


I am a self-confessed Beardie lover! Only the winter mud that surrounds us prevents me from being owned by one. They exude happiness, gaiety, and joy; and my spirits soar whenever I'm near one.
This drawing means a lot to me. The farmer (my former neighbour) and I spent a few glorious haymaking times together. One day the sun shone brightly and we had just finished baling our hay. George drove off to stack his own and I took time out in our own field when, in my mind, I "saw" a pair of Beardies playing between the haystacks. From that day on haymaking and Beardies were permanently connected.
Included are George's old tractor and baler, his fields and the Hambleton Hills behind — so you have a picture of the field behind our house and the hills beyond.
Accompanying this Premier print were two smaller Companion prints, which came into being because I had so much good material left. Both have sold out.
Why Done Balin'? The title arose from the arcane naming of houses in the UK as Dunroamin (Done Roaming or 'settled down'). The baling of the hay is done - but no rest for us... now comes the back-breaking job of "leading" it (in the Yorkshire vernacular) into our barns.

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