Skip to main content

This week





It all got a bit too muddy for the seven pigs up the top of the hill (and for farmer J who was feeding them) so a move to empty enclosures was welcomed. The pigs moved in record time over electric fencing so I think they were as fed  up with the mud as much as we are. It's so much easier to fed when your boots don't get stuck.



The piglets are growing, they have not yet ventured out into the enclosure still. Think they may be pigs that don't do mud. They have been introduced to cereal which they are beginning to get a taste for, mums been trying to fit in under the fence to get to their food as yet she hasn't managed, settling for a bit of hay to distract her.

The nine laying hens from last year have been moved to join the old hens, two cockerels, gorgon and the two girls as well as the sheep. Shutting them in for a day (Gorgon was not pleased at being shut out for the day) I thought come the next morning they may return to the barn the following evening. Six were missing when I went to shut them away, found in their old house the other side of the farm buildings - we have homing chickens. They had sneaked under the barn door once it got dark.  There has been a bit of chicken pecking going on but hopefully the cockerels will do their job and sort them all out soon.

Vanille and Bambo are still enjoying the luxury of the poly tunnel, spending a great deal of time in there dodging the wet weather.


 
 Robs ewe has been enjoying the chickens old house, miss fatty has to sit outside as she's too fat to squeeze through the door.






Connor had his 21st Birthday, I made a very high chocolate cake. How time flies by, he and his sister came back for the weekend to celebrate - most of the cake has now left for Toulouse with them.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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