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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2ENJ093 - FRANKLIN

Eight years ago today Franklin came into our family, a rescue dog from the SPA in Rodez we drove to see if they had a dog to re home. He had been there a month after being left tied to a bin in the town centre, chosen because he didn't bark, he came to us to say hello and was completely different from the dog we had lost days before Christmas. 120 Euros he cost, a young boy still a pup, very thin but with a look of take me home please. A collar put round his neck, forms completed, cheque handed over and a kiss from the manager and he was ours. Five minutes down the road in the car he threw up. Five minutes in the house and he had weed up the settee and collected an assortment of treasures including socks, toilet roll inner tubes, tissues and soft toys all placed in a pile under the table and garded. He ate at an amazing speed, fearing he would loose it to our other dogs. Then he started to bark, he has a fine bark on him. He barks for his tea, when a visitor arrives, the ...

Parisot lake

As it is a holiday today here in France (Bastille Day) we took the afternoon off an popped over to Parisot lake for a walk with Sorrel. It has all changed, since the lake was emptied and cleaned up this year you can now swim in it, as well as inflatable toys to play on, a life guard, bikes to hire, a new fenced in play area for small people and a total spruce up. But there is a price we were charged! 3 euros an adult, which I guess is OK if you are using the facilities but Sorrel didn't fancy a dip. The cafe is still open but that would of been too much for Sorrel to cope with being so close to people and music so we opted for a bench to sit on in the shade before walking around the lake. Sorrel opted for being Billy no mates and laying by herself, if be it for a short period of time before bikes and people went by. We are now waiting for the free firework celebrations over the chateau tonight - if we can stay up that late.😃

Lavender

One plant that does grow well around the gites and garden and that I don't seem to be able to kill is lavender. In the summer the bushes are swarming with bees, hummingbird moths, butterflies and other flying insects, lot of holiday photos have been taken by keen photographers, some setting up chairs and waiting for ages with big cameras and lenses waiting for the right moment and right insect to land. It does give a lovely show and smell as well, its picked and placed in vases in the gites by guests. Its very tactile and difficult to pass without a rub of a flower that's if you like the smell. I think its very much like marmite you either love it or hate it, a smell of memories of grans and old aunts who use to get given Yardley's old lavender smellies for presents. I like the smell but it can be quiet overpowering, especially when this year I have finally been able to save the dried flowers. Previous years other things have got in the way and its bee...

The English Paysanne

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