A Boys Own adventure

J hit the back of the shed today - drove the tractor straight into the wooden shack!

The tractor is now called Jack. The family put names into a hat with the agreement that unless all 4 of us agreed on a name it would not be considered. Charlie held his hands firmly by his sides and refused to vote until the very last name came out. You guessed it - Jack. One day he will have to negotiate for the UN as his poker face remained in place until the last bitter moment when his choice of name appeared. Alfie did the perfect big brother role and congratualted him heartily. Gone by the wayside were my choices - Claude and Keith, dismissed were Jeff's Fergus and Bob and with 3 votes Alf nearly had a victory with Bertie and Tommy, but Chas was having none of it. Jack he was after his 20 mile slug home and Jack he is now!

Back to the smashing of the house...

We have had a weekend of little visitors.

First arrivals were Amy, Ben and Emily who we know from the caravan. Ben was treated to the tractor ride of a lifetime. To begin, Alfie and he sat in the bucket of Jack and were driven around the land, being finally lifted as high as the tree branches to pick their own leaf - who says leaves can't be special. Ben was still clasping his on the way home... They were then moved to Jack's cab and driven at quite a lick around the garden. Ben's face was frozen somewhere between fear and sheer over-the-top excitement. His mum, Jennie, was leaning more on the side of fear!

Today Brendan and Dominic came for all the fun of the farm...Dom at only 3 opted to sit in the bucket with Charlie and Alf, as Jeffers drove them low to the ground and through the long grass. Brendan hopped in the cab with Jeff. Tonight they were driven royally around the garden and delivered to the back door. At this point Jeff misjudged the side of the shed...

I won't over egg it - it is a small divot, but when you live in a shed every wooden wall is important!

As to me...

I have bumped Jeff off Jack a couple of times - it seems only fair as he has all the fun!

I did not have any work to do with the tractor...so just drove Jack round and round the garden and getting faster and faster. How brave I felt - top gear and 3rd gear...speedy has nothing on it!

My godness how empowering, and I have convinced myself that with the amount of physical effort it tkaes to use the clutch, I will never need to worry about going to the gym again.

I was laughing last Sunday as I drove around the back garden, I was power-scraping mud off the garden with my trusty tractor. So, at night I was driving Jack, ploughing my field and the next day I would be back in London discussing brand equity and data driven marketing...could my two lives be more removed from one another!

all well, happy and full of fun!!!