The English Paysanne

With temperatures rising the time had come for Miss Fatty to reduce in size and weight to reveal her summer look. Gorgon hung around for a bit of moral support but even he got bored as farmer J sweated and swore as he cut through matted wool and debris she had collected in her fleece during the year. Miss Fatty resigned to the fact that it had to be done just kind of sat upright until she slid down and laid on her side as her wool was snipped away. A couple of kilos lighter she has become a new sheep with more of a spring in her step, still taking her daily dose of rosehip to ease her arthritic joints she may be around for another shearing next year.

Today was Sorrel's gotcha day, two years ago she came a traumatised dog today we still have a few issues we are working on but she has come on so much and such a character, I love her to bits. This would have been a much longer post of what she has been up to BUT I have been occupied with 4 lost guinea pigs. Farmer J is out tonight in Toulouse with our children at the bikini club (hopefully he won't be wearing a bikini) so I am in charge. I went to shut the rabbits and guinea pigs away to only find the rabbits, no pigs, no sign of being taken or of escaping so the only place they could be was under the hut. In charge of a  screwdriver (yes it took a while to sort out how to work it to get the screws out), I have managed to undo farmer J's what we thought was good pig proofing to find them having a party under the house, well think they were enjoying themselves as there was no sign of them coming out. For an hour I used a pole to place it on the ground and move it al...

Last week was busy, as well as tidying up around the farm, moving cows again, taking down old electric fencing where pigs were we had a job of fencing an area for some new furries to live in. Divided into two to give a resting peroid for grass to grow in each run we moved down two redundant pig huts which farmer J has done a good job converting and reroofing one (he has a little time to repair the other one) putting up Gorgon wood proofing, yes he would try to get to any food source if he could (the furries food not the actual furies I hope). Yesterday morning I went to collect 4 female (I hope) guinea pigs from a enterprising young lady who reminded me of my self when I use to keep guinea pigs, selling babies to the local pet shop and to new owners with a board outside the house. As I waiteed for her and her mum to catch them I chated to her farmer dad, it was a kind of ramshackle enterprise of ducks, pigs, rabbits with a few hunting dogs, horses ...

To get to the long, lush growing grass on the other side. By 10 o/clock, this morning the cows at La Contie were ready to move across the road, they had been watching us in the pouring rain bang in fence posts, trim back brambles and trees and hook up the electric fence all the while mooing in anticipation. The easiest move, just opening up the gates holding them across the road for them to cross we watched as one calf just stayed and watched the others leave, normally it is Potiche at the back but after a swift round-up by farmer J, he was reunited with the small herd. All went to investigate their new surroundings apart from Potiche, who just munched and munched her way through the grass oblivious to the movement around her. We were just pleased to get back to La Singlarie to change out of wet clothes, even wellies were wet inside.