Friday, January 17, 2014

winter plowing


The other day was so nice that I went for a short bike ride and came upon this farmer plowing under last year crop (maybe wheat?).  That is not snow on the freshly plowed earth, but the reflection of the sun off of the smooth surfaces.  It's too bad it's not possible to capture the full range of brightness in a photo as this was wonderful to see.

18 comments:

  1. The pattern of lines is very pleasing to the eye.

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    1. There is something serene about the repetition of irregular lines on a large scale. Orderly, but yet not industrially uniform.

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  2. The sun is nice to see, eh? I'm surprised that tractor is not foundering in mud with all the rain we've had.

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    1. This field was not muddy at all although quite moist as you can see that the soil stuck together well in clumps. It must drain really well. Plus all the recent sunshine has helped.

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  3. I wonder if it smelled nice on top of being a great catch!

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    1. Alas, my sense of smell is not the greatest so I can't verify that. But I can say, the air was clean and cool. To me, it was those thousands of glints of sun that made the scene for me.

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  4. J'ai toujours été impressionnée par la régularité des figures produites par les travaux des champs. Il paraît que maintenant ils ont une sorte de GPS pour les aider. En tous cas, j'ai appris grâce à ton message un nouveau mot: plowing

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    1. Je suis tout d'accord. Il y a une tell variété des cultures dan le région. And since you are the student of English, I must tell there is a familiar definition of the verb "plow". A person who is "plowed" is really drunk !

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  5. I agree with Walt. I saw some guy digging his potager by hand the other day and have no idea how it was possible given the current condition of the soil here.

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    1. You mean because it is so muddy there ? Again, it may be a function of the local drainage conditions... or the soil composition itself.

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  6. Preparing for the next harvest season . The silver reflection of the sun is beautiful and I would have loved the smell of the fresh plowed earth.
    Bonne journée.
    Tess

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    1. Merci, Tess. I hope it will be a good season for all of the crops... and of course, the vineyards !

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  7. It's one of the great advantages of cycling, isn't? You get to observe close-up the things you don't see by car.

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    1. That is exactly right. And I can slam on the brakes to take a photo without jeopardizing anyone !

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  8. i like it....that sunshine is having a warming effect on me way over here! have a great weekend :)

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    1. Thanks Tanya. It's been unseasonably warm here recently. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Bon weekend !

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  9. Looks good when you enlarge this shot to see the details Stuart, does look like snow at first but when you go in closer the truth is revealed :) Looks like lovely rich soil.

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    1. Yes, to my non-farmer's eye it does look rich. This field is right on the banks of the Loire and I suspect has benefited from a zillion years of flooding (although those days may be over now).

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