The English Paysanne

That hits the spot

The weeds have gone. So far this week I've been able to set to on the veggie patch. While having a coffee and flicking through this month's Country Living magazine I read an article about a couple who have a small holding producing organic herbal remedy plants for skincare. Reading a weed is only a plant in the wrong place I thought I bet he doesn't have a burdock growing between his parsnips and beetroot. The only way I could get it out was to cut the leaves off, for the roots are more or less impossible to get out when its this big. How did it get to this size? I have lots of 'plants' in the wrong place. Ive strimmed, sheared, raked and pulled stubborn weeds. My hands have tingled for a few days with nettle stings and a lot of wheel barrows have been filled. At least those pesky 'plants' go to a good use the pigs love tucking into weeds, especially nettles but no dock leaves for no one likes dock leaves, believe me we have tried. ...

Were waiting for the sun here, it`s coming the weather chart on my samsung says so. Our first summer guests arrived today for a weeks stay. They live in California, there waiting for the sun too.  Farmer J`s waiting to cut the many hectares waiting to be turned into hay. Cuttings a lot later this year due to the weather as you need a few days to cut, turn, re turn, line up and bail. Tomorrow he will start again with his farmer friend down the road. The following week will be dry, the weather chart says so. The veggie patch is waiting for veggies to grow and weeds to disappear.  I will get weeding this week it's going to be good weeding weather, the weather chart says so. The sheep have been waiting to be sheared . There fleece has been to wet to cut, not that they have noticed as they may of had to get the knitting needles out to knit a jumper as it's been a bit chilly here (for June). This week their hoping to show off their bo...

22 nd June  The first picking of berries.

 A bit of a Birthday and technology I had a birthday at the beginning of the week, another year older another year wiser I said. Another year older farmer J said. It was a Good day shared with the family, after the electric fencing enclosing the pigs had been found to be faulty we had eggs Benedict for brunch. The weather tidied itself up and we went to Cordes Sur Ciel, a small village in the Tarn. Future post to follow We ate out that evening at the hotel up in Najac (Monday being a bad day for anything to be open here) I had lots of presents including a picture drawn by Miss F for my crafty room. My early present to myself was my 7 " tablet and this keyboard,  I'm amazed by its smallness, and a lot easier to use with a keyboard which enables me to write this blog. So do I feel any wiser? In some ways yes in others no, I still can't say no to that last glass of wine, I still haven't got the French language and haven't still learnt you can...

    My birthday cake made by Miss F, chocolate fudge cake with hand made flowers - she's put the pressure on in the cake making stakes.

Since spring there's been a lot of bird activity going on here. We've brought chickens to grow for meat and the wild birds have been busy constructing nests, laying eggs, collecting food for their babies now there's a bit of  flying lesson going on. I did try to take a photo but not yet quick enough to be a snappy photographer. Bigger birds have been seen as well, buzzards and  a sparrow hawk.  One of these manged to kill one of the new chickens, who are now confined to the barn until there run is finished. We've had lots of  buzzards in previous years then a murder of crows (yes I didn't know that's what a flock of crows are called, can see why as they are murderers to out chicks) came and drove them away. The next day two of the first batch of chicks went missing. Bailing twine was threaded through to try and deter the killer. Tuesday evening he had managed to get between the twine to kill another chicken, a bigger one this time and to heavy ...

Wild flowers picked along the road side while dog walking before the verges are cut and they will be gone until next year.