Knots in the Long Grass

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men could not mend the broken eggs again.

Long grass before knotting it.

            I told you that our farm house was built from the soil of this earth, well behind the house was a hollow from where this soil had come, so over the years the hollow was covered and sometimes overgrown by grass.  There were bunches of grass (graspolle) which grew pretty high when in seed and there were little pathways through this grass.   Any animals kept within the farm yard would eat this grass, but could never crop it down.   In winter, when the frost had killed the grass, it would be burnt and it would shoot and grow again in spring.

            It was great fun for children to play in this long grass and the game of hide and seek was very popular.   But one year we decided to knot the long grass and then run through it to see if you would trip and fall.   Poor little Daf tripped and fell and knocked her wind out but we dare not tell Mommy or we would be in serious trouble.   We even played at running through it blindfolded until, late one day, my dad decided to take a shortcut to the house while carrying a bucket full of new laid eggs.   He was not aware of the knotted grass and, when it tripped him, he fell down and broke all the eggs.   This was a serious loss as the eggs would have been sold at the shop in town.   I do not remember what our punishment was, but I know that we had to cut all the knots loose and were forbidden to play in that hollow again.   (Sorry Dad)

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