January 5, 2020
The Blacksmith’s Boy
Dad used to spend a lot of time here at the Hazeldown Farm Forge, mending and making stuff for the farm. His own Dad started off as a Blacksmith and Farrier, later becoming a Vet. So our Dad was not just a farmer, but also skilled in animal health, carpentry and metalwork. I remember so well him working metal, at different colours, red and white, the musical bell like sound of hammer on anvil, the sparks flying, and the hissing when the metal was cooled down in the water. I have never been very practical myself, perhaps taking after my maternal grandfather in that respect, but I was sometimes asked to work the bellows, acting the part of Blacksmith’s Boy, something that I enjoyed, though the bellows handle was high up for me then. You can see the handle in these pictures. The old forge is no more, but my memories of working with my Dad will continue until I die.
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