The English Paysanne

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...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Those ducks are getting around.

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Pig moving - again

After living with, caring for, feeding and breeding an array of animals here at La Singlarie it has been a steep learning curve. The cycle of life with births and deaths, trips to and visits from the vets it has never been a dull moment a few memories that come to mind of positive and negative things are: * Don't trust the inherited German Shepherd (she came with the farm) with three pet guinea pigs that have been placed high up in their cage. Two days after we moved in we found out Bella was a prolific ratter and mole catcher and couldn't tell the difference between vermin and pets. * When buying 6 bantam hens (for sitting on eggs) and a cockerel check that it was you have not 6 cockerels and 1 hen and don't let them out of the box in daylight in a field - they will run. * Don't buy bantam's when you want eggs, unless you want small eggs and don't buy cockerels they are vicious little blighters and there is no meat on them. * When you take a old, cance...

Ten years ago the Stickler family left the UK travelling over the channel in convoy with one puppy, three guinea pigs and three rats. A truck load of stuff and a Fiat Brava (still going) crammed full for a new life in south west France.  We fell in love with the view and a small village, Najac in the Aveyron. No rush hours, no more stress and no more keeping up with the Jone's. A time to connect with the land and a slower pace of life. We brought a working farm with potential to have a couple of gites. We were not intentionally wanting a farm but a bit of land was on our wish list to have a few animals and a veggie garden. Farmer J still had his business in the UK where he flew back to during the week and spent weekends converting the milking barn into gites. With a corner of the barn falling down, a septic tank that left its position in the ground to roll down the hill an eccentric architect and a lot of stone moving the gites were built. Farmer J w...