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Something for you L.C. ;)

6/9/2018

Having a bit of liquid refreshment

Well here we are again. It is a Saturday afternoon and the completion of another week down on the farm. Another 500ish sausages made and sold and a considerable amount of bacon of all types. Feedback on the new recipe bacon and sausages is good, so more rosemary and ginger or marjoram and black pepper sausages on the way.
The dogs are getting into the swing of the warmer weather we are having, and are sleeping a lot during the afternoon. I think they heard rumours that the workload was decreasing with the beginning of spring. How ill-informed they were as we had a surprise control from the vet department the other day to inform us that our eartags are not up to scratch.
Now as anyone who has a flock of sheep knows eartags for sheep are a disposable item. Let the farmer put them in, then go and find the nearest fence, bramble bush, pole, hay bale or blade of grass to get rid of the thing as fast as possible. Anyhow rules are rules and we must endeavour to keep one or two tags depending on the destination of said sheep in their ears at all times. Of course ours are outside most of the time so any sheep handling is a family event requiring muscle, patience and a deaf ear when Gavin is working the dogs. In my humble opinion whistling for sheepgdogs was invented by people who did not wish to have the childrens ears permanently damaged by profanity. Fortunately our delightful dogs don't hear the words just the intonation and thus can deduce that "no the sheep were not meant to be going to eat the neighbours prize roses"

This is Biggy, Alices favourite ram

So the other Sunday was spent rounding up, bringing in and writing a list of some 550 sheep so that the missing tags could be ordered and also whether they were microchip tags or ordinary. Gavins system was highly developed and on arrival he said "you write, we will catch and mark and I will shout E for microchip and P for ordinary". After a little confusion, as P and E sound much the same when shouted across a handling pen with sheep baaing and heads buried in sheep wool we developed the system to "electric" and "plain". Oh the glamorous life we lead.

Sheep sorting Franklin Farm style. After this we bought a sorting gate at 230 euros and asked a plumber to put a bath in the house for us!

We have a group of 3 kittens that have just been born in our barn, so once again we will have another massive vet bill to sterilise the little fluff balls so they do not become a nuisance. I do believe this is the only drawback to moving house in the countryside in France, having to be a cat controller at every new destination.

It's Sunday and have just finished a spot of painting in our new to be kitchen/dining room. It is remarkably satisfying work to knock down walls and discover wonderful, more usable areas in your home. With the amount of people visiting us during the summer months I will be very happy to have a room where I can finally house my Grandmothers 8 seater table. And finish putting up a kitchen we bought some years ago. I am afraid my husbands desire to buy and store stuff is finally paying off with the only expenditure at the moment being our own time and effort to get everything done... Believe me I never thought I would ever say that! And it was probably a mistake putting the fact in print, I will never hear the end of it now.

So a few days have passed since I started this blog, 10 to be precise and the table is finally in the room we have been organising. Sadly though the dog who could best translate Gavin's profanity is no longer with us. He disappeared to doggie pastures in the sky yesterday and as usual left a huge whole. Ben and I did a lot of sheep work together in the early days some 12 or 13 years ago when Gavin used to go backwards and forwards to Zimbabwe and I stayed in France to be a sheep farmer and look after the kids.
He was a bit of a loon as a youngster too eager to help, which didn't always end well. Usually half the flock were at your feet and the rest were high tailing it for the horizon. Later on he turned into a very steady worker. On one of Gavins away days James, our neighbour was lending a hand to put some sheep away which meant he had to stay with the dog and the sheep, whilst I drove to the other side of the property to turn off the electric fence. On my return James said, "Thank goodness for Ben! The sheep started moving around so I looked at him and said, quick do something! And he just did."
Happy times. Ben missed by all the family and the other dogs, though probably not by the sheep.
Helen

Ben, Skanky and Alice. 2005...ish.

