Something for the weekend

Up our drive way we have a line of conifers, they have steadily grown over the eleven years we have been here with a little trim now and again on the driveway side. The other side is the field where the chickens, sheep and pigs are at the moment. On top of the conifers and growing down them were some very big bramble bushes. Both brambles and conifers have now gone.

In order for a delivery of gravel arriving on Tuesday for work to be done on extending the hanger the conifers had to be trimmed for the lorry to get down the drive. Farmer J doesn't really do trimming, he does chain sawing and tractoring and getting carried away.

We started of Friday afternoon and soon decided the trees had to come down. They had grown far too big and wide and rather than trimming it was far easier to cut and start again. We now have two rather large piles of brambles and conifers to be burnt and a very open drive. The tractor came handy by pulling down the brambles and collecting the conifers making the job far quicker than collecting it all up by hand. With the driveway now being opened up it is so much lighter and space for the lorry to pass, even the poor cherry trees had to have a trim. They are nearly at the end of their lives due to many attacks of Capricorn beetles and donkey bark nibbling and a bit of bad weather branches have broken off and needed trimming.

Tomorrow the ground around the trunks will be cleared up then later in the year when we have more time the trunks will be cut down, the fence renewed and I think lavender planted along the drive but for now we have a lot of wood to burn.

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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

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The English Paysanne

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