Baling For Mr Luckyman - Part 4.

 I got off the tractor and waited at the entrance to the field for him to approach me. He was a big man with a round face and an even bigger rounded body. He was probably fifty to sixty years of age, dressed in bib and brace overalls, which for all the world looked like they needed some young girl to take them and their owner on a visit to the farm shop! Although I think that on this occasion we might be struggling to make much of an improvement. On his upper body he wore a check shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Topping it all off on his head was a flat cap.

We greeted each other.

"Hello." I said.

"Hello. Phew! It's warm." He announced all out of breath. He was even more massive now viewed close up.

"Have you come to bale the straw?" He asked.

I think it was either the baler on the tractor, or the fact that ten minutes earlier I had called him for assistance on where I was to bale, that gave the game away.

"Yes if you're Mr Reeves,"

He confirms that he is and goes on to give me permission to call him Lou.

"I'm Katie."

"Ken's girl, yeh?"

"His niece." I corrected him. I wasn't getting drawn in to any technicalities over the validity of that claim, so quickly asked where it was he wanted me to bale.

"Yes, I'll show you round. Can we go on the tractor though as I'm fair jiggered walking across the field in this heat."

I'd no objection to driving him round on the tractor, I was just concerned as to whether he was up to climbing in to the cab, and would there be any room for me in there if he did manage it. Anyway we squeezed in, I was virtually sitting on the right side armrest though, and we even got the door closed. So there you go Nigel, my cab is bigger than yours, even if I don't know what to do with it half the time.

"Do you know how to drive this then?" He said, looking round.

I looked at him, he wasn't joking!

"I think if I've managed to get here down these lanes there is a good chance that I can drive it around an open field." I said with the amount of sarcasm that I thought the question deserved.

"Aye, that's true. Was it you driving for Ken the other day?"

"Yes, but I was driving for myself." Honestly my mood was not good today, and he wasn't making it any better.

"Right. Well done. It's an extremely big machine and you're very young."

I didn't bother to comment on him being a big man or his apparent age.

I think he interpreted my silence as being put out by his statement, but in reality I was now concentrating on maneuvering my seemingly big machine through the gateway from an extremely narrow lane, without reversing in to any cars that might be approaching from behind and at the same time avoiding the gate posts.

Dad's words about not being rushed in to anything came to my mind. So I took my time and even with me being afflicted by my limited age problem, limited room in the cab, limited view out of the cab and limited room outside of it, I managed to get the big machine safely in to the field.

Baling For Mr Luckyman - Part 3.

 Of course I was well annoyed at myself all day over the altercation with Nigel. Mostly because it showed I still had some of my old family in me, and worse still, I let it escape and affect others. I thought I was past all that as I haven't seen it since I nearly lost Charlotte over it.

Because of my unplanned exit from the yard I needed to stop down the road as I hadn't implemented my satnav. I had been given a location to drive to and a phone number of a Mr Reeves who I needed to call when I got there. Mr Reeves isn't the farmer who I'm doing the baling for, Mr Reeves is just organising the baling while the farmer recovers from whatever is wrong with him so at least the straw is baled while still in good order.

I had instructions to not call in at Ken's and to go straight to the destination. I don't know why they had to say that as I wouldn't have done that anyway. I drove past Ken's lane end and carried on my way.

The lanes around there are probably the same width as our lane, the tractor and baler literally fill the road. But around that area the roads are lined with hedges and banking, where around us it is open countryside. So I'm going this way and that way wherever the satnav takes me. I can't see around bends in the road, which I am filling because of all the trees and hedges, It's like driving down a narrow tunnel except with no roof. Then there is this car coming the other way. Luckily I was going real slow on account of meeting something. The trouble started when the guy couldn't reverse. There was no way I was going backwards that's for sure. Unfortunately he couldn't even drive his car backwards in a straight line. He zigzagged in reverse down the road for what seemed like ages before finding somewhere wide enough for us to pass. Then it took him three attempts to pull in to the gap, and even then he could have got further over. I ended up squeezing past with my left side so close to a hedge that I was worried I was going to rip the mirror off and it looked in my other mirror like I was maybe a couple of inches off his door mirror with the baler. I couldn't physically get off to check the gap as I couldn't even open my door which was in the hedge. Talk about getting a sweat on. After passing the car, the temptation was to put my foot down to get off that road as soon as possible, but who was to say there wasn't another car just around the corner, all of which were completely blind even to me sitting high up as I was. I was sure pleased when I reached the point where the satnav had taken me. 

