The English Paysanne

We have finally got rain, farmer J is happy. We now also that have wet dog smell in the kitchen. I see a dog coat in the making.

It's International Dog Day today here is a link . I have one happy rescue dog who will celebrating with a picnic.

INJA May 4, 2015   Dear Inja here is a Griffon/Labrit mix.  At two years old she is adorable but very timid, so a fenced in garden is a must here together with loving owners who have the patience to teach Inja that not all humans are despicable. That's the post that was put on Poorpaws blog which I read and it's all history now. When I picked her up this is where she had hidden herself. Scarred of human contact she didn't want to be touched,tail firmly between her legs she half walked half crawled as she was put in the car. Unused to travelling throwing up twice we got home and left her to settle. By the first sleepless night we figured out she had separation anxiety. It's now been almost four months shes been with us, renamed Sorrel each day has been a little challenging but it is getting better. Taking on a rescue dog with many issues of being mistreated, missing out on socialisation and in complete fear of everything is ...

 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) ...

The rescue center Two weeks ago I drove through our end of the Aveyron, through a bit of the Tarn et Garonne and entered into the Lot, new territory for me. I had a meeting to see a lady, well two actually about a dog. Reading this blog I fell for a young girl of two years. Sue who runs pawpoors works with a French lady who has this blog who rescues dogs (and cats). After a few emails of enquiring and thinking hard if it was the right thing to do off I popped to met a furry friend in need taking Franklin along to see what he thought (he wasn't any help and more interested in chasing cats and sniffing everything, including said dog and then ignored her, at least he didn't attack her) Now the emails said she had been abused, abandoned and taken in to a local towns dog pound where she spent time before being rescued by Danielle, the french lady. Danielle had worked her best trying to gain (and had) her confidence but I didn't realise how timid and scared she was. ...

It was  lovely to have Master C and Miss F back for a long weekend, they stayed till Monday so were put to work cleaning out the hanger, our Monday morning ritual during the winter weeks. With short breaks in between waiting to refill the tractor with cow poo brother and sisterly loved ended with fighting as usual, M C couldn't resist breaking the ice he found on a water bucket and of course what do you have to do with that ice - wind your sister up. Once the cows were cleaned the pigs were replenished with straw in their arks and cabins, easier said than done as the pigs love new straw which proves a tad difficult to get in their beds as you need to get in the cabins too a bit scary when you have four or five pigs trying to get in to help sort out the straw your putting in, they get very excited and in your face as their not small piglets any more plus the mud adds to making the whole manoeuvre that bit harder. Farmer J started to chop the wood...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Hot dogs

There's a lot of legs on the farm here, some two legged who are finding it increasingly harder to push themselves up the pig hill and then working there way through thick mud, they slip and slide and sometimes get stuck but overall keep going. Sometimes the animals have problems with their legs too. At the moment the only female Perking duck has had a limp for a few days, she has tried to keep up with the gang as they cover a grand distance in their morning and afternoon trip around the farm. I cant see anything wrong, it may be a strain from over amorous male Pekings or the only male Khaki Campbell, who although smaller its a feisty little male with a strong sex drive. She has now realised, thankfully that it is better to rest for a few days in the hope it will recover. So she sits in the pigs hay as they sleep the sheep eat hay on the other of the field shelter, sometimes with the old mulard male who also may be finding lots of waddling a thing of the past. One of t...

A moment from the week at La Singlarie Tolerating each other we have had no more fights.

Like old men old dogs seem to get a bit grumpy. In Franklin's case his always been a little bit tetchy especially when it comes to touching his feet or if his woken up, turfed off the settee or not allowed on the bed. Milo is the least grumpy, most of the time he bumbles along without a care in the world or a care for anyone else. Tyser, who found us nearly six years ago now is getting to be the grumpiest giving a growl as both dogs pass him (he won't growl at Fizz, who puts a fear in him) this is becoming a bit of a problem as both Milo who is totally blind and Franklin now with cataract's cant see a big old dog in the dark. Franklin is no angel as he maybe winds Tyser up by barking to get him to move out of the way, who knows what goes through a dogs head, but something went through Tysers thats for sure. The problem came to ahead Saturday evening a week ago. Taking Tyser, off lead as he listens to me and Franklin, on a retractable lead (he would run a mile given...

Best seats ready for Dogs: their secret lives  tonight channel 4 8pm. Guess I will be sitting on the floor, oh and no farmer J will not be watching!

Were getting excited, presents are all wrapped and under the tree, dogs only allowed under supervision as tasty treats will be found. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.

What a difference a day can make, the first day of Autumn has been glorious, far different than last week when it was damp and wet for most of it. Enough girolle mushrooms were found while walking in the woods along with a bag of blackberries. Hopefully if the warm weather stays ceps will soon appear. Apples and pears are ripening and a second crop of raspberries were picked today. The week was spent with snippets of days when the rain had stopped cutting docks and seed heads of weeds in one of the hay fields before the seeds fall. It is a job that needed to be done otherwise the hay field next year will be a dock field and no animal eats a dock leaf round here.  Our young sow has gone off for a holiday with Champion, the boar Sandy visited a while back. She is such a gentle pig, hopefully he is being a charming male. Sandy's piglets are filling out now starting to eat cereal. As they get more adventurous they (or Sandy being bored) have pulled away t...