Tales from Wales
Josephine Roberts
I
’ve written articles about other people’s tractor
collections for some 15 years now, and it’s fair to say
that I’ve met all sorts of characters during that time.
Some people have been extremely laid back, whilst
others are fiercely competitive. Some are fastidiously tidy and
conscientious, whilst some people I’ve met have been the
messiest souls imaginable, with chaotic sheds piled high with
trash and treasures, and tools all over the floor.
I’ve met extremely wealthy collectors
who house their tractors and artifacts in
outbuildings far grander than the house I live in. At the other end of the scale are
the people without two pennies to rub
together, people who have scrimped and saved to buy themselves an old wreck
of a tractor and who have restored
it gradually, by themselves, recy-cling materials and making do and
mending to keep costs down.One thing I’ve noticed it is
that the person who owns a£300 (about $450) Ferguson tractor usu-
ally seems to have just as much fun with
it as the person who owns a real rarity that cost five figures. My young nephew,
Gareth, bought an old Ferguson tractor
with a mixture of savings and birthday and Christmas money, and he has since
had many happy hours tinkering with
the tractor and learning about how the machine is put together. Being able to
use his own tractor to help his family out on the land has been a huge source of
pride too.SIMPLE
Pleasures
Iv
who
outbuI live
the p
togetsa1342