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bacon

5/26/2018

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Slightly sick sense of humour providing the title picture for this blog

Hello Everyone
Let's talk about food, specifically bacon.
Having been dragged over the coals a number of weeks ago about nitrate and nitrite usage in bacon and processed meat production, I have done an enormous amount of reading, and I am sure that there is still more to do.
To get one problem out of the way first saltpeter is, as I already knew, potassium nitrate. However other nitrogen based compounds including sodium nitrate are also called saltpeter which I did not know. The latter is sometimes referred to as Chilean saltpeter and you will never guess.....was discovered in bat caves in Chile.
Did you know... that potassium nitrate is formed by bacterial action in the decomposition of waste product notably from bat poop, but any demposing organic waste will do it. These decomposed materials were then rained on and the substances produced in that reaction that were now in liquid format. This was then evaporated by the sun forming a powder on the ground which could then be collected, cleaned and dried for further use. Most of the production happened in more arid climates and this powder, saltpeter, became a very tradeable commodity. It started to be produced on an industrial scale in the 1600's. Prior to this it had been used by the Eygyptians and Romans and probably many others as a kind of soap.
So how did they discover that it could be used to preserve meat? Well, decomposing waste happens everywhere in the world, and all sorts of things get thrown into compost heaps, I like to think that one day someone threw a piece of meat onto a compost heap, way back when in history, and it landed in the white powder. And then a few days later someone wandered outside and realised that this piece of meat that had been thrown away had not gone off, so ate it and didn't die and hence they realised that they could use this white powder to keep meat for longer. How did they know that the meat was not off I hear you ask? Well one of the properties of potassium nitrate is that it keeps meat looking pink so that combined with the fact that it did not smell bad, probably tempted them to eat it. After all supermarkets and wealth for many was not "au norme" for the standard of living in medieval times.
More interestingly, and probably the reason why you can no longer buy saltpeter in a shop but can only buy it as a pre prepared curing salt mix, is that it can be used as a gunpowder. Which was discovered by accident by the Chinese apparently during the 9th century.

Happy Families

Anyhow moving swiftly along or we may be here all night.....

As with most magical things that seem to perform a fantastic function for humankind, demand for the saltpeters of the world increased dramatically until some clever old sausage, Joseph Leconte (living in the states but with a name like that historically French) wrote a paper in 1862 on how to manufacture saltpeter. And then a German called Dr Polenske wrote in 1891 about the uses and functions of food preservation and the properties of all these different salts. I cannot guarantee these are the most important people in the development of the product as many Syrians, Egyptians, Chileans, Chinese and Romans came before them but as far as modern development is concerned they are the main men.

Nature turning natural nitrates into beautiful roses

Now nitrate salts convert to nitrite salts when they lose one atom of oxygen this happens in the gut by bacteria like e.coli which are present naturally and healthily in your saliva. You cannot stop this process in your body it is normal. So sometimes on labels you will see sodium nitrite rather than sodium nitrate because it makes no difference which one you use, as soon as it enters your mouth it will become a nitrite and that is the same whether it is originally a nitrate in a piece of spinach or a piece of bacon. Both substances nitrates and nitrites exist in nature. All foods that gow in the soil or animals that eat food that is grown in the soil contain nitrate. It is part of the soil and the planets ecosystem.

Lazy womans slow cooking. Forget all the browning and just chuck it in.

Ok so that is the easy bit. When nitrites and amines (found in the body as well) combine they create nitrosamines. So if you eat things that have a lot of nitrate/nitrite then your body is likely to make more nitrosamines. Vegetables containing high nitrates also make nitrosamines but they also contain antioxidants and vitamin c to prevent the absorption of nitrosamine by the body which will mostly leave your body in your wee.
Nitrosamines can also be formed during cooking. Cooking at lower temperatures reduces the production of nitrosamines in food. In fact one study I read suggested microwaving as being the best option for reducing nitrosamine production in bacon.
So maybe there is a reason to eat salad with your burgers. Potentially if you have a healthy balanced diet anyway eating your five a day or more of fruit and veg, and do not fall into a high risk category for cancer related diseases then probably a bit of procesed meat, and interestingly beer and some cheeses and milk powder are not going to affect you to any significant degree. All these other foodstuffs are also high in nitrates.

Farmers have Land Rovers to provide shade for their dogs!

