This September’s West Meon Hut Rural Auction – or, to provide it its proper name, Crap Sale – ended up being an event of considerable sadness in my situation.
It must have now been the right time: the farm ended up being too wet to complete any farming, it a pressure wash and a hint of grease, and trundling down to the auction field so we had a jolly few days digging crap out of the bushes, giving.
The Saturday remained dry, additionally the burgers and coffee had been top-notch. The punters had been in and purchasing – the automobile park ended up being chock packed with Transit vans that on other time of the season will have had you reaching for your phone. What exactly was incorrect?
Well, to begin with, Tom, the mind auctioneer, had forgotten our contract.
Early within the day into the year, he’d demanded to learn why we didn’t make more utilization of their Crap purchase.
We ummed and aahed about needing to clamber through brambles and having drenched and it is it actually well well worth it – most of the typical material.
So that it ended up being recommended (after having a pint or two) that when we joined half-a-dozen products, he’d perform some auction inside the early morning suit and top hat that he’d been spotted using within the winner’s enclosure at Ascot.
We took it further; what about We enter a dozen things, and also the lovely Mrs Tom waves the purchase clipboard inside her fabulous Ascot frock? Agreed.
Therefore by the time all of the old clay pigeon traps, classic scales, roller mills and square-wheeled trailers caused it to be along the Crap purchase field, I’d done my bit.
Guarantees broken
Once we hitched from the last little bit of dodgy kit in the Friday, I inquired Tom what he’d be putting on each morning. He stated he previously a great coating if it rained.
We carefully reminded him of our contract. He rushed down throughout the industry in a harrumphing flurry of purchase stickers and obscenities.
As expected, come Saturday, our bet was indeed abandoned – he had been in old-fashioned Crap purchase garb.
The lovely Mrs Tom, disappointingly without any Gucci, said she’d organized a suit and a tie for him, however it had managed to make it any further than the termination of the sleep.
And I also had my digital digital digital camera prepared https://myukrainianbride.net/russian-bride/ and every thing.
The the best prices did little to cheer me up. The Vibraflex that is 10ft reached it should have cost Dad back during the early 1980s (there’s one for the accountant to work through), and its particular times of attaining a significantly better cost on new kit in the event that dealer didn’t need to take it being a trade-in had been finally over.
Junk junkie
Once the heavyweight vintage scales went for peanuts, there is a tutting that is ghostly Hinton Ampner churchyard.
We occurred to stay into the wash-up queue with the sturdy gentleman that has bought the scales (now neatly loaded on their transportation pickup), and bored him with tales of long wintertime times weighing down beans, 1 cwt at any given time, for sale to pigeon fanciers.
“Don’t worry” he said. “They’ll end in someone’s garden, favorite, having a big cooking pot of plants to them.” Bless. I did son’t dare ask exactly just what he’d offer them on for.
The second early early early morning, when I retrieved the Massey 715 4f plough that had inexplicably neglected to offer, we collared Tom once again, and told him exactly how disappointed I became.
He mumbled about tiny ploughs being difficult to shift often. “No, Tom. I am talking about our contract.”
“Next 12 months, Charlie, we promise,” he stated. Difficulty is, I’m nearly away from crap. I’ve got the plough, of course. And there’s a Lancaster bomb trailer someplace.