The Farmer & His Wife

Farmers must stick together, says John Taylor . . .

IDON’T like letting a fellow farmer down. I did it in innocence, but that’s not the point. It is just not a thing one does.

I should have stopped and thought before I replied, but I didn’t. It all came out so fast . . . and afterwards I felt so awful.

Morag and Ian had been married just over a month. They went to the south of France on honeymoon.

Not like us: we had four days with a relation near Kirkby Lonsdale.

“Let’s ask them over for a bite on Saturday night,” Anne suggested.

I didn’t mind. I like Ian. “We’ll learn all about France,” Anne added.

“Would you like to go?” I asked, more joking than serious.

“Oh, John, do you mean it? I’ll go into St Andrews tomorrow and see a travel agent.” Unfortunately, I didn’t. “If you want a holiday,” I said, “let’s go to the Lakes.”

To me, that’s more thrilling than the south of France.

To be honest, I’ve never been to France. And now I don’t want to go.

Think of it, at our age! First, we have to get to one of the big airports, then there’s the flight over the Channel. How does one get to the south of France from there?

If Anne thought I was going to take the old car, she was mistaken!

To put your mind at rest, we didn’t go to France – or the Lakes. We took an afternoon off to see a festival of flowers at Balmerino.

Well, to get back to our light supper with Morag and Ian.

“John, does Anne always wipe her clothes line after she has strung it up?” Ian blurted out.

It should have been obvious to me that he and Morag had been having a tiff about a clothes line, but it wasn’t.

“Yes, Ian, she does,” I replied without thinking.

“Now, say sorry,” Morag said.

I could have bitten my tongue. I’d let Ian down.

Since then, I’ve been thinking about it. Anne wipes her line after putting it out – why? It’s clean. She always takes it in to the house so no rain can fall on it. So why wipe it?

It must just be a habit. Or perhaps her mother did it.

Poor Ian. I really let him down. ■