The choice is yours people I have tried to extreme nutshell what I have read to prevent you all falling aleep with the tedium of ploughing through chemical proceses and bodily functions. I hope that I have provided some of the salient points to enable you to make a better informed decision. I am not a Doctor or a trained scientist or a dietary specialist. I am an advocat of being active, eating the best that you can eat, having a well balancd diet and consuming everything in moderation.......well.....accept maybe chocolate and stroop waffles and champagne and....... ;)
I have started to make a vastly reduced nitrite bacon it works out at less than a quarter of the nitrite of the original cure. Initial feedback is variable. I am going to try to design one with only salt but that will take some time and will bring me into contact with botulism prevention which is a whole other blog I think.
My apologies to any chemists, historians and biologists reading this who see massive glaring errors in my incredibly abbreviated topic but in my defence it took me 3 tries to get my 'o' level chemistry and I am only a farmers wife who chops up meat ;)
Happy informed eating everyone
Helenxx

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A little positivity

5/1/2018

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I love photographing this cat

In another part of my life I go to a book club and the other week we were lucky enough to meet the author of the book we had read, "12 Random Words" by Fabiana Elisa Martinez, and she was asked by another bookclub member whether she ever had writers block. Her answer was that the act of writing involved putting your bottom on a chair and putting something on paper or on a screen. I think we can deduce that she is not a great believer in writers block. So after a month of procrastination I decided it was time to take Fabiana's advice.....
Much has happened since my last rant as we have had family over from Zimbabwe which was refreshing, as despite all they put up with politically and economically, they don't moan and complain. They just get on with what they are presented with and take each day for what it is...another day. They whisked Number 3 off to Paris for a week on her return from Rome (!) and had an interesting time learning how to navigate the public transport systems in the capital. As well as zooming up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, floating down The Seine, careering around Disneyland, taking the tourist bus trip through the streets and pottering around the aquarium, amongst other things I am sure. Number 3 certainly had a holiday to remember.

Patrick arrived home a week ago and Emily appears at the end of the week. When I looked out of the window a month ago it was probably raining and there were no leaves on the trees. Now the leaves are out on all the trees and the sun is shining, though today the wind is a little cool. We have just spent a very pleasant lunch with my belle-mére catching up on what she is doing with her exhibitions and book illustrating and shaking our heads at the state of worldwide politics. But no I will not bore you all with that nonsense in this blog....

We are nearing the end of our last lambing of the year. Thank goodness. And are enjoying the rhythm of fresh grass and animals outside eating it. The sheep are to be found sunbathing during the day with the same relief that we are all feeling at having warmer weather in our clutches. The pigs have decided to have some babies so we have 12 little ones oinking and snuffling around the place. Interestingly the mummy pigs like to live in a big group with a big group of babies. They call the little ones to feed and we now have no idea whether each mama pig is feeding their own babies or anybodies babies, but they are all growing, everyone is happy, so who cares.

Entering into the month of May, I find myself already planning the entire spring and summer in front of me. Filled with markets and family visits, birthdays and anniversaries. Somewhere in between everything we must do a few house modifications this year. Knock down some walls and have a bigger dinning room. I feel several trips to the decheterie (tip) coming up. It is time to cleanse my cupboards of objects that cramp my life and breathe some space and freshness into my spirit. Installing windows in the Tobacco barn will be close to the top of the list to make enough space for extra bodies due to visit this year and maybe an extension to the butchery to create a better working environment for me and maybe diversify a little....We have our thinking caps on at Chez Franklin.
It is time for a few changes. Change prevents stagnation and is good for the soul. After 7 years of just farming and scraping by and 7 years of farming, butchery and markets, I am thinking that the "seven year itch" thing might be applicable to business structure and planning.
See you all soon
Helen :)

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Everyone loves a scapegoat

3/28/2018

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Hello, long time, no see

I had hoped that this week I might be able to mention the beautiful spring, but alas, it is still raining and I feel like we are living in South Wales. So sadly you may be due for a bit of a moan.
It is true I have been neglecting this site for many reasons. One of which is a collision with copyright law, which is an ongoing issue about which I probably should not say too much until it is resolved. But be aware it can happen to anyone when you least expect it, as it is far easier to make money out of the little people who cannot afford the lawyers than it is to go up against the big guys who can afford to go into battle. More on that subject another time.
Another reason was seriously falling out with the internet and the media in what appears to be its attempts to divide and conquer, rather than unite and lift-up. I am thoroughly irritated with the negative vibes in the media towards farming which seems to be based on information derived from sources who are probably as far removed from farming and nature as chalk and cheese. But even that is not a good example as both chalk and cheese are derived from nature. Anyhow suffice it to say that the "shiny bums" who go on and on about what you should eat or not eat, wear or not wear, start using or stop using. How many hours you should sleep or not sleep, what kind of house you should live in or not live in, how much time you should spend on social media or not spend......are really appealing to the angry side of my nature. Not a place where I like to spend too much time, especially when the weather is rubbish.

