Something different

I think all that read my blog will know that I used to have a cafe/restaurant at the seaside. Definitely seasonal. In the summer months, 7 days a week from dawn till late. However during the winter months I did nothing. November , December ,January was completely free of work. October and February was only limited week end work so I had plenty of time on my hands.
I used to go to visit my Mother and Sisters in Grantham about once a week. When I first started to visit she worked at the Electricity Board. Much before it became a PLC. She was divorced and she was an office manager, she met this fellow who was also divorced, he was the stores manager. Well eventually they got married. A couple of years passed then my brother in law was asked by his father if he would like to be farm foreman on the Belton Estate. Lord Brownlow's home(Edward Cust). Belton House is where he lived with his wife Shirley. The farm was about 25000 acres, there was arable, store and woods which there were deer. Store cattle meant that all they were interested in was enlarging the herd. Any bull calfs which was about 50% of the calfs born, were castrated and when thet reached about 18 months were then sent to be slaughtered.
Anyway my brother in law agreed and soon the moved into a cottage, very near now to Belton Woods Golf Course. It was a nice south facing cottage and my sister soon got into the country ways. She had chickens and ducks too. Jim, that was my brother in laws name, was very good at meeting people and was very popular. It was not long before he was getting his potatoes from one farmer, my sister was given a small pig from another, he also went out with his men when a tree had been blown down, chain sawed the tree into usable logs, would then share the logs between the farmers and his father and themselves.
He actually met Diana Spencer before she became Princess. He was on his usual run around to see what was going on when he saw a small group of people. He went to investigate, certainly did not readily notice her. He was always diplomatic and just asked them if all was O. K. Diana asked him what he was doing on the estate. Jim replied that he might just be asking the same question about the group. She replied that that were here for a few days as guests. She also said. "By the way I like your snazzy hat." He then made a remark like I hope you have a nice time, by the way I am the farm foreman and left. Princes Diana had a sister who lived just a few miles away so she was up that way on more than one occasion. It was suggested that Prince Charles also came this way but we do not have proof.
t was during the time that he was foreman that I started to take my Mother out to their home, it was on my way back to the seaside. He suggested that sometimes I might like to go shooting, I said I might but to be honest was not keen. He did show me round the farm, it was huge. I think they had a 40 acre field, it was immense. They grew Oil Seed Rape, this was just becoming popular, a little Wheat but mostly Barley. Of course they had every contraption you would want. The corn drier was a godsend, he would dry the corn for the farmers around, this made him so popular as the drier the corn is the better price they get.
Well eventually his father retired. I think I will tell more tomorrow as it goes on a little.