D289
<F Do2>
<S Jim Thomas>
<G M>
<A 70>
<O RETIRED FARMER>
<C DORSET>
<V ANSTY>
<D 00-12-56>
<I SE>
<L CN S137>
<T 12:20>
<JT Yes,
we were # snowed up here uh # one time,
when nobody couldn’t get to us for a week. JT>
<SE Hmm.
# [!= laughs] SE>
<JT Had to dig ourselves out
and # make the bakers pathways,
and +… JT>
<SE Yeah. SE>
<JT Take on a bag,
you know,
and bring back some loaves. JT>
<SE Yeah. SE>
<JT This xxx,
xxx [*tother*]. JT>
<SE Oh,
you managed to do that then? SE>
<JT Yeah. JT>
<SE Aye.
Aye.
# And how did they get you +…
How did they get through in the end? SE>
<JT Oh,
dug out the # roadway,
see,
and +… JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Every man +…
Of course,
couldn’t do nothing else.
And then you ‘d all go back on the road,
and # dig theeself out. JT>
<SE Aye. SE>
||
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT That was the only job going,
see,
and uh # no time +…
Well,
either do that or starve.
[!= laughs] JT>
<SE Yeah.
Aye. SE>
<JT It didn’t last long.
About a week,
you know,
afore we were through. JT>
||
<JT The country # side is the same,
but # things has changed xxx so much,
see.
# Years ago,
# we knowed [: knew] everybody throughout the village.
# We could # sit down here with they,
and # tell who # everybody was,
living in different cottages.
But you can’t now.
Because # so many cottages # they ‘ve been built.
And then there ‘s +…
People do come in.
Fresh faces.
We don’t know who they be.
We call ’em foreigners. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT [!= laughs]
And then uh # they stop perhaps about two months,
see,
and clear out again.
And somebody else come in.
Well,
you don’t know who ‘s who.
Not now. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Just a few locals.
Like myself.
Hanging about here.
That ‘s all.
[!= laughs] JT>
<SE Hmm.
Were you actually born here? SE>
<JT # Not in this # cottage.
Up where Tom lives.
That ‘s where I were born. JT>
||
<SE Well,
what were the sort of jobs you did when you started work? SE>
<JT # Well,
any job,
see,
that come [: came] along.
A # farmer wanted a boy to go and lead a horse like,
summertime.
That were when we used to load the hay on the wagons.
Pitch it up with # [*picks*].
# Used to have the boy,
see,
that led the horse.
Oh,
and then when the old carter that they +…
All that,
on you had to go,
see. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
||
<JT Well,
I don’t remember seeing ’em # cutting with hooks.
# They might have when I was +…
afore I can remember.
I ‘ve heard my father talk about it,
see.
All that was reaped # with a # reap hook,
see.
Gather it in the xxx,
and cut off a lot,
and # put en down,
and # go on,
cut off another and put en down,
then there were # a woman,
xxx behind.
She ‘d come on and tie up every one of they,
see. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT And that were a sheaf.
# It were all done with hand. JT>
<SE And what then? SE>
<JT Well,
then +…
Of course,
# everything had to be done with hand,
or horses and carts.
Pull ’em in then,
see,
into the rick. JT>
<SE Aye.
But you wouldn’t take the sheaves # from the ground,
stright into the rick,,
would you? SE>
<JT Oh no.
You xxx ’em up.
In lines.
Straight lines.
Like you see ’em now.
Occasionally.
Not often,
because the combines do +… JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Chuck out the straw. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT And the xxx. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
||
<JT These were all the xxx that # used to look over,
and # they ‘d say they judged the crop,
see.
And they ‘d put down their [*staddle*] according.
# You know,
as it was +…
the size of the # rick they ‘re going to make.
# And then # there were a xxx there,
called the rick maker.
He were skilled at the job,
you know.
He ‘d take charge then.
# Until the men had to # chuck the sheaves down.
And he ‘d go all round,
and # build up this rick.
# And woe betide en,
if # a sheaf were out of place,
# when the rick were made,
and wasn’t looking there a bit tidy.
# xxx were xxx xxx xxx. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
||
<JT Well,
they ‘d # make the rick,
perhaps,
and thatched the same day. JT>
<SE Oh.
# And then how long would it stay up in the rick then? SE>
<JT # Well,
that +…
# According to how the farmer +…
If he wanted some # ready cash,
see,
he ‘d soon # have it threshed out. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT But if he didn’t,
altogether they ‘d hold it on till the # winter,
a nice uh xxx +…
choose a nice # few fine days if they could,
see,
# they ‘d judge the weather as well as they could.
# Then they ‘d have a day or two’s threshing. JT>
||
<JT Traps is forbidden now,
you see. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Unless you put ’em in a hole.