Large powerful lobby groups and international forums have a lot of sway with the media. The media like to sell headlines and social networking likes to get hits and advertising contracts. They also like to spend a lot of time globetrotting and conferencing and contributing themselves in a large way to things that they tell everyone else they shouldn't be doing, like pollution. The person whom they affect with their big media stories goes completely by the wayside, unnoticed, insignificant like a blot on the landscape.
What do we get from the media and these large organisations? Truth? Dishonesty?, Reality? Fiction? Look at the world you are living in and decide. What do we get from the blot on the landscape? Sustenance on a nutritional, environmental and emotional level. Or not?

I can only speak from my own experience in the field I am familiar with and have studied in and worked in for the last 30 years. To the best of my knowledge I have never met real farmers who want to damage the land that provides their income, or harm their livestock that provide their income. I have never met a farmer who wants to injure or impose ill health on the people who buy their products who provide their income. I have however, met farmers who are financially struggling and find it difficult to change their systems to a improve their environment. Many of these farmers have problems with prices from the buyers not covering the costs of production.
So who controls the prices? My own view on this is that it is the general public, myself include with this incessant search for cheap everything. Until we re-evaluate what is important in our lives and start to pay out the amount of money that something is actually worth, I don't believe the pricing problem for the producer is ever going to change, and power will continue to remain in the hands of the few already wealthy suppliers. Do we want that? Are we now incapable of free thought?

The revolution on plastic waste was an excellent example of how consumer pressure can force an issue. Pricing needs to be looked at with another part of your psyche requiring a willingness to accept that you need to pay more money for food to allow systems to change, but also ensuring that more of the money that you pay out actually lands in the hands of the producer who is in a position to change the system, not the global middmeman.
So, when you return from your holidays and sit down on your brand new sofa in front of your big screen telly, with your premium brand cellphone in your hand, sipping your café latte with extra cinnamon that you made with that posh new coffee machine you bought, whilst you rub your hands together over that pound you saved from going to the convenience store to buy your groceries. Spare a thought for that bloke or chick up the road who trudges through the mud EVERY day to feed the sheep/goats/pigs/cows or to till the soil for those sustainably grown vegetables and remember what it is that they provide for your convenience, and ask yourself why it is that farmers worldwide have some of the highest rates of suicide every year.

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Fun in the sun

2/18/2018

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Hello Folks
Well it is another mostly wet with added interest of snow/ice/sleet week at House of Franklin. The sheep are starting to go mouldy and I have to admit my sense of humour is a little fusty as once again I have to hang the washing up inside the house. And as every experienced laundry processor knows is time consuming, more likely to crease and never smells as nice and fresh. Luckily at the market yesterday there was a very brisk breeze that successfully dried out my sad brolly that shelters me from the elements, and also nearly sent the stand flying. However pack up was completed successfully before the next rain cloud hit. And we were serenaded at the market throughout the morning by the cranes flying overhead. I did try and explain that they were supposed to tow the sun back with them but they were too busy arguing over directions to pay any attention to me.

Above is a photo of a typical winter bustling early morning at Riberac market on a Friday. Did you know that I have to set my alarm 10 minutes earlier in the winter to allow myself enough time to get dressed and not be late for the market. We are still lambing in dribs and drabs and probably will be doing exactly that until mid May I imagine. Dyson dog has been to the vet this week to have his extra curricular activities ;) removed. Poor old thing had to have a very uncomfortable operation as one of his appendages was retained up by his spleen. His answer to this eventful day was to get home, duck round the corner whilst he was supposed to be relieving himself in the trees, jump over a fence with his plastic collar on and a 10cm cut recently stitched back together, and try to make mischief with the neighbours lady dog.....Honestly can you believe it!....yes probably.

The area outside the house which used to be green and beautiful is now a sad muddy brown patch after months of crazy dogs running up and down in the rain pretending to chase the donkey. I am beginning to think that Nougat, the donkey, brays to make the dogs run up and down for his own amusement. We will have to invest a few hours of time and money at the local gravel pit to try and disguise the yard in front of the house and make it a beautiful thing to look at again in preparation for my chilled evenings staring at the sunset that I have planned for the supring/summer section of the year. So much to do and so little...enthusiasm... today.

