The English Paysanne

Today France was celebrating Bastille day . All over the country villages, towns and cities will be holding festivities which around these parts usually consits of a meal, dancing and fireworks, Najac also has a yearly brocante that takes over the village throughout the day. An opportunity for locals to empty out their cellars, lofts and barns and sell what they can find, most of which is what we see as rubbish but as they say what one mans rubbish is one mans gold (or something like that). We took the opportunity of a days holiday to have a relax. Its been pretty busy here lately so with only the essential animal husbandry being done we headed off to the village early before it got really busy and hot for a coffee and to ogle at the tat that was on offer this year. Now we  don't usually go just for the three reasons mentioned - tat on offer at stupid prices, too many people and to hot to be wandering around amiss too many people, but feeling a bit farm bound ...

Around this time each year, to coincide with Halloween, there is a village apple press, a fund raiser for the village school with Halloween activities for the children.  Everyone can bring their apples as long as they have not been treated with any chemicals. You can drop them off having had them weighed and noted, for each kilo of apple you get 500ml of juice. If you bring your own containers it costs 45 cents (for the new top and pasteurisation) or 85 cents for a new bottle and cap. This year we took part staying for the process. Around 5 years ago we scrumped around 90 kilos of apples to take along, where we also helped out bottling and capping, that juice comes out very hot and as we remember it was a very cold day (completely different from this years weather). We ended up with a lot of bottles of juice that lasted a couple of years, since then we hadn't participated as other things got in the way - lack of apples for one. We do have, or did have ...

With  farmer J not back until Monday afternoon the morning was spent hosting a Neal Yard party, such lovely smells and products its hard to choose what is needed. Face masks and hand massages were enjoyed along with coffee and cake.  The last of last years logs have now been stacked under cover ready for next year with space now made for logs to be chopped and stacked in their place. Figs have now started to ripen as they don't last long once picked but seem to freeze well a grand picking session will have to be done as well as making jam, enjoying them fresh with granola and yogurt and baking them with cinnamon. Along with figs blackberries have started to be picked for the freezer, wine and steeping in whisky, a time consuming job completed on dog walks (although its a bit of a fight with Franklin as to who picks them first), animal care and jobs to be done. As well as blackberries sloes and rose hips need to be collected, not sure what is the...

Last weekend was Najac's fete, being too tired after work on the farm and with cooking and cleaning for the gites we just manged to stay up to watch the firework which are lit from the chateau. Previous years we have walked up the very steep path to the village to get a good view staying on to see Motel, a french covers band that has played for the past nine years - our fellow french folk love them. If were lucky and the wind is blowing in the right direction we can her them as we lay in bed all night till dawn. As we knew we were going to have a busy week processing beef and pork we took a picnic to La Fouillade, the next village along from Najac, sitting by the lake we were the only soles there, apart from a fisherman who had so many lines dangling from the bridge he was continuously checking them, don't think he caught anything though.  Being busy packing our beef that came back from the butchers and butchering a pig there has been no time left for seeing to the...

This week was suppose to be a bit more restful but it didn't seem that way as there is always something that needs doing.  Sandy's piglets reached the time to be separated from mum.  So Sandy moved back to her  enclosure where the weeds had grown well since it has been left for three months while she moved to the maternity suite. It took her a few days to get over leaving her babes going off her food but now seems to be eating again while munching on a bit of greenery. The cows moved to the top field where there was a fair amount of grass even though they had to finish off last years hay possibly for a sympathy vote from passers by. Farmer J was only saying how lucky they are seeing the amount of scrappy grass some of the herds around here are on. Franklin had a outing to the vets for the day to have his blood sugar levels checked again after a few accident's at the beginning of the week after stealing half a loaf of bread. Wednesda...

 The last two bales came home from the fields in between wet weather showers. Counting bales farmer J reckons another ten are needed in case of emergency so his hoping the weather will let him cut half of our middle field before the moon changes and rain puts a stop to hay making.  I dug up the new potatoes in the poly tunnel, I seem to of grown mutant ones some of them are huge. It must of been the chicken manure I dug in.  Maude and Mabel, the Muscovy ducks are still spending their time inside the barn, I still keep ushering them out, they still keep waddling back in the minute my back is turned. I also found out our large white male is not a Muscovy but a Mulard,  a sterile Muscovy/ Peking cross which is why he may be so much bigger than the girls - and I will not get any ducklings from them, not that they have laid an egg yet.  The Sunday morning market up in Najac has started to fill up with stalls and tourists.We had coffee this morn...

 The beginning of the week found Miss F and myself back in Essex staying with farmer J's mum in our home town. A trip to Southend for last minute buys with a stop at Leigh on sea on the way back for ice creams before our fish and chip supper. We had a great time in the UK catching up with old friends, eating and shopping. A day trip by train to London to visit to the Tate for Miss F to help her find inspiration in finishing her thesis to be handed in for May when she finishes her five years of being a student at Toulouse.  Five days away saw changes around the farm leaves emerging on the trees and bushes,the grass is looking lush and those weeds are growing at an alarming rate.  The sheep have been moved back to their old field to start eating away at the grass, it may be too much for two old ewes to cop with we may have to find a few friends for them.  The wisteria that is growing taking over climbing up the house is in full bloom, a lovely delicat...

Sadly the team farmer J was on for the village commune elections didn't get in. They managed to get 30% of the votes but the traditionalist won. The hope of making Najac a dynamic living village will have to wait six years for the next elections. There will be no second voting next week, the Maire has a new team of counsellors done and dusted.

farmer J top left, running for Maire Suzanne Deleris in the red coat and the opposition In each commune if France today it has been polling day, we had our first vote after being here nearly ten years and being asked to go on the electoral register back in December last year by two ladies who wanted to discuss Najac. We later found out by attending  a meeting the following week this was the beginning of a new party wanting to bring Najac out of the dying village that it is. What we thought was a public meeting wasn't. It was the coming together of like minded Najacoise. It was a long meeting where my brain switched of at around10.30pm trying to understand the local accent (and french). Being invited to the next meeting (farmer J seemed to have some good points he put forward - I had kept quiet) declining with excuses of time / language etc it wasn't until a few weeks ago that we had a visit (or three) from different members asking for farmer J to go on the list of can...

When I took the dogs for the late walk up the road last night sleet was starting to fall. This morning the first flurry of snow laid on the ground minus 2 degrees it felt cold. I think the animals were a little shocked, hay has been given to keep the sheep and donkeys happy, the pigs will stay in there huts and the dogs are waiting for the fire to be lite. Cows are not bothered by snow, their winter coats are growing and as long as they get there hay they just 'get on  with it'. I am so glad I have my neoprene Aigle wellies  to keep my toes warm if only I could find some gloves to keep fingers toasty while feeding the animals. By the time animals were feed the sun came out for a bit with blue sky. It soon went in again, the sky is grey and the weather forecast is for snow tonight - what fun.