Hello All
12 hundred sausages, 11 kilos of bacon, 10 trays of sausagemeat, 9 knives sharpened, 8 lamb legs ordered, 7 sleep disturbed nights, 6 o'clock in the morning, 5..... markets visited, 4 large half pigs, 3 meals missed, 2 evenings out and one very tired Franklin Fa...mi...ly .
Well what a busy busy month it has been and I suspect that this picture is a fair representation of me on Sunday. I hope you are all having a good run up to the big day. I am looking forward to not cooking for Christmas and enjoying my take away curry instead. 
I will be doing something a little different for the next month not that doing the accounts will be very exciting, but it certainly will be different.
This will be the last blog of 2014 so we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful and enjoyable New Year. A big thank you to you all for your continued support for our little business it is heartwarming to know that so many people take the time to read about our family antics. 2015 will be a 
milestone for us in France as it marks 10 years of us running a business here.
I hope you will all be around to share it with us. Hmmm I may have to do something eventful.....watch this space.
Warmest regards and see you all soon
Helenxx

Hello All
I made 1300 sausages on Wednesday, give or take the odd one or two. Which is about the same amount as I made the previous week, so I hope there is as good a turnout at the Duras Christmas market, as there was at Manoir de Longeveau, or else I know what we will be eating during January and possibly most of February and March. I have decided that my Pilates classes should be on the books for the business probably as repairs and maintenance deductable against the depreciation of the wear and tear on my body over the next few.
Hmm do you think the accountant will go for that?

Here are some pics of Skipety from this week being annoying and not wanting to stand still for photos and then realising that there were no snacks on offer,disappearing off to contentedly munch on some grass instead. He doesn't seem to suffer from too much wear and tear. It is the life being a ram.

Hello All
Well with the arrival of the advent calendar it is now countdown time and the question is, "Who has finished their Christmas shopping and who has not even started?" Once again this year I fit into the faintly smug first group. My excuse for being hideously organised once again is lack of time to do anything other than prepare and deliver meat products during the first three weeks of December. Now let me be quite clear that in the past I have been known to arrive in Leclerc car park, Bergerac on 23rd December, park in the very centre of the car park and then spend the afternoon running in and out of shop like a whirling dervish getting everything done in 5 hours. To be honest up until the opening of Franklin Farm Butchery that was the norm. So, to you organised souls who have finished well done and enjoy the run up to Christmas, for the less prepared good luck fighting with the masses in "Beauty Success" and "Maxi Toys".
As most of you are more familiar with seeing me at the market looking (hopefully) clean and tidy I thought I would share with you some of my more glamorous poses from recent days doing my other job

We have just acquired a little more grazing for our hungry girls and as is usually the case we have to spend the first year or so battling with the brambles and fences always fun on a chilly/rainy day. The up side is that the day could end with eating the ham depicted in photo 3. Although as my children would be fairly quick to point out the best joints and cuts are usually sold and we spend a lot of time eating the slightly less posh, but equally delicious bits. Sorry about the photo the flash didn't work quite as expected and the yellow effect is actually over lit mustard.

Ok enough cookery lessons I am sure most of you readers know how to cook lamb anyway. I am off to prepare some festive treats for the weekend Christmas Fair at Manoir de Longeveau Sunday 7th December 10am till 5pm.
See you there
Helen