Ok so todays blog is a little too full of heavy sarcasm and misery so I will give you some sunny pics which were I think from either last Saturday afternoon or the previous Thursday. The former I got a little sunburnt so unused to the bightness is my skin. And the latter I was unable to witness as typically on a Thursday I am found buried under piles of bags, labels, sausages, burgers and knives (amongst other things) deep in the inner sanctum, hard at work for the weekend. I am only released after dark having been fed and tea-ed in copious quantities.
I will see if I can write an equally moany blog when it is 40 degrees outside just to keep things even.;)
Happy thoughts from me to you Helenx

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checking the skies

1/21/2018

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Hello there Everyone.
Wow what an entry into the New Year it has been. I sent a video to a friend, who lives in South Wales on the 1st January of the world outside my kitchen window and she sent back saying, "Welcome back to Wales"..... hmmm.....!!! I have decided that if I was super human, the ability to see the future weather conditions would be my super power. It would make planning the farming year epically simple.
Gavin decided during the summer last year that we needed to do a double lambing this year and as January is such a delightfully warm and dry month the lambs would have a good start before the bad weather hit during February and March..... Well that all went according to plan didn't it. We are on track for the 3rd wettest December/January since records began in 1900. Yes I know the top picture has a blue sky and there were a few beautifully sunny days. It would not be in my nature to moan all the time. Yes we did need the rain after a very dry year. Maybe we will have luxuriously green pastures in early Spring as a bonus.

The 20 or so mothers who were suppposed to have babies has turned into 50 or so and we are still not entirely finished yet as "W" arrived this morning abandoned by Mama sheep in the field, though these days at least they are not all in the kitchen and there is an organised area in the next door barn with a red light. The relief of not having to clean up sticky lamb poop 3 times a day is enormous. Every nook and cranny in the spaces in the barns are taken up with mums and babies. The pigs and the goats are happily living together in the plastic tunnel escaping from the elements. And Gavin is madly rotating the other livestock around their respective areas hoping for the occassional ray of sunshine to keep everyones spirits up. even the chickens are moving under the red light with the lambs.

It has been a very loud food orientated Dec/January and Patrick returned to The Netherlands 3 weeks ago and I would say he has been working hard, but his course went on a field trip to Poland for a week. The Polish are incredicly socialable and welcoming and I believe some rather sore heads were acquired by all during their thoroughly enjoyable week. Emily is still at home until the end of the week and then she will be back to Uni and the party scene again. As usual all 3 children have helped out with the daily chores and have been out with the lambs and sheep in all weathers which is always much appreciated by us.

The painting is finally complete in the butchery though it has taken rather longer than anticipated. The weather has not been conducive to drying cleaned paintwork, degreased floors or even paint once applied. Goodness knows what the electricity bill holds for us next month once 2 heaters running 24 hours a day for 2 weeks is calculated. However patience, patience all the euipment will be reinstalled this week to be fully up and running by the end of this week (Friday 2nd February) ready for the markets.
Apparently Gavin would like a modification in his life if this sticker that he acquired is anything to go by!.....

.....but sadly not to be Gavin, only at the market where some new tax laws for farmers dictate that we have to have an official cash register for the business. Sadly this has also meant a few days with the accountant, and more still to come to learn how to use the new software and and book-keeping system. A few other farmers are suffering with me, as we get to grips with it. Not my favourite passtime. I am coming to realise that little and often with the accounts is the way forward this year, which will mean having to organise systems and a proper office area so things don't get lost. Oh my (!) it may be a long year, I can honestly say that anything interests me more than office work....including watching paint dry and even ironing and lots of people know how much I enjoy ironing ;) So much so I am not even sure where the iron is or if we still have one!
We will see you all soon. Keep smiling! As a very small group of cranes passed over our rooftop a few days ago and yes they were flying north.
Helenx

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Bye bye 2017...hello 2018

12/31/2017

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Hello Everyone
Gosh it has been a while since I have written so here are some animal pictures to make you smile taken today in a little bit of sunshine before the wind arrived.
We have completed an extremely busy Christmas period, probably the most busy since we started our little butchery business 5 years ago. I think I managed to get all my orders right after trying a new organisational technique which seemed to work for my brain. I even managed to keep up the energy levels until the 28th as the 2 big children arrived home on Saturday 23rd and it was imperative to listen and say as much as possible for the next few days. 5 months is a lot of time to cover in a few days. On Wednesday I think I slept on and off for most of the day. It was great!

