years, heavy overnight rain had made the grass slippery even though the ground was dry). During the course of the morning many new friends discovered the fun that can be had here. And then I spied it – in the car park was an old truck directly from an ancient TV series. The Waltons were here!
The sale was just about to close when (again for the first time in 20 years) a seller arrived and started to unload his car! But probably the most impressive of all the ‘firsts’ today was the man who came dashing up to me to pay, because he had to leave early as his daughter had just rung to say she’d gone into labour. Hopefully we shall know next week whether boy or girl! What a wonderfully unpredictable morning, one that not even the weather forecasters could spoil.

The Waltons at the Boot Sale!

Down at the boot sale, everything’s just fine,
there’s a queue of vehicles, waiting patiently in line.
In the burger van, they’re making lots of tea,
Dawn has recently broken, It’s quite a job to see.

I unattached the loos, make sure they’re nice and clean,
Customers always tell me, they’re the cleanest that they’ve seen,
Then I open up, put everyone in line,
The boot sale is now open, It’s Bootsale Sellin’ time!

What’s this in the car park? Gave me quite a fright,
The Walton’s have arrived, too early to say goodnight.
John and Olivia Walton, Grandma’s here as well,
John-Boy tells his girlfriend “Gee! This boot sale’s really swell!”

 © Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!
www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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Storms over Baldock!

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Yesterday we had heavy rain for the first time in months. Thinking that our (farmer) prayers had been answered I rushed out this morning to read the rain gauge. My disappointment was complete when I discovered that not only did it show less than half an inch (11mm) but all the drains in the farmyard were blocked! So it looks like the hosepipe ban is here to stay for a few more weeks yet!

Storms over Baldock!

Yesterday’s weather brought hail and rain,
Leaking downpipes and blocked drain,
I had to find my wet-weather gear,
Hadn’t used it for over a year!

My Wellington boots behind some junk,
Contained a dead mouse, how it stunk!
My hat in the cupboard in the hall,
Seemed to now be a size too small.

The papers are full of weather this morning,
‘The wettest April’ shouts their warning,
Along with ‘must expect snow in May’,
Is the hosepipe ban really here to stay?

I took the dogs for their morning scamper,
Had clean forgot the grass was damper.
Mrs Bard shouted, she’s now ‘mighty sore’,
She’s just had to mop the kitchen floor!

I’m in two minds I must say,
As a farmer give me rain, until May.
As for Saturdays, for at least 5 hours,
Fine warm and dry, no chance of showers!

 © Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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The Nervous Passenger

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One of the many rights of passage that most of us go through is our driving test. How I remember the disaster that was my first! The Examiner, stepping out of the car with that look of horror on his face which said ‘more practice needed – much more’. I don’t think the town of Swindon ever quite recovered, I know my driving instructor was much relieved when he no longer had to attempt to teach me…

The Nervous Passenger

He buckled his seat belt
Nervously I pulled out of the parking space and onto the busy road
Keeping to the speed limit I obeyed every order
Turn left here
Turn right at the second turning
Take the second exit off the roundabout
I hadn’t seen the cyclist
My passenger became excited
Shouted “Watch Out!
The dual controls activated in seconds
I’d failed my driving test

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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The Road to Nowhere!

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I always find it strange that a single idea or incident can lead to a novel, story or, in my case, a verse! This mornings verse stems from a journey down the A1 to Stevenage (Oh the excitement of it all I hear you say, Stevenage hardly stacks up with the great cites of the world, does it?). There, hogging the middle lane was a red people-carrier of the sort named after a world-famous French artist (can you imagine how furious he’d be that there is a whole generation who have only experienced his immortality from seeing his name on the back of an ordinary production car?). Anyway this car was hogging the middle lane and as I passed I happened to glance at the frowning and slightly ginger-haired driver. I turned to Mrs Baldock Bard and said “I bet he’s a Colin.” (Here I offer my sincerest apologies if you are a fun-loving, interesting and popular Colin, can I get up from my grovelling position yet?). When we reached the shop I quickly scrawled on a scrap of paper: Colin drives a people carrier, Owns the middle lane. This lay on the floor of the car until yesterday when it was retrieved and the following verse compiled. While writing it took its own course, I hope you enjoy it…

The Road to Nowhere

Colin drives a family car,
Owns the middle lane,
Charlene sits beside him,
Thinking: ‘he’s to blame!’

She wants some real excitement,
At least some fun tonight,
She knows that when they get there,
All they’ll do is fight.

