This is what I see through the window when I’m up in our top bedroom.
This red bricked building was where we used to milk our 120 cows. There was another much larger building arttached to it on the right hand side of it where the cows used to sleep & spend practically six months of the year inside during the winter months. They each had a bed with a rubber mat to lie on, we used to put shavings down to keep them dry as they lay down. They could move about freely up & down & round to the central feeding passage where we used a tractor to feed silage. They could feed either side of this massive trough & they even had a brush on a frame so they could scratch their backs.
When it was milking time we used to let them through a gate into the part where he is doing the roof bit & this near end was the herringbone milking parlour.
As you can imagine having the cows inside while the weather was cold & wet was very time consuming so we were always glad when Spring came & they literally ran outside! We always had silage in the feed trough all year round & even in the summer they were always back inside for morning milking!
It seems strange to see this being converted into a house. One man is doing all the work & is making a great job of it!
We actually wanted to buy this barn ourselves when it came on the market last November but the timing wasn’t just right & it sold immediately.
Three good things:
1. Back at the cinema with my friend Dot, we saw The Favourite. It was different but I wouldn’t recommend it!
2. A new light in our kitchen to replace my lovely old rise & fall light. We moved the table so it wasn’t in the right place & we were banging our heads! Not sure I like this one, it’s very bright & will take a bit of getting used to. The jury is out still!
3. Fire extinguishers serviced!
120 cows is a lot of work. When I worked in the police I had a favourite tea stop which was at a farm. I always got a good cup of coffee and could get the milk straight from the cow...lovely.
@beryl You’re right Beryl, it was a great life, close community, healthy active life & working as a family was good. I miss the cows, never minded the work but we worked seven days a week 365 days a year but always pent all that came in....massive electric bills provender bills, vet bills, it’s an expensive business. So many family farms have given up sadly.
Loved your narrative, Pat. My, what good memories. Could you possibly get an electrician to rewire your kitchen to accommodate your favorite light over the table?
@louannwarren Yes we did think of that Lou Ann but it was only me that was keen on the light. As it was a rise & fall light it had a very open shade & it did glare a bit sometimes as you could see the bulb. Getting used to this one a bit, jury still out! It is much brighter in the kitchen but I am a low light person.....lots of lamps & I do not like overhead lights one bit!