Hillariously we ran out of sausages before the kids returned and so I made more sausages on Thursday with the help of my able assistant, who then looked at my face at the packing stage and swiftly dismissed me from the room. They have already made plans about how much space they have in the freezers at their residences and how many packs of everything they can take back to The Netherlands.

So after a rather intense year dashing around, and learning to run the business with even fewer helping hands than in previous years I would like to think that I have learnt how to organise my time a little better. We have alot to celebrate within our family during 2018 and I hope to spend as much time as possible with friends and family achieving this goal. We have been in our new house for a year now and have fully appreciated the delights of being warm during the winter and have even managed a few renovations. Patricks room is nearly complete and the barn has been fitted with some pens suitable for lamb rearing which will sneak up on us sooner than we think.

The whole family seems to be fit, well and happy with their chosen paths at this current time which is always reassuring. We have managed to eat like kings and be entertained in style this Christmas. I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to live where we do surrounded by as much delicious produce as we are with the ability to know pretty much where all of it comes from. So this last week I was able to rediscover my love for cooking when you have time, enthusiam and fantastic ingredients at hand. I tried some new recipes for a change and all of them were successful. I will definitely repeat the slow roasted lamb shoulder with spinach and cauliflower crumble, and the toad in the hole with sautéd finely sliced brussel sprouts with peas and garlic. All of it was sooo delicious that we ate it all and then said oops we forgot to take a photo. I will try and remember to photograph the ham that I intend to cook next week.

We even found some time to pop to Bordeaux and have a bit of culture with Don Quixote at the Ballet. Very amusing and well staged.
Have a very joyful New Year and I look forward to seeing you all in 2018.
Helen xx

6 Comments

November 28th, 2017

11/28/2017

2 Comments

Hello Everyone
Well just to keep you up to date because of course all of you will be oblivious to the fact that we only have 26 days until Christmas;) I am sure you are all super organised and have been out and purchased everything online or at the shops ;) And have thought ahead and have already started to stock the freezer with delicious food products. Yeah right...I am sure most of you have buried your heads in the sand hoping that it might go away without you noticing...and then panic purchase on the 23rd and 24th December when you realise that you cannot ignore the inevitable and you wil be expected to pitch up and look happy with arm loads of gifts and food.
I admit I used to tend slightly towards Scroogism until the eleventh hour and then panic, however with our current profession I am pushed into starting to think about it in September, act on it by October and then get most of my shopping done in Novemeber. In fact this has turned out to be quite a stress free way of approaching Christmas. And has given me time to enjoy the anticipation of the day when I can down knives and butchers block and sit with the family. Well actually it is more like sleep for about 24 hours and then appreciate the family. If you practice the following then it might help pass the time on the big day by sending your own family to sleep in any stressful situations.

So we have also had to do a little practice cooking to better inform everyone about timings of roasted joints and crackling. This week it will be the turn of the rolled lamb joints last week it was pork roast and the new shoulder bacon I have started to make as the demand for bacon seems to be limitless. So the new shoulder bacon is delicious half way between back and streaky allowing it to be crispy, moist and meaty all at the same time. Yummy.
This is definitely one of the more difficult parts of the job...:)

It will be a busy week for us this week as The Christmas Market at Manoir de Longeveau is on Sunday 3rd December. So its sausages and bacon galore for the week ahead. I am trying to shake of the last remnants of a nasty cold shared with me by our youngest so that I can cope with the chilliness in the butchery and outside on in the market squares. It looks like we will have to wrap up warmly for the next few days it's going to be a frosty weekend.
See you all soon
Helen

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happy animals

11/5/2017

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Ben waiting to round up the sheep

Hello Everyone
Well apparently time has flown by, I have not noticed and have been extraordinarily neglectful of my blog posts. Quite a lot has happened in the last 5 weeks including the arrival of our shiny new vacuum packer, which I am still learning how to use. Also the return of our old, now fully functioning machine which has undergone a complete transformation during its holiday and is working with even greater enthusiasm. What a joy to have 2 excellent quality pieces of equipment to pack with, they will certainly be saving us some time in the future.

