When I was young I’d hear it said, time and time again,

‘Farmers are always complaining’, they’d say, without any hint of refrain,

‘The weathers wrong, no time off, it simply doesn’t pay’,

‘Does anything ever go right for you?’ They’d very often say

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As I grew up, I though it unfair, I loved the life outside,

But sometimes when the times were tough I found it better to hide,

‘Everyone complains about their job’ I’d think, when they had a really tough spell,

‘But if I speak up I’ll get tarred with the brush of moaning farmer hell’!

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So smile on face I’d carry on, everything was great,

Even on those long long days when 2am stopped feeling late!

‘We love the hard work, we live for it, I wouldn’t have it another way’,

When at home the washings mounting up, next to bills we cannot pay!

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Now I’m grown with kids of my own my view begins to alter,

Isn’t it better I tell the truth, and that my love for it still doesn’t falter?!

Through all the stress, and all the hours and the heartbreak along the way,

I wouldn’t ever do anything else, not for one single solitary day!

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Not just to the farmers, this goes out to all of those who try,

To make a living being their very own boss, even when cost is high,

Our heroes that run their own small businesses, through doubt and stress and pain,

Through solitary days, and worry without ever wanting to complain.

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For those whose kitchen table is an office, whose holidays disappear,

For all those kids that hear ‘not now darling, maybe tomorrow, or next year’,

I’d really like you to complain about it more, because it really shows you care,

That through it all, you love what you do MORE, and that’s why…you’re still there!!

From Vicky,

P.S Keep smiling all the individuals and small businesses that keep the rich tapestry of our local economy going! And it doesn’t hurt to speak up about times being tough, and it not always being a bed of roses, it makes us appreciate the job you do more! January is tough but you are tougher!!