D96
<F Du3>
<S Johnny Peart >
<G M>
<A 82>
<O HILL FARMER AND SHEPHERD>
<C DURHAM>
<V WEARHEAD>
<D 14-05-54>
<I SE>
<L CNS12>
<T 9:48>
<JP I ‘ve lived here all my life,
you know,
and uh # uh watched # [/] watched [\] the winds and one thing and another and the clouds
and # everything.
I can tell nicely.
I can [/] I can [\] tell as much about the weather as [/] as [\] it ‘s forecast.
# I can.
# They ‘re many times wrong. JP>
<SE Aye. SE>
<JP # Hmm.
Aye,
they ‘re many times wrong.
But of course,
uh you know,
# Weather +…
# they [/] they [\] ‘ll be right in some parts,
# you see.
# xxx xxx others.
# Especially the wind.
# Aye.
# Mainly the wind.
When the wind changes,
# it can turn dry.
# Aye.
You see the wet.
# Wind at west uh uh is always a sign of rain here.
# Always.
# And north wind,
well,
it ‘s a drier.
# And the east wind ‘s uh an old cold roaky wind. JP>
||
<JP xxx heard about that on the xxx. JP>
<SE Aye. SE>
<JP Aye.
# There ‘s white tips comes on.
# I believe I was telling you that at t(he) back end. JP>
<SE I think you were,
yes. SE>
<JP Aye.
Uh like,
a [/] a [\] ground [/] a ground [\] wind coming across t(he) # uh [/] t(he) [\] water,
you know,
or across t(he) ground.
It forms a +…
# that white froth # in +…
white lines.
So far apart.
# Aye,
I can tell.
It ‘s fairly sure to rain.
They were on yesterday.
# Them [/] them [\] white st- +…
foams,
strips,
what I call ’em,
strips.
# Aye,
they were on yesterday.
# Of course,
Weather ‘s blocking us here with thunder.
# It ‘ll dry up again uh and maybe fine weather come,
# maybe about Monday.
Hmm.
# Oh,
I heard t(he) cuckoo yesterday.
t(he) first time.
# It ‘s the first of May yesterday,,
wasn’t it?
# Aye,
I heard her yesterday,
t(he) first time.
See,
so I xxx mysself # that ‘s a [/] that ‘s a [\] mark.
# cuckoo uh +…
It ‘s been over cold for a shooting.
And I reckon she doesn’t come here till May,
# and it ‘s been thirteenth afore she ‘s landed.
# But I believe she used to come see xxx at one time when that planting was up on that top.
But they felled that in war time.
# On that edge,
there.
# I was born in Bournhope,
you know.
# uh # oh that ‘s # a long time since.
Who had them?
Well,
a lot on [: of] it was common sense property.
## Some had bits of their own.
# Bits of farms of their own.
# Oh aye,
I ‘ve farmed all my life. JP>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JP Aye.
# Yes,
I ‘ve farmed all my life. JP>
||
<JP Well,
there ‘s always something to do on a farm,
you know.
# You always uh # on fencing or something,
# to keep her in repair.
## Well,
then harvest wouldn’t be long,
you know.
# Normally a few weeks you ‘ll ha- hay time.
I ‘d be uh generally starting to shear about # twenty first of June.
These last few year.
# Especially since t(he) tractors come [: came]. JP>
||
<JP Aye,
I ‘ve used a scythe more than any uh other man in this country,
# this dale.
xxx you know,
at t(he) farm where uh uh [/] where [\] I come [: came] from to here.
# It was a good old place,
a lot of bank side.
# And I ‘ve mown with scythe,
# hours and days,
# for them bank sides,
# to get to crop,
you know,
off.
# Hay crop off.
# Well,
there ‘s nobody knows more about scythe than me.
# I ‘ve used some scythes in my time.
# Aye.
# Well,
you ‘ve a nice sole +…
# I could nearly knock a acre off.
# An acre of land,
a nice sole ,
# with a uh [/] a [\] nice light +…
# what they call American scythe,
they were +…
Yankee scythe,
they called ’em,
not a # not an old fashioned one.
# Uh uh with a great long snead,
and a great long blade,
like the Irishmen used to come with.
