|  | | Family man: Each month Anton takes a wry look at life "down on the farm" |
| | Anton Coaker is a Devon hill farmer. Ten years ago he diversified into the sawmill and timber business. Like many others he lost stock to the foot-and-mouth contiguous cull. Each month he takes a look at the state of farming, from grass roots level: |
|  | | October 2002
Ha! Another month slips into our past.
I have enjoyed a little time off, recently. Miracles? No, just threats from the nearest and dearest. To further your astonishment, I have to report that I took the whole tribe up to London!
Alison’s brother and his wife live just out of "town" and rashly allowed us to invade their lives.
Being bona-fide tourists, we did the full works.
Museums, The Eye, Galleries, etc. (If only farm news excites you, you may as wells skip right along to the end of this chapter now, poor you.)
We dragged the kids around the Natural History Museum, where the dinosaur bones – and life size T-Rex model - entertained the rugrats. The crowds were a chore, but entry is free.
 | "My tight-fisted hill farmer's mind had worked out that it (The Eye) must be grossing £20K per hour" |
Your scribe should admit that his high point was sandwiches on the lawn outside, under a superb row of London Planes. Plans are afoot to return nocturnally with a very quiet chainsaw, and a timber crane! (If park keepers could read minds, I would certainly have been nabbed in several locations for having "chainsaw eyes").
The London Eye was an experience, and I doff my hat to someone, whoever they may be, for the conceptual audacity.
My tight-fisted hill farmer's mind had worked out that it must be grossing £20K per hour, but then I don’t suppose it runs on 5 gallons of red diesel a day!
A couple of days away from the kids, (lucky old Aunt and Uncle! - Hello Andy, if you're checking this out) yielded a leisurely visit to the British Museum.
High points? Probably a replica of "Redwald's" sword, as found in the Sutton Hoo burial mound, an exquisite piece of work. Also a very fine "Haida" totem pole, nicked from the Queen Charlotte Islands, and finding a set of the translations of the Icelandic sagas on sale in the shop.
You’ll note that this hill-farmers idea of culture features barely civilised societies where it was the norm to hop in your boat, sail round the coast a bit, knock a few heads off, half inch some cows/salmon/maidens, and be home in time for the spit roast. Something to be noted there!
They did have some other stuff: Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone etc, etc...... Maybe when I’m older.
 | More from Anton's diary >> |  |
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