The English Paysanne

It really felt like a Monday today, with more heavy rain over the weekend it has been pretty wet and today the rain continued. First thing a chicken was found unable to walk, she is in the puppy crate at the moment resting, not sure she is going to improve it seems her legs have given up. With all the rain the barn which houses the chickens and ducks flooded one end. This means a very clean barn floor that Gorgon could eat his tea on and happy ducks. Those ducks are so happy with the amount of puddles and flowing water in the field there's no chance of them getting in that pond at the moment. Streams have also have been flowing from the top of the pig hill down to the road. Lots of mud and soggy pigs with only one sows cabin leaking, which was rectified they were all given straw to line their cabins. Having floors has helped keep dry unless they are like the two pigs at the bottom of the hill who are having great fun lifting up their floor (it is in two se...

A  moment from the week at La Singlarie Left in charge of the beasts while farmer J is away.

When I brought our ducks in May last year there was an idea to put a pond in for them. It took a while thinking about it and in the mean time the ducks wandered the farm finding their own water sources be it a puddle, stream or other animals water troughs. A deal was struck when farmer J spotted an ideal pond base at our friends yard down the road, the top of a Renault traffic was swapped for a couple of home made cakes and eggs. Complete with light fittings (under water lighting for night swimming?) it was loaded on the trailer to bring back here. While another neighbour was digging up the road for new pipes to be fitted  he was asked to dig out a hole for the roof to fit in, this time payment was pork. Once dug and roof put in place soil was put back around the sides and large plastic sheeting reused to make it water tight before filling up. The lights were removed before hand, apparently the ducks would not be doing any midnight swimming so n...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie If the seeds I planted Wednesday survive this I will be amazed. I fear I may no longer have straight lines they were sown in.

I was going to write about the veggie patch today and what was going on in it, suffice to say it is a bit soggy tonight.We had been in to town to have a pizza, do the weekly shop and must do things when the sky changed looking like it may rain as we came outside the supermarket it did so rain for a very short period. A discussion then followed as ifcyou it was raining at home as I needed to water in the seeds and plants I had sown and put in. We decided as its very localised weather around it would not be raining and the weather forecast of a chance of showers would miss us. So the hose would have to come out for the first time this year. By the time we had unpacked bags, had a cup of tea and got our pig clothes on the weather had turned with big rain drops falling, thinking it may pass we carried on up to feed the pigs, which by the time we got up to them shelter had to be taken as it poured. We decided to come back leaving fee...

We have had a unwanted visitor to the farm, not the guests in the gite but a duck rustler of the four legged kind (we think). We lost one of the white Pekings who didn't return yesterday evening. I went out searching thinking it may of got run over (we don't have many passing cars but the ducks do  seem to be attracted to the road) but there was no sign. Not down by the hanger or in the field where they hang out. Usually if its a fox there are the tell tell signs of feathers but not even a feather. It must of been a strong fox at that as those ducks are quiet big to carry. So for now ducks are confined to Gorgons field, holes in the fence blocked up and a plank of wood under the gate where they duck under. Farmer J and the dogs will have to be on weeing around the farm duty to disused Mr Fox from coming around for he is not welcome one bit. As the ducks are confined it may make them use the pond that was put in for them.

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Work has started on the veggie patch - better late than never!

Yes not the best set of nashers but he does make up for it in other qualities, our big bear paws Tyser spent the day at the V.E.T.'s today. The big softy needed a bit of work done on his teeth so was put under to have a tartar build up and small tumour taken off his gum (that was done for free) his now back home and on a course of antibiotics for an infection in his gums. I have not been to the dentist for the past ten years and going on the bill I got for Tyser its just as well as I thought  he had a gold one put in while there. I did manage to meet the new male Spanish vet, young, tall and blond. I think he may cause quiet a stir at the vets, working within an all female environment. He mainly is going to deal with cows, this may be an advantage for me having a few as I think there may be a few females making appointments for pet check ups maybe they need to borrow a cow - I can give a good rate!

This morning was the last morning of feeding hay to the cows, this evening farmer J doesn't know what to do with himself. It's been five months of morning and evening feeding, the calves had their real taste of grass when the electric fence was taken down and they were called to the gate. The first turn out onto new pasture usually makes for a lovely sight as they get very excited running and kicking their heels and waggling their heads in the grass but today it was very subdued they just walked towards us, once in the field heads were down to start munching away, no running or going bonkers. Each year around the 10th April they are let out to the fields, the tell tell signs of heads pushing through the barbed wire to eat a few blades of grass as they poke through. Yesterday the smell and sight got the better of one as she jumped fence into the hay field and was a real pain to get back in. It was time to let them out as it would only be a matter of days before...

The fitting pig is the middle one now sharing an enclosure with his brother and sister The big bully (although he is a nice pig away from his fitting brother)  Saturday morning feeding time we found one the pigs from a group of five acting strangely. Confused and wandering around unstable on his legs. foaming at the mouth we new the tell tell signs we have experienced before. He had hit the electric fence and had a fit, which seems to make them more attracted to the electric fencing as they stumble around or worse fall into the wet mud. A lot easier to move around when small pigs do get very heavy and a kind of dead weight when having a seizure. He was overlooked by farmer J (his a bit stronger than me) as the others was fed. Once the fitting had past then came the bullying as pigs seem to sense when one isn't quiet right and as in nature you get rid of the weakest. Our bully came in the size of the biggest male, chasing the black pig around the enclosure. The other ...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Easter baking

Apparently for the next ten days we are suppose to be having dry weather. I hope this is not an Aprils fool as we have had so much rain lately that I am beginning to panic that we will have no vegetables this year! The veggie patch s so wet, too wet to rotovate. No seeds have been sown yet but hopefully it will all change and i will be leaping into action son.