Farewell and welcome

This morning the boeuf went off to the abattoir, after being trained to go in the trailer for his cereal and hay for a few weeks before hand the final time of entering the trailer went very calmly. He was munching hay as the gates and back were lifted and didn't flinch at all.

Farmer J always takes each animal to the abattoir a job he does not enjoy but is as about as stress free as he can make it. Being organic ours cows are allowed to go early in the morning rather than having to stay the night, they are also first in line to be dispatched. We liked to think he had a good stress free three years with us and as his time had come the hope that our customers will enjoy their beef at Christmas. The carcass will hang for three weeks before coming back to us butchered and ready to vacuum pack and box up.

Later this morning farmer J drove the trailer down the road to our friends farm to pick up two nine month old male Limousin calves that we have brought to join our herd to grow on for three years. Happy to get out of the trailer they ran off down the field where our herd met them, initial smelling of newbies from each member then following the two boys around for a while they settled down after a short period and carried on every day life of a cow, which at the moment is waiting for breakfast and tea of hay.

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Snap shot

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Another steer went off on Wednesday. After spending 3 years with them it doesn't get any easier when they leave.

Weeding

Potatoes A sad looking patch Hunting for carrots The weather has now gone from one extreme to the other from rain, rain and a bit more rain to hot, sunny and hotter. Time to access the veggie patch after I planted everything in one hit and then it got very damp and soggy. Well the potatoes are growing well, although they are going to be a lot later this year, kind of Earlie's for late ones and late ones maybe ready for Christmas dinner ( if they survive the bugs, rabbits and moles). The weeds have and still are growing really well, this morning was spent finding the carrots and parsnips, which I have with no help from Sorrel, who after a quick sniff lazed under the shade of the apple tree (which by the looks of it hasn't got hardly any apples on it?) The poor herb seeds sowed don't look to good or the french and runner beans, think a hungry mouse have nibbled on them so I will have to resow (once I have weeded -again)

A problematic Ewe

While Master C and Miss F were here over the weekend we took the opportunity for their help in moving the two ewes, Gorgon and Thumberlina to the field where the donkeys had been. What with all the rain we have had lately the grass grow super quick. The only problem was Miss Fatty did not want to move from her safe field (if only she knew she was moving to new lush grass). It took farmer J and Master C to try moving her after pushing from me and Master C had failed and she fell to the floor not moving an inch. There try also failed so they were both lead through the field in another direction. Of course once in the new field there was no looking back. Gorgon on the other hand was a breeze to move, as long as you have food he will follow, you just need to make sure you have enough food!

The English Paysanne

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