Hi Mum, thinking of you today on your birthday 13th Sept 2013.
I am adding Jenny's poem about Hop Picking here today:
Hop Picking
I remember, I remember
The entrance to the farm
The buddleia laced with butterflies
September and its heady charm
Huddled around the fire at night
Dad recalling tales with wit
My brothers foraging for fresh laid eggs
The stinking toilets dark as a pit
I remember, I remember
The hop poles straight and tall
The brimstone taste to our sandwiches
We greedily ate them all.
At midday the sun shining so bright
Made our toil seem like a drudge
But the afternoon saw dappled shade
Beneath the bines we'd trudge.
I remember, I remember
The stories you used to read
Mrs Cauldicott and her Easter Bonnet
Whilst we snuggled close indeed
The straw bales filled and plumped up tight
Like a grand four poster bed
It wasn't long before we slept
Sweet dreams 'bout the day ahead
I remember, I remember
The children where they played
The trickling streams in the woods nearby
Hop measures and the trail they made
The sense of a holiday adventure
With all my kith and kin
I'll never forget, it's with me forever
'Get your hops ready' Oh never again!
Jennifer Elizabeth Weaver 2013
Jim
13th September 2013