The English Paysanne

We don't have a lot of opportunity for road rage around here, you just don't get the flow of traffic needed to get cross (apart from maybe the huge holiday mobile homes that only get driven once a year on small French rural roads.  So I've had to result to cheese rage,let me explain. Shopping is a rushed affair, usually in the order of after lunch drive into town, shop, out, back home, unpack, change clothes, animal routine. So at the cheese counter after taking my ticket (the only person in line) being glanced at by Mrs happy behind the cheese counter,being ignored by Mrs happy as she finishes her conversation with fellow charcuterie worker I got served. I only wanted a chunk of equivalent of cheddar, it was even pre cut and sealed so no work was really involved from putting on the scales pressing the label ticket and sealing it in a bag. Now I saw the price,  6,68 on the scales so didn't look again when it was handed to me. I didn't look at it when passin...

It's been so hot here the elderly chickens we have had decided enough was enough and couldn't possibly lay another egg in such a heat wave, we lost the last grey chicken that i had brought a few years ago (because they looked a bit different, however were not brilliant layers - lesson there looks over utility do not work if you want eggs). Anyway back to loss of chicken for she must of thought it must be nice to be a duck in this hot weather,able to go for a dip, which she must of done and then found out why chickens don't go for dips for although there is a ramp for the ducks to use she obviously didn't use it and probably flapped a bit before giving up the fight where I found her floating in the pond at feeding time. It has cooled down this week but still no eggs, I've even had to buy a box, the first in a long, long time. Although there is a chicken who has sneaked a few under her wings and is now a broody old broiler who gets very cross as  I go near her. If ...

Tyser, our lovable 10 year plus collie cross had a trip to the vets today. The first in along time apart from his yearly vaccinations the only other time he needed to go was when he first adopted us and ended up having ehrlichosis, that awful disease from ticks. But for a while now he has been walking slower, looking a bit stiffer, panting a lot and just slowing down a bit. He had a hair cut a while back which showed up a bit of excess weight he has put on since not going for such longer walks now Franklin is declining. He has had his food changed and restricted in the hope he could loose a few pounds but the weight hasn't really shifted yet. So today he was booked in for a health check to see if there was any underlying problems which come with old age. His hearts good, ears clear and after a blood test, where we waited 20 minutes for the results, (when we have blood test from the doctors here they take couple of days so next time I may just go to the vets!) he got the...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Our Artist is in residence this week, she's quiet good at animal feeding, dog walking, gite cleaning and bread making too.

With changes happening around here this year, growing our cattle herd, taking on more land, making more hay and buying more machinery our hanger needed a grand tidy up in order to make room. After 11 years of collecting bits and pieces and keeping as many bits and pieces that may come in handy the only way to tidy was to empty the hanger making piles of to keep, to sort out, to throw out  and to recycle. Once emptied with the help of a lonely chicken who pecked all day long and found gold in unfolded plastic- ant eggs, which must be a high protein delicacy for chickens it will make way for this years hay, a section for some of the machines and an area left ready to enlarge for when the cows will come in for winter feeding.

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Time for a tidy up

Today France was celebrating Bastille day . All over the country villages, towns and cities will be holding festivities which around these parts usually consits of a meal, dancing and fireworks, Najac also has a yearly brocante that takes over the village throughout the day. An opportunity for locals to empty out their cellars, lofts and barns and sell what they can find, most of which is what we see as rubbish but as they say what one mans rubbish is one mans gold (or something like that). We took the opportunity of a days holiday to have a relax. Its been pretty busy here lately so with only the essential animal husbandry being done we headed off to the village early before it got really busy and hot for a coffee and to ogle at the tat that was on offer this year. Now we  don't usually go just for the three reasons mentioned - tat on offer at stupid prices, too many people and to hot to be wandering around amiss too many people, but feeling a bit farm bound ...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie You never know who your going to meet on the back road to La Contie. This is Dexter who had walked down from his stables to what is going on down in the fields. We were the lucky ones to find him in the road and spend time waiting for his owner to come and get him.

Oh it's been a tad hot here with no rain predicted and fields looking a lot less green than in June it may mean grass will be running out and the cows will be munching hay. If this dry spell carries on our cows at La Contie will be heading home as although the grass seems very nutritious it is a lot sparser than here. The pigs are feeling the heat. It is a constant job of filling their water troughs for them to tip over or lie in straight away. Even though they have been given water in their wallows and either hosed down or a bucket or two thrown over them it does get a little tiring. Were on mains water now our source has run dry for the moment until the next rain.Two lots of pigs are suppose to be moving to new enclosures, we tried so hard to move them to but no amount of bread or coaxing would they budge, I think its just to hot they cant be bothered. We just got very hot and bothered trying to move them. Rob's ewe has also been shorn, she's beginning ...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Mad cows and English men go out in the mid day sun. Probably the hottest day this week and we moved the cows at lunchtime (no cars around then) down the road to pasture new.

 Our walks have been determined by Franklin lately with failing eyesight and a tumour on his leg he prefers to walk on the road. We have also slowed down with lots of stopping, smelling the air and what looks like him contemplating. I wonder if he remembers his younger days. One of his favoured routes is a circuit round Mazerolles, a small hamlet now only with a handful of full time residents, mostly empty shut up houses and part time holiday home owners. We start off along our road passing Michele and Michelle, the french retired couplewho spend their summer in her family home. As Michelle sits outside a lot of the time and Michele has a thing for strimming (note very well kept verges) it's a scary part for Sorrel, who has to walk past people she is so scared of.  Continuing up the main road to La Sole we turn right at the house that has just been sold.  Soon after we have to turn down a small track (much to Franklin's refusal, a few teats help) ...