On the Road Again

What I've been thinking about this week:

• Time off
• Technology (again)

As you'll probably remember, I work part-time. It's a privileged existence, having the option to choose time over money and being able to do pretty much what I please most of the time. 

This is in stark contrast to Ivie who, given the choice, works every day he's at home. Sometimes it can be difficult to feel that I fit in with someone who can't sit still when I manage that pretty well, thanks very much. 

Covid has had an impact on our ability to have days out, weekends away and proper holidays over the past 18 months or so. But November is a quieter time on the farm so it's easier to lure Ivie away. I like to think that I'm an alluring siren on the rocks rather than a harpie stamping her feet but you'd have to ask Ivie. On second thoughts.... 

Last week we headed away for a few days. We had a mix of AirBnBs in the middle of nowhere and drinking bottles of wine, and visiting a couple of friends and drinking bottles of wine.

Blue skies in Norfolk

It was a really relaxing break but it reminded me of all the little things that we miss out on doing together that I'd normally have taken for granted. (Getting up at 8am at weekends is considered a lie-in for goodness' sake.)

• Having a cuppa in bed and reading the paper (Ivie's first cuppa is after he's fed beasts). 
• Sitting around in your pyjamas and easing into the day (no chance). 
• Having uninterrupted time together that isn't puncuated by something giving birth, dying, being in the wrong field (or all of the above).

It sounds like I'm moaning but it actually made me appreciate our time away even more. There was a lot of driving involved so I put my big girl pants on and took a turn in the driver's seat.  

What you should know about Ivie's car:

• My car would fit in the boot. 
• It is far too fancy for its own good. 
• I secretly like it (heated seats, anyone?).

I won't bore you with all the things it can do at the touch of a button but suffice to say my luddite tendencies have been getting quite a workout recently. 

I'm making a concerted effort to practise driving it, though, so that I don't become one of those people that expects to be chauffeur driven everywhere and then forgets how to work windscreen wipers. 

It's so much more comfortable than my own car that I'm in danger of becoming like a teenager who has just passed their test and wants to drive everyone everywhere. It might cut down on those bottles of wine, mind you. 

Computer Says 'No'

What I've been thinking about this week:

• Technology

Remember when the only phones we had were landlines? It was great. We had to wait till after 6pm until our Dads would let us phone anyone; the whole family could listen in to your conversation (especially when extra handsets elsewhere in the house became a thing); and we never knew who was phoning until we picked it up and said our number out loud.

My sophisticated neighbours, The Murrays, had a trim phone

From 1978-1992, my phone number was 20602. Nowadays I can't remember what I ate for my last meal. Or the password for anything. 

Which brings me to this week's struggle which, incidentally, is real. 

I had to get a new phone. I didn't want a new phone. I was quite happy with the one that I'd had for the last four and a half years. 

• I'd worked out how to stop it pinging every time a butterfly flapped its wings on the other side of the world. 
• My most used phone numbers were shortcuts on my front screen so I didn't have to spend an extra ten seconds scrolling when I wanted to ask Ivie why he wasn't home four hours after he said he wouldn't be long. 
• I'd adjusted the alarm sound to the equivalent of someone saying my name gently and stroking my cheek, rather than an electronic rooster strutting about the bedroom being a dick.

But the time had come. Rather like myself, my phone was taking longer to complete routine tasks. It had also started switching itself off mid-conversation when my friend and I were deep in discussion about Strictly. You can see why it had to go. 

Gratuitous Alijaz shot

After much swearing yesterday afternoon (and evening, to be fair) my new phone is set up and we're slowly becoming friends. 

It did make me think about how we're all at the mercy of technology, though, and how more and more of life needs an inkling of techy knowledge to be able to take part. It seems that it's the same in the farming world. 

A large section of Ivie's tractor cab is taken up by the GPS system and other gubbins that work out flow and spread rates and sums that Ivie still does in his head anyway for good measure. 

We were driving into town yesterday - to look at carpet samples, we're so rock n roll - and passed a field that had recently had a new crop planted in it. 

"Look at those nice straight lines," I said, feeling pleased that I'd said something vaguely relevant. 
"Aye, that's been done with a tractor with auto-steer, mind you," was the response. 

Partly, I was disappointed that my contribution had been slightly top-trumped but mainly I was relieved that I'll never have that level of farming knowledge.