Now to call the meeting with Mr Reeves. It was like being in a spy movie or similar. I've parked off the road across the gateway as I didn't want to drive in to the field until I had it confirmed that it was the right one. So I'm sat there waiting. To my right, across the narrow lane is a woodland which looks to be impenetrable to me. The whole area is very woody and green, except for the wheat field to my left. In front of me is the narrow lane dropping down a hill before disappearing around a bend to the left about 300 yards in front of me. This is where I'm expecting a car to appear shortly. To my left, through the bottom half of the left side door is the open gateway. Either side of this gate opening is a tall hedge, taller in fact than the tractor so that my only view of the open wheat field is through the top half of the left side door. It's through this part of the side door that I notice a man waddling across the field in my direction. I recognised him straight away as the guy who Uncle Ken brought in to the field the other day.

Baling For Mr Luckyman - Part 2.

 Walking to my tractor I spotted someone sitting in the seat. Thankfully I had the keys with me, I always remove them when working on the baler so no one can inadvertently start up the tractor when I'm working on the baler. It turned out to be Nigel. This didn't improve my mood one bit.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked him, in a sharp manner. Too aggressive I now feel.

"I'm just looking." Was his reply.

"Well you needn't bother, just get off, I need to get going."

"And look at yer, friggin' boots all over my carpet." I said in exasperation.

This is not what I needed this morning.

"They're clean, anyway don't worry, I'm going. You wouldn't catch me driving this piece of shit anyway even if it was the only tractor on the farm!"

He then proceeds to give me a list of things that were so much better about HIS tractor. Well that was it, Katie was annoyed!

"In case he haven't noticed you don't have a tractor here on this farm, you just get to drive one of ours when my dad says you can, and besides which, dad lets you use the one with all the driver aids on it because he knows I can drive a tractor without them."

With that I got on the tractor and drove off - he wasn't smiling today as I drove past, he didn't even look at me.

Baling For Mr Luckyman - Part 1.

 Saturday 9th August 2025.

Part One.

I'm thinking that Nigel thinks I shouldn't be out working in the fields, I reckon he hates how I get to do the baling. He keeps on bragging about how many bales he can do in the day compared to me. That's one reason why I got annoyed this morning when I caught him on my tractor, you can just tell when someone is getting big idea's can't you.

Also I was apprehensive going doing work for someone else who I wasn't familiar with. I wasn't like ready to commit suicide over it or anything, but it was worrying me. Mostly with regard to finding the place. It's not like when driving a car, I can't just do a three point turn if I go the wrong way. Then as I was leaving everyone was telling me to be careful what I'm doing like I was suddenly useless or something.

"Just take your time Katie, don't go feeling rushed in to anything." Said dad.

"I won't." Replied I trying to think what I might be in danger of getting rushed in to. Lambing season is well past. I definitely was detecting some kind of under current though. 

"Yeh, Just carry on like you have been, remember what you've been taught." Chimed in Eric.

 "Flippin' heck! What's up with you all this morning?" I asked feeling well worried now.

"There's nothing wrong, we just don't want any accidents or anything, that's all." Said mum.

I put it down to going somewhere new, and they were having the same feelings as me about it.

There then followed a round of, have you got this, have you remembered that, and did you check the other! I was sort of glad when the door closed behind me, also a little sad that I had to depart in such an exasperating way.

Assumption Confirmation.

 Friday 8th August 2025.

We have found out today that the person who came in the field the other day with Uncle Ken is not actually the one who wants the baling doing. He was enquiring for a farmer nieghbour of his who has had an accident and is unable to do it himself. He was going to organise a contractor to go in and do it, but when telling Ken and Carole of the accident Ken decided to volunteer my services. It's typical Ken, as those that have got to know him will appreciate. Dad didn't agree to it straight off as he wasn't happy with the way Ken went and roped me in. However dad is not one to turn his back on someone in trouble when asked to help. So today I am at home and then for the weekend I will be working away again. Firstly baling for the accident man and then catching up for Uncle Ken. So definitely rockin' and rollin' for the next few days.