# But out in the open,
you dare not xxx a trap. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT But # you can stick up a wire,
in the hedge,
and get en like that.
# but you usually get two or three most winters. JT>
<SE Hmm.
And can you use the skins? SE>
<JT # Oh,
chaps about # here,
# they do skin ’em and send ’em away,
to these skin firms.
# Get a fair price for ’em.
Pound.
Twenty five bob sometimes.
According to the skin demand,
I suppose. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Aye. JT>
<SE Very good,,
isn’t it? SE>
<JT Yeah. JT>
<SE Aye. SE>
<JT But a badger,
he don’t uh # do very much harm I don’t think.
Well,
he do xxx,
I suppose,
really,
I suppose,
he ‘s trying xxx xxx xxx # xxx.
# He ‘ll have a stray xxx occasionally,
if he ‘s out # with +…
in his xxx,
he leads somewhere. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
||
<JT Like,
round here last Thursday.
# We got some [*voles*] down in a field.
Well,
one when we went after the xxx,
six o’clock in the morning,
it were dark,
# then.
xxx xxx xxx pulled up the slides for to let ’em out,
when it got light,
see.
# About a half hour afterwards,
Jack come [: came] in here,
he said uh,
+” You have a visitor. “+
# I said,
+” What ‘s thou mean? “+
+” Oh, “+
he said,
+” There ‘s thy [*voles*] down there,
# littered about field. “+
We went down,
and he had eleven of ’em there.
Stretched out.
# In that time,
see.
Just at break of day. JT>
<SE And that was a badger,,
was it? SE>
<JT No,
that were a fox. JT>
<SE Oh yes. SE>
<JT Oh,
badger,
he ‘d kill one probably and finish.
# But uh # this were a fox.
# They ‘ll kill ’em as quick as lightning. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT [!= laughs]
I seen ’em do it. JT>
<SE Have you? SE>
<JT Yeah.
They run and catch en,
and give en a swing,
and # his head ‘s off in a moment.
And him after another directly. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT # And with most of ’em,
see,
# he ‘ll bite ’em right through the back.
# Oh,
and make their teeth meet practically,
above his backbone. JT>
||
<JT Well,
there ‘s these steel mole traps made now.
We used to make wooden traps,
see.
With a # spring.
xxx,
or have a # nice stout stick,
what # drive en in the xxx ground,
# bend en over.
And then # have your wooden trap,
# there,
and peg on,
there ‘s your # stick you want to bring over,
see,
he did fit in another peg,
in the # wooden trap.
Then [/] then [\] we had two wires in that wooden trap.
Well,
put in a # another peg,
between the two wires.
Well,
when a mole come [: came] on to he,
usually through one of them there # wires.
Then he # had that muzzle in front of en.
I soon get he rid.
# Or # those already knock he out,
see.
# He released the # catch where we had this +…
# Over in.
# And up he goes.
# Wire round here,
and had en up under the # board,
but # they were # a bit more trouble than it is now,
because you got these ordinary # steel traps made +…
There ‘s just +…
Press en open,
put the # muzzle pin in,
and stick he in,
and there you are. JT>
||
<JT xxx farmer said uh # he ‘d have the # threshing tackle what we got.
# Well,
# another farmer had some corn,
he didn’t have ’em.
Well,
he # let en have his # tackle,
for to thresh his corn like that. JT>
||
<JT Each other. JT>
<SE Aye. SE>
<JT Oh,
a stationary engine,
see? JT>
<SE Hmm.
Hmm. SE>
<JT You pull that on +… JT>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JT Of course,
whe they come [: came] out and took the place of [*frails*],
no doubt # they thought they were wonderful,
like we did the wireless when that come [: came] out. JT>
<SE Hmm.
Hmm. SE>
<JT Well then uh,
# the old stationaries died out,
# and then these contractors took on,
with a # with their traction engines,
what do # haul that about from one farm to the other.
That ‘s the # threshing contractor,
see.
That ‘s who took on the # threshing then. JT>
<SE I see. SE>
<JT And now I suppose,
they ain’t got much trade now these combines. JT>
<SE Hmm. SE> #
Transcription by Juhani Klemola and Mark Jones, 1999 See http://digital.library.leeds.ac.uk/381/1/LSE_1999_pp17-30_Klemola_Jones_article.pdf and http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/ach-allc.99/proceedings/scott.html