A neighbouring farmer came round for a cup of tea sometime ago now, and he was having trouble filling in yet another 40 page Defra form for something or other.
He said to me:
"What do they (the government) want of me? I look after my stock, I dont use any pesticides, I use a tiny bit of fertiliser, look after my hedges and keep the footpaths open. What else do they want? I feel like a criminal before I've even started! I dont know how to fill out this form without "them" suspecting that I am doing something wrong!"
I checked out the form and felt like a criminal myself once I'd read all the questions.
I was thinking about this and of course its about trust. As the connection between food and the farm disintegrated and the problems that occur like BSE, TB and Foot and Mouth continue to dominate the press there is mistrust on both sides. The government's reaction is to legislate and clamp down.
It reminds me of my schooldays when we all had to stay in at dinner break - just one naughty child, and the whole school suffered! As farmers, the natural reaction is to shy away from it all, in despair.
The problem with this is that as we shy away and become quieter and quieter, more misunderstanding and confusion and mistrust builds up. Often the words we leave unsaid are more powerful than the words we actually speak.
And on that note the latest car I have rented in the USA has no handbrake.... no mention of a handbrake.... nothing.
I put the car into park mode and got a stone to go under the back wheel. I dont trust that car....
Turns out the "handbrake" was a pedal on the floor!!!!
Now how was I supposed to know that in the dark me dears? Does that mean its still a handbrake or is it now a footbrake? If its a footbrake - whats that other brake on the floor called. Nope a car without a handbrake and no mention of the problem.... I dont trust that one at all.
Lets talk eh? Keep everything as clear as possible, chat about the things we love about our farms, our community, our culture. And for that car manufacturer if you must put the handbrake on the floor would you please write a notice where the handbrake normally is to let me know!
PS: The picture is a puzzled camel, and I was puzzled to find a camel on an island near Podchef Island in Washington State. Almost as puzzled as finding the car's handbrake on the floor...More about Podchef and Podchef Island to come
I always find it a bit tricky driving a rental car. Things are located in different places, the car has a different "road feel"... I grew up with it being called an "emergency brake" so I guess I wouldn't have had your problem. However, I've had a number of issues with the design in my 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan... The parking/emergency brake release is the same kind of release and located just below the hood latch release. So sometimes I think I've taken off the parking brake and I've only popped my hood! (hood = bonnet for you, dear)
Posted by: Spidra Webster | October 28, 2007 at 11:41 PM
Ah well not to worry. As in the USA the bonnet is the hood and the boot is the trunk, do you end up with a
"Car Trunk Sale" instead of a "Car Boot Sale"?
Posted by: Heather Gorringe | October 29, 2007 at 06:24 AM
Actually, a "car boot sale" is a "garage sale" or "yard sale" in the US. I didn't know the term "car boot sale" until a number of years ago. Even when I looked up it up in a British-American dictionary, it still mystified me. The folks in my neighborhood who try to sell you something out of their car trunk are trying to sell stolen goods.
Posted by: Spidra Webster | October 29, 2007 at 10:49 AM
Great Site! I have been looking around for informative sites so I can get an idea what a good website or blogs looks like! I think the more information the better it is! What do you think of my newest Lens! Great work, Rob
Posted by: Car Auctions, Find Used Cars For CHEAP! | April 20, 2008 at 12:33 PM