Me, Eric and Nigel had a bit of a laugh this morning. They brought me a pallet of twine round with the telehandler. Nigel driving and Eric walking. Eric crept up behind and gave my platted pony tail a little tug, as he often does. It's just fun and I don't mind as he doesn't hurt me at all. But when he pulled it I spun round half expecting one of his rib grabs. I don't think Nigel has caught on yet as to what my relationship with Eric is, and so decided to be my knight in shining armour.

"You can do him for that, harassment in the work place!"

Instinct alone told me that he just went in the wrong place with that remark. He didn't have enough humour in his voice as he said it.

So before Eric got chance to respond, I quickly stepped in. Walking up to Nigel I asked, even though I heard him quite clearly the first time, "What did you say?" Not in a confrontational way, just calmly.

"Him, he shouldn't do that, it's sexual harassment!" He said, while glancing towards Eric. If he was joking he wasn't convincing me of that.

I was then very bad, although it was just said in fun really, trying to lighten the mood. No malice intended in the slightest, "You mean like trying to get a peak up the leg of a girls shorts every time she gets in and out of her tractor!"

I though he was going to bust a blood vessel, his face went like a beetroot. I did feel sorry, honest.

"I guess, in a way." He said quietly half under his breath, before sloping off behind the baler with a couple of spools of twine.

Of course Eric as mildly amused by it all, "It looks like you hit the nail on the head there."

I think we all learned a lesson, as there was no back chat from Nigel and Eric knew better than to say anything to him. Me, I didn't learn anything new, I just had my assumptions confirmed. 

To his credit Nigel soon got over his dilemma and surprisingly after loading all the boxes on his side of the baler came round and asked me to show him again how I like the spools joining together. Which I was more than pleased to show him. 

So, if that's not progress, I don't know what is.

Such A Creep.

 Wednesday 6th August 2025.

Today I have been back up at Uncle Ken's. Before setting off I got Nigeled!

"I hear you're having another day off today.". He said.

"It's hardly a day off." I replied, trying to get my things on the tractor so as to make my escape.

"I bet you have a right time over there with your dad not around!"

"I work the same there as I do here I can assure you of that." I informed him.

"What, you mean like slow!" He said with a grin on his face.

I could easily have taken offence at that last remark, but I thought no, set an example Katie, don't react like he would, or thoughts to that effect.

"Piss off!" I said as I climbed the steps and shut the door behind me so I couldn't hear him anymore.

I think he liked it actually as he was grinning as drove past and gave him the middle finger just for good measure.

I got to Uncle Ken's to find them just having a drink, so they made me a coffee before Ken set off in his car with me tagging along behind him. I did actually know where I was going as it happened but he wanted to got to the field anyway just to check I got going okay.

At one point he stopped me as he needed to call in at this new foreign shop, so I was cursing under my breath somewhat as I wanted to get going so as not to be late and end up having to leave my tractor thee again like last time. Anyway he redeemed himself by buying me an Iced Coffee drink to try. I'd not had anything like it before but it was actually very nice.

Nigel's comment was maybe, or maybe not a bit of fun, maybe a bit of both, who knows with him. Anyway such comments aren't good as they undermine you if you let them. I was thinking for ages whether I was to slow. I am steady deliberately, I know that. In the end I thought that dad has watched me working from his combine and never said anything about me going to slow. So I just carried on at my normal pace.

I didn't get everything baled that he had ready but there wasn't enough to make another full day of it, so dad told me to just come home as I have plenty here to be getting on with.

A guy came in the field with Ken at one point during the afternoon. They just came and went without bothering me. I've since found out from dad that the guy has been asking Ken if I could go over and bale up his straw for him. Dad hasn't decided yet, I think he's worried about giving me any more to do. So we will see.

I got back in the yard here at just after nine. Thankfully Carole had fed me a big bowl of strew which was very nice, not to mention welcome. Mum said again that she is going to get me a bed for my tractor then I needn't bother coming home!

"But mum, if I didn't come home I wouldn't ever get to see you which are my favourite parts of the day!"

She laughed and told me not be such a creep!