Post by erichall on Apr 15, 2011 4:14:50 GMT -5
How many of us can remember the days when Her Majesty's Inspector of Coal Mines was due to pay a visit?
Remember the preparations that were made - everything tidied up, men warned to be 'on their best behaviour', and finally the complete stonedusting of the district!!!!
A question - Do Farmers expect visits from HMI?.
I had cause to travel on the A54 Buxton-Congleton Road yesterday tea-time.
Along this road is an Ice-Cream Farm. Bet you can't do that with an Anderton Shearer! As I approached the farm, around 1800hrs, I happened across a white cloud, through which I had to drive. This cloud turned out to be a Farmer with what appeared to be a muck-spreader behind his tractor, spreading what I can only assume was a fertiliser, of slightly off-white hue. On arriving at my daughter's I was able to look back at the road I had just travelled. I could not see the tractor, because of the dip in the land, but a pall of white haze was making it's way across the skyline. On the other, higher, side of the road, another field had obviously been treated.
My mind went back to my S.E. days when, after I had accompanied him on an underground visit, an HMI asked if I minded loading several bags of stonedust into his boot. Thinking the worst, I obtained several brand new bags of stonedust. 'Testing?' I asked. 'No, it's for my allotment.' replied the Inspector. 'Didn't you know it's better than liming your garden. Excellent for fertilising!'
This thought appeared in my mind as I realised what the farmer was doing was spreading some form of limestone on his fields, which are used for grazing. WAS HE EXPECTING A VISIT FROM A MINES INSPECTOR?
Remember the preparations that were made - everything tidied up, men warned to be 'on their best behaviour', and finally the complete stonedusting of the district!!!!
A question - Do Farmers expect visits from HMI?.
I had cause to travel on the A54 Buxton-Congleton Road yesterday tea-time.
Along this road is an Ice-Cream Farm. Bet you can't do that with an Anderton Shearer! As I approached the farm, around 1800hrs, I happened across a white cloud, through which I had to drive. This cloud turned out to be a Farmer with what appeared to be a muck-spreader behind his tractor, spreading what I can only assume was a fertiliser, of slightly off-white hue. On arriving at my daughter's I was able to look back at the road I had just travelled. I could not see the tractor, because of the dip in the land, but a pall of white haze was making it's way across the skyline. On the other, higher, side of the road, another field had obviously been treated.
My mind went back to my S.E. days when, after I had accompanied him on an underground visit, an HMI asked if I minded loading several bags of stonedust into his boot. Thinking the worst, I obtained several brand new bags of stonedust. 'Testing?' I asked. 'No, it's for my allotment.' replied the Inspector. 'Didn't you know it's better than liming your garden. Excellent for fertilising!'
This thought appeared in my mind as I realised what the farmer was doing was spreading some form of limestone on his fields, which are used for grazing. WAS HE EXPECTING A VISIT FROM A MINES INSPECTOR?
