This time, as an after-effect of the cyclone Yaas in West Bengal, the forecast says rain for the next few days. We’ve started dumping mud near the ‘dam’, which is the main place from which we lose water and soil, and where we have been building the retaining wall. We have a few days work left on the wall, so we don’t want a sudden onrush of water to damage it.
In other news, we have acquired 25 quintals of rice straw to use as perforating material. It was pretty expensive, because we got late in realising exactly what we needed, and most chaff and straw from the surrounding villages has already been used up by the farmers themselves.
We have always looked with disdain at the heavily loaded vehicles carrying hay, but this time, we were the ones who had ordered it! Unfortunately, the vehicle that was carrying it was most unsuitable, and our tractor had to drag it through the fields.
(left) The miraculous straw.
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