Another in my series of rice planting photos – following on from Day 285- planting rice – the old fashioned way…

It took us about five hours to hand plant our little corner of the rice paddy – finishing up muddy, leech ridden and exhausted. The good kind of exhaustion mind, the satisfying kind you only get after a hard days honest work. We sat with an well-earned Asahi and assessed our little rice creation, like a father gazing adoringly at his newborn baby.

As the the sun began to dwindle across the valley, we watched the farmer finish off what we had started by hand. Ever winding backwards and forward – nurturing perfect symmetrical lines of baby rice buds. From traditional farming to modern.

I think our little corner held its own – it’s imperfections and squiggly lines adding some charm that the rice laid by the machine lacked. I would like to think it will taste good too!