Rex and Kylee behind them,
Watching DVD’s,
They say that what’s around them,
Are boring fields and trees!

When they’re back at school,
Teacher will ask them what,
They did during their holidays,
They’ll reply with, “Not a lot!”

One mile until the services,
Charlene wants a pee,
Colin says she’s a silly bitch,
She thinks: ‘so is he!’

They pull into the car park,
The kids both complain,
They cannot leave their flat screens,
It’s started to spot with rain!

Charlene dashes to the door,
The queue is as she’d feared,
She wonders if they’d notice,
If she never reappeared!

She takes time out for coffee,
Her temper cools down far,
She even has a cup cake,
She’ll take nothing to the car!

Just then a handsome driver asks,
“Is there a seat for me?”
For a moment she’s in another world,
On leaving, say’s, “feel free!”

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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The ASBO Swan!

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If I am in a strange town or city I always buy a local newspaper to get the feel of the place. Yesterday I was in a town in Cambridgeshire and picked up a copy of the Cambridge News, a jewel of a newspaper, easy to read with many interesting and well-written articles (please send cheque to Baldock Bard c/o…!). What attracted me to the paper was the lead story of an errant swan that has been attacking people on the River Cam…
I was in the newsagents the other day
When a headline caught my eye
An ‘ASBO Swan’, in the ‘City of the Don’
It’s adventures where and why!

It’s gone from attacking rowing boats
And now attacks rowers too
But authorities say (as is their way),
There’s nothing that they can do.

They’ve carried out consultation,
And visits have caused them strife,
But they don’t know why the swan won’t go,
And find himself a wife.

People are accusing the authorities,
Of too much ‘swanning about’,
But I’ve heard they’ve been given the bird
And will blame it all on the drought!

© Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!

www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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Potions, Pills and Calisthenics!

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I have a dear friend who, in her late fifties, is now unrecognizable due to a form of dementia. Yesterday I was interested to read a Sunday supplement entitled Health and Fitness. There must be a ‘middle way’ between those who wish to bring an Orwellian regime into our lives and those who smoke while chip-feeding their babies?
We also seem to live in a world of presentation over substance where what we look like is deemed to be more important than what we are like. This is fine if you are Kate Moss, but not so good for us mere mortals.
I wish to dedicate this verse, not only to our poorly friend but also to Avis, a centenarian butler I met when I was a child who, having eaten the best food and drunk the best wine all his days, handed me a yardstick for life: “Everything in moderation.”

Potions, Pills and Calisthenics!

What did we do before healthy eating?
However this far did we survive?
Selenium, L-Carnatine and Gogi berries,
We’re told we need them to stay alive.

We are slackers deserving punishment!
Put on the lycra, scare the cat,
Trust in Igor, the personal trainer,
The gym (the confessional) is where it’s at!

‘Verbotten’ the cry of all ‘Health Nazis’
Cigarettes on sale mustn’t be seen,
We must obey their alcohol units,
Taxes in future will pretend to be green.

Years ago I met a butler,
He had back then a rare telegram,
I asked him how he’d lived to 100,
“Everything in moderation,” said the old man.

Yes! We’re healthier, that’s beneficial,
But more now suffer in their final year,
Quality of life destroyed by dementia,
Do I want that? I’d answer “No fear!”

© Baldock Bard

*Dementia Carers (www.dementiacarers.com) – A refuge and support for those who find themselves caring for a loved one suffering from dementia in any form.

The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!


www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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Out in the Fog and Missed!

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Following a twentieth annual dose of nerves yesterday morning, Farmer Giles was much relieved when a large crowd of sellers and buyers arrived at the car boot sale. Thick fog threatened to disorientate first-timers, many who overshot the entrance, but all were eventually shown the way on their return by the vast number of others turning into the field…

First Sale of the Season!

When I arrived at the car boot sale,
Expecting rain or snow or hail,
A blanket of fog covered the site,
I couldn’t see either left or right!

The phone was hot from people ringing,
“Where’s your entrance? Please start singing!”
Just when I thought that this was fate,
The sun chased it off just after eight!

Lots of people and a smiling Jack:
“I’ve missed these sales, it’s good to be back.”
Masses of customers, plenty of booters,
More armfuls of bargains than last year’s looters!

Thomas and Carla served me bacon and tea
While munching my breakfast: “this’ll do me!”
After twenty years of ‘Opening Sale Day’
I should have known by now it would be Ok!

 © Baldock Bard
The Baldock Car Boot Sale’s 20th anniversary season continues next Saturday!
www.u-boot.co.uk
BootLine: 07852 707 074

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