My Mother’s Diaries: Chicks, Ducklings and Haymaking at Hiltonbury

Life on the farm in May and June 1951

By Andy Vining

Fifty cockerel chicks, a clutch of ducklings, a birthday pair of goldfish and twenty-five tons of hay: May and June 1951 brought plenty of activity to Hiltonbury Farm.

Reading my mother’s diaries today, I am struck by how much she fitted into her days. Washing, ironing, baking, gardening and mending were woven around family visits, children’s dancing lessons and helping my father, John, on the farm. Somehow, there was usually time to put the kettle on.

I was eight that spring, away at St Probus School in Salisbury. My sisters Jennifer, Janet and Heather were at home, and my mother’s diary gives me a window into everything happening while I was away.

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 22 — May and June 1951

MY MOTHER’S DIARIES
March and April 1951: Rain, New Life and Spring at Hiltonbury

Two spring months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.
By Andy Vining

March and April 1951 brought a stubborn battle with rain, illness and delayed farm work, but also the unmistakable arrival of spring. There were pigs, Jersey calves, chicks and lambs; a family operation and an emergency appendicitis; Andrew home from school; a new baby at Beechcroft; Jennifer competing at Ampfield Gymkhana; and, eventually, warm days when the oats could finally be drilled.

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 21 — March and April 1951

January and February 1951: Snowdrifts, Snowdrops and a Pig at the Ball

Two winter months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

The new year opened under deep snow. Before February was over, the same fields were producing hundreds of bunches of snowdrops. Between them came family illness, schooldays, dancing, farm work, birthdays, visitors, a tragic accident, young chicks in a greenhouse — and one of Mother’s most memorable diary lines: “Jolly good. Won a pig!”

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 20 — January and February 1951

MY MOTHER’S DIARIES

November and December 1950: The Turning of the Year

Half-term, Bonfire Night and a busy Hiltonbury Christmas, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 19 — November and December 1950

MY MOTHER’S DIARIES

September and October 1950: Autumn Turning

Harvest’s end, a child leaving for school and autumn settling over Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 18 — September and October 1950

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his podcast. You can listen to these stories on Spotify.

MY MOTHER’S DIARIES

July and August 1950: Harvest, Cowpens and a Summer of Rain

Two eventful summer months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

New cowpens promised modern farming, but relentless rain threatened the harvest. Around both ran the busy life of the Vining family: school journeys, birthdays, shows, visitors, preserving fruit and making the most of every dry hour.

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 17 — July and August 1950

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his podcast. You can listen to these stories on Spotify.

MY MOTHER’S DIARIES

May and June 1950: Curtains, Cowslips and Haymaking

Two months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

[Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 16 — May and June 1950