The English Paysanne

Both ends of the gite barn have rotten wood under the tiles so a fortnight period was marked out for work to be done. Thankfully I am not a handyman so did not need to go anywhere the highest end of the barn, apart from handing wood stain and roller at the end of the work from the top third floor bedroom. Our Belgium neighbour was enlisted to do the work being a builder and farmer J was the gofer (makes a change 😀 as it is usually me) climbing up and down the scaffolding many times with tools and materials. The other end of the barn is not as high so farmer J is doing this on his own (although I may get roped into to being gofer as some point). Guess I shouldn't suggest starting on the third gite while he is there?

  At last Bowser has arrived, his settling in well eating playing, playing, pulling on his walk like a steam train, playing a bit more, eating and a little nap today. Only hope he sleeps as well as he did last night which apart from a little whine at first he was quiet in the hall all night. Sorrel is finding it a bit difficult sharing but slowly she will come round and as Bowser seems to be learning quickly knowing his bed, recognising his new name and coming in the house once a whistle is called, ready for his recall training. More news to follow......

Gorgon was in big  trouble yesterday. Caught red tottered pushing his way through the new fencing into the vegetable patch in search of the fallen apples and pumpkins that are growing so close to the fence edge. he has barged his way into the veggie patch in previous years,it wasn't as productive after his visit and trying to remove a pig which thinks his in heaven is pretty hard. This has made work for poor farmer J who was so looking forward to his Sunday off. This morning posts were banged in with a run of posts attached at pig height to stop the bulldozer of a pig Gorgon. It  matches the fence erected around the rabbits run to stop him their pushing his way into stealing their food. He had been watched trying to suss out a way in to the veggies but has now decided to sleep while waiting for the plums to fall. I wouldn't mind if he was a starving pig but at the moment his getting the apple windfalls as well as tiny pears from a neighbours trees. Po...

It is all about to change here at La Singlarie, the cat/dog ratio has been far to to the advantage of cats for too long, come Monday afternoon there will be two dogs again. I'm so excited but a little apprehensive for some dogs nose maybe put out of joint for a while. Sorrel has been on Bach's flower remedy 'walnut' for change for a week and both will continue it for a fortnight. Farmer J will be on Bach's rescue remedy to get him through the honeymoon period of dogs finding their feet. So you want to know who is coming? His a 20 month old good looking boy. His just been at the Figeac dog refuge long enough for his pound time to pass (in case his owner comes to re claim him - they don't want him as he was passed on from travellers to travellers) had his 1st and 2nd lot of vaccinations and today had 'that' operation. Hopefully his now resting, I will be at the gates along with Anita at 2pm when they open, Anita will spend a bit of time with the ...

It's never dull at La Singlarie, there is never a 'oh I don't know what to do' moment. Especially with farmer J around. The trees that feel over the winter in the fields which were collected and left by our poly tunnel have now been chopped with the help of an amazing machine we now have access to  (owned by the Najac farming co - operative). It sliced through the logs like cheese, farmer J is chief cutter and I chief stacker, however the chief cutter could not stop interfering with my stacking. Every year I have a lesson in how to stack, paying attention to ends and the bits in-between. Once all stacked you would think all was done but no up in the woods two years ago chestnut trees were cut for posts with an amazing amount of wood being cut, the posts were stacked up their waiting while their was a huge amount of wood piled up that was not suitable for posts with some left where it fell to be sorted later. Well that later is now, the posts have be...

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.😃

After a few days of drizzly rain, a bit of sun and dry today the wild mushrooms have started to appear, ceps and the more lucrative penny buns, some saved for risotto tomorrow the rest sliced to be dried in the sunshine tomorrow (fingers crossed).

Summer has started here in Najac. It was the first Wednesday evening night market, each year the first and last is held in a small side road making it more intimate and mainly for the locals. Now each Wednesday it will be held in the main drag of the village. each week getting busier and busier. Tonight was a chance to see neighbours and faces that had been in hiding coming out for a bit of local fair and music. We had a portion of chips, sorry frites, a bottle of white wine and 2 mini chocolate tarts for me.

2017 hays harvest is now finished, during the hottest week farmer J was in his tractor cutting, turning, lining and bailing. Not as much as last year due to the weather with early frosts that stopped the grass from growing and dry periods but hopefully with last years left over bales there will be enough. Again this year there was tractor problems, the exhaust feel off  during cutting so a make shift tin can and metal tape measure made a temporary mend, oil leaks and other technical stuff saw Farmer J popping by the local tractor mechanic who's garage is between us and La Contie, he to has been working flat out on all the other farmers emergency repairs and machine breakdowns. The machinery does get a hammering around here due to the terrain, flat fields have a lot going for them. The fields around now have bobbins dotted around in them as we have had a week of rainy weather (which has been lovely) they will be out for a while in order for their outside...

Yesterday morning, before a very important meeting in the afternoon, which will be posted in a while here fencing needed to be checked and renewed before moving the cows yet again. They had eaten the patch down they were in very quickly so it was a bit of a rapid move inbetween hay making. This morning they walked the path behaving themselves through to a previously cut hay field, where the grass has re grown for them to munch on for at least, hopefully few days.

Go out in the mid day sun. Felling hot, hot, hot Best place to eat your bone But then try and find some where cool Hay cutting Hot chicks Shaded Guinea-pigs And Rabbits Gorgon checking out if it has cooled down Lids soaking the heat up outside where he spent most of the day I put the ovens on full whack to make bread And ironed for the charity shop It's been a tad warm the past few days, wilting like an English rose I can only 'do' mornings outside before I start to expire, even checking the animals water at lunchtime brings my eyes stinging as perspiration falls into them. So I stayed inside to make bread and do my good turn in ironing clothes ready to go to the Parisot charity shop after I answered a plea for ironers. Although they have not seen my work, don't think ironing will be my next carer choice. The French make clothes were a lot harder to iron with fiddly bits than the English brands so I could always adverti...