Becoming A Hay Bale

Welcome To My First Journey With Witnessing Mowed Grass Become A Hay Bale Visiting Reader,

The Gnome Had Seen Such Things Before And Decided To Tune Out Of The Noise And Activity Happening In The Paddock....

         With not knowing Technical stuff about what I was seeing, have simply built a Story around the activity, that also gives reason to why such events happen, which many of you would know.

     While people of the Northern  Hemisphere prepare  for Christmas with Winter and snow, in the Southern Hemisphere people prepare for Christmas with Summer and heat. These photos show me seeing a new experience to share. They also show one of the necessary activities in readying for the Summer season in Australia. 

      Summer in Australia is about heat. Sometimes intense enough to cause bush fires. Therefore to assist in preventing the potential disaster they represent, regular activity occurs with tractors for clearing road-sides, and the burning-off through scrub areas is important. Paddocks that become overgrown also need tending to assist in preventing the grass fires which spread greedily across dry terrain.

     Then there are thunderstorms. Especially thunderstorms not ready to release rain, but so filled with electrical energy the lightning strike is almost vertical, often reaching Earth's surface to be absorbed and calmed, is at that moment also a fire hazard. Open terrain, like paddocks are a good earthing source for lightning. Even though seeing lightning being intense enough to strike almost vertically is awesome, the concern exists, and one hopes has earthed peacefully. Sadly will include the worst fire hazard to life and property at any time in the happening, not necessarily just during Summer... the arsonist. Possibly the first part of that word's sounding begins a mild definition for such personages.

         Since the event of these photos on 29 Nov 2010 and my slowness in posting, the weather associated with this giving since 1 Dec 2010 is not with heat but with rain. Torrential rain in many areas causing floods and evacuations. This time span last year for Queensland was hot and dry. Winter had departed and in jumped Summer, Spring was just a concept in 2009, and we longed for rain. Well we are having it this time round, and Spring was not bypassed either. Nature loves giving variety is my thought, so just maybe this Christmas will be wet instead of hot. I know I wish for rain on Christmas day as a gift to the Earth when heat has dominated....

 

       Silly me in doing these photos forgot to include ones of the fine pronged circular looking like a spoked bicycle wheel without the outer rim rakes that first gathered the mowed grass into loose heaps before this event. Then also forgot to include photos of the man manually piling the bales he'd been stacking in the field onto the back of the flatbed-truck for carting away after this event.

     Do apologise for the lapse, but me and Vivaz phone were quite challenged with me unable to see screen to know how we were doing except vaguely when under my shirt. Finally became daring and zoomed in and hoped Vivaz could do the recording while I concentrated on smoothly pressing the button. Personally am truly impressed, especially as Vivaz is essentially a phone. Also the zoom is not an optical type, so these results are to its credit, and I only discarded a few too. Having 8 pixels to work with definitely helped am sure. I feel we did well.

     
     So from these photos, for those of you who may not have known how your garden mulch or feeds like, lucerne, oaten, grassy etcetera, bales came to be, now you know and so do I.

     Next time you find your self struggling to retain some dignity and minimum mess while separating a biscuit from a bale for your beloved equine for example, just think of the human effort involved even with a machine doing the gathering and packing. The thought just may help in lessening the desire to cuss.

          My thoughts roll around in debate over the varying ideas of machinery, but what a boon for the farmer, and the versatility of a tractor is its self a boon. Would recommend highly someone who would not only mow the paddock, but then return and rake and bale the remnants. Ecologically sound paddock management, and a financial boost even in being only for garden mulch, and of course, the home gardener benefits with not needing to consider the huge round bales.

         Was truly an insightful experience. Also fully admire the willing young son learning by following and watching the way his dad followed the tractor and did the stacking and the loading on to the truck. The open tractor was driven by the elder of the trio. How they manage not to splutter from the fumes and dust matter is to me remarkable. Me and Vivaz phone were wearing a fine layer of grassy debris from our short duration on the outskirts of the activity. 

The Introductory Image is from - 

   http://www.amazing-animations.com

The Remaining Photos Are My Own, achieved with my 8megapixel 'Viewty', a Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone.

Until another time, farewell,

from Magda with appreciation