Diary of a Young Farmer

Written by William Robinson 1939 - 1941, then aged about 20.

(click here for William's brother, Wilson's, diaries from 1935)

links to other months

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

DECEMBER 1940

Sunday 1

Fine, dull, cold. Wet late night.

O.D. 8.30 - 1

Monday 2

Wet very early morning. Fine, sunny, warm.

Scaling muck. Cart of kale.

Tuesday 3

Wet nearly all day.

Rolling oats. Jobbing about. Scaling muck and lime. Cart of kale. Laid cows in altogether.

Wednesday 4

Fine at first. S W wind, cold. Terrible wet after dinner.

 Total stock inside 59. None out. 42 tied up. Others loose

Thursday 5

Fine at first. Strong S W wind. Then very wet and wild. Very cold.

Making heifers' shippon water bowls go. Scaling muck and lime. Blacking cow shippon out. Cart of kale.

Friday 6

Wet all day and hailstones. Very cold. Terrible strong wind. Much damage done. Snowing all day on hill tops and drifting it.

Sorting potatoes. Carrying seed potatoes away. Cart of kale.

Saturday 7

Little frost. Fine and sunny.

Scaling lime and muck. Cart of sawdust from Kendal. Big cart of kale.

Sunday 8

Very hard  frost. Fine. Very cold N wind. Wet night.

Monday 9

Fine at first, then rain. Cold.

Scaling muck. Cart of kale. Took 10 sheep to Kendal fat.

2 fat ewes Rough 43 lbs

1 fat shearling  H.B. 58 lbs

7 fat lambs 37 lbs

Tuesday 10

Hail and rain showers all day. Very cold. S W wind.

Killing pig at O.B. Buried sheep on lots. Cart of kale.

Wednesday 11

Fine, sunny, warm.

Scaling muck. Finished scaling lime. Cart of kale. 24 carts of kale up to now.

Thursday 12

Hard frost. Fine, sunny, warm.

2 carts of lime and mould. Carting muck. Sorting potatoes. Cutting pig up at O.B. Cart of kale.

Friday 13

Terrible hard frost. Dull all day. E wind. Very cold, thawing a little.

Saturday 14

Terrible wet all day. Very cold. Strong S wind.

Jobbing about. Carrying potatoes away.

Sunday 15

Fine at first. Very wet later.

Monday 16

Wet later, fine at first.

Jobbing about. Scaling muck.

Tuesday 17

All white with rag. Fine, sunny, cold at times.

To Kendal for sawdust etc. Big cart of kale. Jobbing about. Mr. Durno passed bull.

Wednesday 18

Wet all day. S W wind.

Jobbing about. Marking calves.

Thursday 19

Frost. Fine, sunny, warm.

Carting muck. Sorting potatoes. Cart of kale.

Friday 20

Fine, sunny. V cold. N E wind.

Carting muck. Sorting potatoes. Cart of kale.

Saturday 21

Little frost, fine, sunny. very cold. N E strong wind.

Carting muck. 1 big cart kale. Sorting potatoes.

Sunday 22

Little frost. Fine, sunny, very cold. Strong N E wind.

Monday 23

Little frost. Fine, sunny, warm.

Cart of kale. Carting muck. Finished Meadow. Sold Strickley Daisy 25 £42-0-0

Tuesday 24

Fine, dull, warm.

Carting muck into N.H.F. Sorting potatoes. Very big cart of kale.

Wednesday 25

Fine, dull, warm, very mild. Beautiful day.

Thursday 26

Fine, sunny, very warm.

Carting muck. Sorting potatoes. Cart of kale.

Friday 27

Fine, sunny, warm. Very hard frost. Much rag.

Carting muck. Sorting potatoes. Cart of kale.

Saturday 28

Terrible misty all day. Frost. Warm, thawed.

Finished carrying muck out of midding. Cart of kale. Finished sorting potatoes. cleaned calf hulls out.

Sunday 29

Showers, warm. Very wet night.

Monday 30

Wet nearly all day. Very misty.

Cart of kale. Scaling muck. Took calf to Kendal, veal. 25/- it made.

Tuesday 31

Fine, trying to snow in morning but it didn't settle.

Scaling muck. Cart of kale.

Wednesday 1

Hard frost. Fine at first, then snowing all afternoon. Over 2 inches on by teatime.

Carting lime and mould. Cart of kale. Jobbing about.

Thursday 2

Hard frost. Another 1 inch of snow during night. Fine and sunny.

Rolling oats. Jobbing about. 40 carts of kale so far. Next cartful Jan 7.