# They had great long sneads,
you know,
and great long scythe blades,
but they used to mow lower xxx hand,
uh lower uh uh afore the machines come [: came],
# afore the mowing machines come [: came].
Oh there were a lot of Irishmen used to come over here,
# and mow with t(he) scythe +…
# So much an acre.
# Aye. JP>
||
<JP They xxx lambing at spring,
and # [/] and [\] then clipping in June and July and,
# and then dip ’em in August and,
# and dip ’em at uh [/] # at [\] t(he) back end.
# And then uh,
selling time,
you know,
sorting out to get # drafts away at selling time and,
then you never know till it ‘s tupping time in November.
# [!= laughs]
You ‘re always at it. JP>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JP Aye,
# And then winter,
# they ‘re to fodder,
# especially these xxx sheep.
# We don’t fodder much uh at the fell,
they don’t eat much.
# Well,
the last few years they ‘re getting very little.
# Naught. JP>
<SE Hmm.
# How do you set about clipping a sheep? SE>
<JP # Oh,
# you catch ’em and turn ’em up,
# on his # haunches.
# And you starts away +…
up # neck.
# And goes around,
like that.
# t(he) shears. JP>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JP # Aye,
oh,
it ‘s simple enough,
like,
when you know how.
# Aye,
open ’em about first,
then when you get ’em opened out,
# at t(he) belly,
and neck,
# you ‘re away,
you can slash it off right away # around like that.
Right to t(he) tail.
# Oh,
it takes about,
oh,
# five or seven minutes to clip a sheep.
Some ‘s tried theirselves,
you know,
and they can clip one in three minutes,
one that ‘s well risen.
# There ‘s a lot of # [/] of [\] these uh uh # clipping machines,
nowadays.
# But there [/] there [\] ‘s none up here. JP>
<SE No. SE>
<JP No.
# We ‘ve always clipped with shears. JP>
<SE # And have you had a good lambing time,
this time? SE>
<JP A fair good one,
# aye.
I ‘ve lost no ewes.
# But there ‘s a few lost a few ewes about here.
# I ‘ve lost a few lambs,
but you couldn’t help that.
There ‘s always some sick,
you know,
# and some to help,
# and some # xxx xxx.
# See?
Cannot get out.
Aye. JP>
<SE That ‘s # just when they ‘re being born,,
is that? SE>
<JP Yes,
just when they ‘re being born. JP>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<JP # Some gives you # uh pains away,
so you try to get t(he) lamb away and then they give up.
And they stop paining,
and then +…
# If you dinna [: did not] catch them,
well,
they ‘ll never get lambed.
If you don’t [/] if you don’t [\] dare to help them. JP>
<SE # Hmm. SE>
<JP I ‘ve saved a few that way this time.
Aye.
# Lamb mother with that swelled head,
you know,
sticking out. JP>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JP I ‘ve saved +…
# oh,
about three that way this time.
# Especially of sheared ones. JP>
<SE Hmm. SE>
<JP Hmm.
# Ewes are different.
# There uh +…
the lamb +…
# quite easy.
# More room,
you know,
for a sheared one. JP>
<SE Are all your sheep one kind? SE>
<JP Yes.
All Swaledales.
Aye. JP>
||
<JP # Oh sometimes +…
I ‘ve had uh # half breds,
what are called mules.
Sometimes I ‘ve had them,
and # an odd time +…
I had a Leicester or two,
you know.
Aye.
# But the Swaledales is # proved to be t(he) best sheep for here.
Hmm.
# For this climate and these fells.
They ‘re a grand mother,
is a Swaledale ewe.
# Aye,
a good milker.
# Aye.
# They ‘re a better than Scot.
Aye. JP>
<SE # How +… SE>
<JP They bear t(he) cold better at here at winter.
Their coats is closer.
# Do you see?
If a wind,
a cold # frozen wind at winter,
a Scotch sheep +…
# wind blows t(he) wool up and right to t(he) skin.
And starves t(he) sheep.
Now a Swaledale ‘s +…
There ‘s a bind,
to keep t(he) wool together in the +…
uh uh close to t(he) skin.
t(he) wind canna get in.
No,
they ‘re a grand sheep for that.
They ‘re a hard sheep,
# your Swaledale. JP>
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