At home we are great advocates of the kids lending a hand when required, preferably with joy in their hearts and a spring in their step. Interestingly Patrick was always dead keen to go farming and avoid his homework, Emily more keen to do her homework until the butchery arrived then it could go either way depending on the subject for her homework. Alice falls somewhere in between the two big ones for both enthusiasm and for which department. Until the quad arrived firewood collection was always bottom of the list for any of them. Gavin would rather do everything on his own than have to go out with long faced children, but I tend to favour my Dads method. "Get them outside anyway, they probably need the exercise and they will usually enjoy it once they are out", if not, complain at your own peril. To make Alices trips outside a little more interesting I sometimes arm her with a camera and see what she comes back with so some of the photos are her efforts from the holidays. Obviously not the one above of her and "Pudding" who is a single female piglet from a Gacoigne pig called "Gasket". She is extrememly tame, and will be another one of our animals that ends up never leaving. I do wonder how we ever run a business with all these favourite animals hanging around. If I recall correctly our oldest sheep which was one of our first, is 13 and not looking like she is about to check out.

Below are some photos of the characters who accompany me to the butchery. It is a wise chicken that knows where some interesting scraps might come from. Brown Chicken 1 and 2 and Mimi and Bluey my sphinxes on the chairs. I can honestly say that I am never Home Alone.

We recently put some of our bottle reared lambs outside to enjoy the last of the autumn sunshine. These ones have the luxury of a shed if they are cold and wet later in the year. Abbey is in the background to check they are going in the right direction. The lambs are an obssesion for her. If we are not watching she likes to try and bite them through the fence.
The rams have gone to do some work down the hill with the main flock this week. Gavin says they have already been quite busy. ;)

Our Tobacco barn has had a much needed coat or three of linseed oil this year and is looking quite glamorous again. I will take a photo for next time to show it in all its splendour. I have even squeezed in a shopping trip with Alice in Bordeaux looking for new clothes. Attended my first French wedding ceremony where I met more lovely Canadians, caught up with some gossip with people I have not seen for far too long and only live down the road. Oh yes I have also finally sat my French exam to enable me to ask if the lovely French will take me to be my lawfully wedded country to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. Which probably means I will have to do some blogging in French which should provide a serious amount of hilarity for my french friends, not due to the top notch quality writing I hasten to add.

See you all very soon,
Helen
Btw 49 days to go ;) ;)
Btw again, I just googled images for Gascoigne pig to check my spelling...am I the only one who doesn't know there is a Father Gascoigne in a game called Bloodbourne. Google my road to further education! Or destruction???

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You don't know what you've got till it's gone

9/30/2017

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Hello All
It is not until something goes wrong that you realise how important certain things are to the full and effective functioning of a small business and how stresful your life can become without them. Whilst there are some things that you can probably make a plan with, or you can bodge with a cheap purchase to get through a couple of days of a trying situation. Some items are apparently indispensable, and my advice is that if you have one of these things then a spare is probably essential. Not a spare however that is quite old and unreliable, and that you only take out of the cupboard when you are desparate for an extra machine during a rush period, which is what we had been relying on, but one that is nearly new and can actually do the whole job if required. Now I hasten to add at this point that if ever you do a business analysis and discover that your indispensable piece of equipment is your partner, by which I mean the person you share your life with, I am not advocating that you immediately go out and get a replacement. I guarante that this would not help you to create a stress reduced environment in which to work.

So next week I very much hope to be the recipient of a shiny brand new vacuum packing machine, or a repaired fully functioning vacuum packing machine, or better still both. If not I may disintegrate into a mass of chocolate munching, romcom watching, large cardigan wearing, over emotional blob resembling a human.

In other news we have had two baby lambs not miracle births but certainly surprises and we have rather a large group of bottle fed babies that we have acquired en route to swell the numbers, because Gavin didn't think we had enough animals. So even though I have not been at the market, which I have missed terribly, (no gossip, you see) I have have not been sat idly by twiddling my thumbs.
During my quieter moments I managed to empty some more boxes from our house moving at the beginning of the year and have even persuaded Gavin that a trip to the tip might be a good idea. He started to sweat and come out in hives at the thought of throwing things away, but I was quite surprised at how he got into the swing of it after a while and managed to do it with a spring in his step and joy in his heart ;) Only another 50 boxes to go and several rooms and we should be there.... ;) Oh my how can it be possible to accumulate so much rubbish in 13 years.
Note to self become a minimalist. I wonder if that is even possible when you are a farmer?????
See you all soon
Helenx

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Helen Franklin