Diary of Becoming a Farmer. The Calling
The story of a young mans efforts to become a farmer without the aid of inheritance.
Was I my cousins Best Man? Of course I was. But that decision resulted in another life changing moment.
On the family's last visit to my Uncle's farm, my cousin announced his good intentions for his beloved, and asked me to be his Best Man. H, our son, was 18 months old, the good lady was pregnant again and we enjoyed a good holiday on the farm. H was very cute. "Moo in there" he called each time we went into the cattle sheds.
I decided it would be good to spend some time with my cousin before he got married. If for nothing else, to get some good material for the speech. So after a job up north I took some leave and went to North Wales. I had a great time on the farm. I met his future In-Laws and got some material for the speech. I believe my cousin enjoyed my stay too.
However, I enjoyed myself a little too much. My Uncle was away for a couple of days. That left my cousin in charge and me as his assistant. As usual the getting up early, the hard work and the getting up in the middle of the night to check a cow that was due to calf, didn't bother me one bit. Very much the opposite. I suddenly realised what I had missed out on when I had left school. I could have written my notice there and then. But it wasn't just about me. I had a wife and soon to be two children to think about. Also I didn't have any Agricultural qualifications. We couldn't afford for me to give up work there and then. Also, how would the better half take it. Would she be able to cope living and working on a farm? Other than the visits to my Uncle's she had no experience of farmlife.
I was later to find out that the wife and my Aunt had been discussing me and farming. My Aunt had told her "it just won't get out of his system will it. Farming just keeps rearing its head." How very true. Only this time I couldn't, or maybe more importantly, I didn't want to repress it.
A couple of months later it was my cousins wedding. A lovely day. A little mountain mist at the church, but it brightened up for the photographs at the reception. The Wedding Breakfast was fantastic. Especially the roast beef, which was grown on the farm, naturally. And I mean Naturally too, it was Organic. When I announced my thanks to the chef it received a standing ovation.
Oh the speech. It didn't receive the raucous laughter that the previous occasion had, but I didn't die either.
Now I had to wrestle with my conscience and decide what I was going to do next?