Summer has finally arrived at the farm on the M62 - Jo Thorp

It’s a job he loves and has no problem spending hours kneeling on the tractor seat staring out the back window, hand gripping the controls while bales disappear under layers of plastic wrap.

He never gets bored and given half a chance would pull what he refers to as “an all-nighter”. However, this has yet to happen as school usually gets in the way. We’ve had to take on an extra pair of hands to make sure all the bales get back to the farm before the weather turns.

It’s a long haul from the mowing fields of Farnley back to Stott Hall, about an hour, door to door. Our usual route involves some tight, twisty lanes, so a slightly longer route is used when towing a big bale trailer.

Our extra pair of hands, however, opted to ignore following Paul and instead followed satnav. It must have come as quite a shock when he started on the lane that would lead him to the farm. Endless potholes and incredibly steep and narrow in places, with a 90-degree turn at the bottom.

He made it but as he discovered when he arrived at the farm not all his load did. I found the lost bales when I headed home, blocking the lane, ratchet strap lying in the verge.

I knew they were ours but couldn’tunderstand how they’d got there as I knew none of our lot would entertain coming down past Tommy’s, as we refer to the lane, the farmer that once lived at the farm on the steep hillside.

They were retrieved and thankfully no damage done, just a slightly dented pride!

John-William and I have been incredibly lucky to spend time away from the farm but more importantly school, while competing at some superb county shows.

Our recent trip was to Lincoln County, a first for us but definitely not a last as we loved the show. With only a few weeks before our beloved Great Yorkshire, things are about to turn hectic as preparation goes into overdrive.

After last year’s disastrous attempts at “colouring” the Bluefaced Leicester sheep, little has been said about it and we have yet to broach the subject. I expect I will be sacked as Mum if I dare to sample my concoctions on the little guy’s pet lambs again as he still hasn’t forgiven me for turning his favourite gimmer into a walking advert for hi-viz clothing.

We did, however, seem to blend in without any mocking nods from onlookers last year – so I’m guessing we’re not doing too bad.