The English Paysanne

A moment from the week at La Singlarie When the wind blows the small poly tunnel gets wrecked.

The plastic for the relocated poly tunnel has been put on. With a bit of thinking needed as to how to secure it as there is no earth for it to be dug into instead farmer J came up with half cut diesel containers filled with concrete (which I helped make this time) were put in place for each metal pole to sit in with the plastic being placed underneath. Being in two large sheets it was a bit of  challenge to cover the frame, last time we had six people this time just the two of us, thankfully it wasn't windy otherwise it would of been a nightmare. The floor has been swept and is waiting a power wash with finishing touches to be made. It has and still is extremely windy here today already the small tunnel for the pigs food and straw has lost its covering blowing off in the wind. There was no point in trying to put it back, far too windy anyway so straw and food bins have been covered as its due to be raining in the early hours which hopefully will calm the wind down....

This week the metal poly tunnel frame has been moved ready to be put up, barrels collected to be filled with cement, plastic brought and metal poles cut to size to sit in the barrels to heightened the tunnel allowing the tractor to fit in. Help was needed by out friend Thierry from down the road who's tractor held the first arc in place enabling the rest to put erected. lots of ladder climbing, (thankfully not by me) later and it was up with ties holding it in place before being wired and tied in place. It now awaits its plastic cover,I understand a little job for tomorrow.

The weekend was spent dismantling the 25 meter poly tunnel which we erected around 9 years ago. The past couple of years it hasn't been used, apart from shelter for the donkeys and keeping the pigs cereal dry. It was just to much work to keep growing veg in it and in summer too hot as the only free time to work in there was in the mid day heat - not good for an  English rose. So plastic was dug out from one half and kept for the other as part of it was to remain. When it was erected there was six of us bringing it down there was two, with the metal frame wobbling at times it finally came down leaving the four wooden poles of the end where a wooden frame was once attached with metal poles tied on. The frame has been moved to the silage pit to make a 20 meter tunnel to house the machinery. Metal posts are being cut to size ready for collection on Wednesday. Farmer J has driven to local garages collecting oil drums which will be filled with concrete (I spoke to ...

 The last two bales came home from the fields in between wet weather showers. Counting bales farmer J reckons another ten are needed in case of emergency so his hoping the weather will let him cut half of our middle field before the moon changes and rain puts a stop to hay making.  I dug up the new potatoes in the poly tunnel, I seem to of grown mutant ones some of them are huge. It must of been the chicken manure I dug in.  Maude and Mabel, the Muscovy ducks are still spending their time inside the barn, I still keep ushering them out, they still keep waddling back in the minute my back is turned. I also found out our large white male is not a Muscovy but a Mulard,  a sterile Muscovy/ Peking cross which is why he may be so much bigger than the girls - and I will not get any ducklings from them, not that they have laid an egg yet.  The Sunday morning market up in Najac has started to fill up with stalls and tourists.We had coffee this morn...

 After the last patch of rotovating was finished yesterday this morning was spent sowing seeds in the veggie patch more broad beans, French beans, lettuce and comfry. A raking over of soil ready for the tomatoes, aubergines and peppers I will buy at a plant fair on Sunday with a patch allocated for kale and cabbages that are small seedlings at the moment. Posts will be banged in for the toms to climb up and a structure? for the runner beans that seem to be coming up in pots in the poly tunnel, this is the first year since 2005 I have grown English beans. Sweet peas are also in pots to companion plant alongside the beans for pollinating. And the first strawberry is red, although I forgot to pick it and as it is pouring with rain now it probably wont stay around tomorrow when the slugs find it. The poly tunnel has also been rotovated with seeds sown today, lettuce, salad onion, herbs, beetroot, carrots and peas - lots of peas as I am guessing the mice will eat mos...

  After clearing half of the poly tunnel the other week (the other half is work in progress) an idea came into my head. Why not let the donkeys use that cleared half to shelter from the rain and damp weather.  So in they came, with no encouragement they were at the fence gate that surround the tunnel and proceeded to eat the weeds i had left - if only i had thought before weeding they could of saved me the job and they are pretty good at manuring it to. Electric fence wire has been threaded through both sides and tied to fence posts - they don't know it isn't connected, and hopefully it will stay that way. Not sure what they will think when they have to be evicted, which is what will have to happen as Vanille and Bambo seem to be spending a  lot of time hanging around inside waiting for hay and carrots to be brought to them. If the pigs food wasnt in the other half I may put them to use eating the weeds and breaking up the soil but a...

Wet, wet, wet ... when will the rain stop? It's a bit soggy and damp here my orange spice room diffuser is loosing a battle over the scent of wet dog, the paw prints miss the towel placed by the door, how can four paws miss the whole towel (twelve if you times them by 3)? Overals are contantly soaking in the wheel barrow before being allowed in the washing machine, oh the mud. The donkeys look very sorry for themselves with the sheep having a centre parting where the rain drips off them and the pigs have so much mud in their enclosures its impossible to not get covered in it at feeding time. The piglets have not yet ventures out from their pen into the muddy enclosure, they love their heat lamp, spending most of their sleeping time under it. waking time is spent feeding and walking over mum with a bit of investigating. As it has been to wet for outside jobs I started to tackle our run down poly tunnel. It has been like this for the past two yea...