"Of the world’s great work he has done his share who has gathered a crop of wheat."
Andrew Barton Paterson (1864-1941)
10 days ago - after onions had been pulled from the earth & left to dry on the fields, in the natural way, cured by the sun & seasalt breeze - veteran onion seller François Séité & new generation "Johnnie" Olivier Le Sann met to gather the wheat stems that will serve as the backbones of onion bundles.
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| François Séité, from Saint-Pol-de-Léon, who has been travelling to Bristol for almost 60 years, following in the steps of his father & grandfather, is sharpening his sickle in preparation to traditional harvesting by hand. "It's an English whetting-stone," he remarked, "their oblong shape makes them much easier to hold." |
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| Olivier Le Sann, from Plougoulm, keen on keeping alive the traditional cross-Channel trade, has been making regular trips to Winchester for around 15 years. |
