Messages blog

August 21st, 2018

8/21/2018

Returning after 3 weeks away.

Hello Everyone
The entertaining continues down on the farm, both for our two legged visitors and for our new 4 legged arrivals from The Maine Meunier. The cat freaked out and left home for 3 weeks but we fetched her home from our old house and spoiled her a bit with some homemade paté.
Below Paddy and Patricia are just leaving the trailer to accustomise themselves to the new accommodation.....a little larger than their previous residence but a little more noisy. Gavin keeps reminding me that the pigs were in fact my idea, and for once I don't think I can contradict him (don't tell him that though). However we seem to be having a population explosion. Having had about 20 something a few weeks ago we now have 40 something as a couple of our sows have decided to pop at the same time as our new lodgers arrived. I have a feeling this year is going to get extremely busy and I am brushing up on my charcuterie skills. I hope everyone needs a ham for C.......s, or in fact Thanksgiving! ;)

Paddy/Mini bus and Patricia

Emily's BF has flown the yard, quite literally, with KLM. I don't think we scared him off.... but he had to do some serious eating and socialising with us, and our friends and family whilst he was here. A whole pile of new experiences as well with all the animals. Sadly though when we visited our local night market at Le Pizou there was no electric accordion man, so we have saved that for next time.

Now that we have finally got ourselves ready for the eartag police, the boys are plodding their way through the shearing with many helpers on hand to pick up wool and load trailers. Hot, hard work but quite satisfying when you look at the end result. All the lambs have been weaned now and we have just got in some lambs to bottle feed from an organic sheep milk producer. Because as we all know Gavin does get bored during the autumn months, and likes to have a few babies around to keep him up till all hours. ;)
Now as you all know I like to sit around and drink a lot of tea whilst Gavin is running around labouring. So to stop myself becoming fatigued with life, I will be cooking at a night market in Saint Michel Leparon et L'Ecluse this Saturday 25th August. If anyone fancies a bit of light entertainment and somewhere to take guests for a typical Dordognian evening out in the summer, then it is usually good fun and very children friendly.

Babies in the house

Babies on the way

Occassionally we have an opportunity to sit down with the family and relax for a few hours and here we are below doing exactly that. More family arriving in a few days along with some Scicilians from Holland (!?) don't you just love living in Europe.
See you all soon.
Helenx

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Sun, food and friendship

8/2/2018

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The only rainbow in the district

It has been a busy old time down on the farm for the last few weeks. But enjoyably so. We have reconnected with some very dear friends from Zimbabwe, whom we had not seen or spoken to for 20 years. Other than the fact that their children have grown (!), it was as if we had seen each other yesterday. We ate a lot of food, talked a lot of talk and went for a canoe down the river. A marvellous visit.
All the children are home now, with attachments, and mother-in-law has also arrived. The house is full, lively and hungry. Number 3 child keeps running off to other peoples houses I am beginning to wonder if she has become unacustomed to living with the general banter of family life as she is so often an only child these days. Well it is either that, or the fact that I keep insisting that she read a book every now and then which can be quite a challenge.

Gavin has been trying to keep up with some repairs and maintainance now that he has some assistance on the farm. And that was all going smoothly until the tyres we had ordered for the trailer 10 days ago did not turn up which meant a trip to Perigueux to visit the warehouse of said deliverers. Shall they remain nameless.....no not today I don't think....GLS. They gave us the round the houses treatment with the telephone numbers and then stopped picking up altogether in Perigueux. On arrival in Perigueux Gavin was confronted with a very full warehouse, with rows and rows of parcels neatly grouped into post code areas for the Dordogne, and an articulated trailers worth of parcels to unload standing outside with another expected that evening.
After some rather irritating moments he discovered that the probelm is lack of drivers to deliver all the parcels once they have arrived at the central warehouse for the Dordogne. So if anyone has a parcel coming, check who your delivery service is, and if necessary make alternative arrangements.
It does make me wonder why people so often say there is no work in Dordogne. Do people not like driving? After all I would not have called our department a particularly taxing environment for driving....Or are conditions for delivery drivers so appalling that no one wants to do it?.... Or is the "we want it now" generation of purchasers that we have become, begining to finally take its toll on logistics, with its inability to provide the complete service through over demand creating no supply? Who knows.

Recovering after a hard mornings work

The animals are hot and the piggies have found the first green acorns so are very excitedly ploughing up their field in an effort to see if in fact acorns actually grow underground. I think they are going to be disappointed. When Gavin or Patrick go to put the pigs away at night time there is one pig that lies down and pretends to be a tree root. As they do so much wallowing at the moment occassionally it manages it and gets left behind.

It is a busy month in the butchery as well, with everone else enjoying visits with the family or friends or both. And the markets have hotted up, literally ;) It is looking like it will be a scorcher this coming weekend. Never thought I would be wondering what to wear to a market....What is cool, protective, smart yet casual and resistant to be ripped through carrying heavy items with sharp corners? Answers on a postcard please. See you all soon;
Helenx

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July 08th, 2018

7/8/2018

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Hello Everyone
Well we finally made it.... to our yearly day trip to the beach. Which btw was awesome. We were lucky enough to have chosen the 3rd July the day before the big storm and we went over-seas, well..... over-estuary as we took the ferry from Blaye to Lamarque then drove to Hourtin Plage. Actually we didn't even drive as our friend shouldered that burden. Many thanks to her. It was a significant day as it was also our 25th wedding anniversary, something we are famous for forgetting amongst our family. Many thanks to Gavins brother who has spent 25 years reminding us. My lovely sister sent us flowers that were a nod to our bouquet all those years ago when we were young and could to go to pilates out of choice rather than as a body repairs and maintenance session.

Another eventful moment this week was having a bath installed in the house. "To compliment your already installed shower" I hear you ask. Not exactly, more a medical requirement for Gavin as we approach shearing time so that his muscles will work once again after a hard day shearing. Ah yes the joys of farming wear and tear. I must say though that the bath is amazing one forgets how easy it is to do things like care for your feet when you have a bath. I am very much enjoying it. Luxury, at its simplest. As I am sharing a photo of our bathroom I would like you to appreciate the quality of our décor. I have decided I don't care about matching, anything goes chez nous. I would add that the tiling in the bathroom of the house we bought is top notch, not to mention the superior plumbing work to improve the facility. And would you kindly appreciate the health and safety feature above the bath that our plumbing friend told us to remove or else.

Down the road, very noisy irrigation in the peaceful countryside ;)

I am currently enjoying a cold glass of rosé and some salted almonds whilst I write, listening to the sound of the evening. Which in theory should be the gentle sound of birdsong. But no, not at Franklin Farm. The lambs are shouting for supplies for their tummies and Nougat the donkey is announcing the arrival of anything that is passing by. The flies are incessantly buzzing around my ankles and the chickens are clucking about the fact that it is time to potter off to bed. There is some birdsong but it is more like magpies in attack formation than "a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square". Whoever said the countryside is peaceful has evidently never lived in the country.

Planted this lavendar last year. It is fabulous. As is our photogenic feline.

Gavin has been out and about delivering this week as well as me. He went to Villeréal to see some Zimbo clients of ours who funnily enough ordered rather a large quantity of Boerewors. Interestingly there seems to be a French contigent who are rather keen on the Boerewors so I must be doing something right.
I am looking forward to an equally busy week next week. With not only a pile of orders coming in but also the arrival of our big children who on pain of bacon withholding, had better not forget the stroopwaffles. It is an easy task to keep Mum happy. :)
See you all very soon, I will leave you with some pictures of piggies doing what piggies do best in the heat when your husband forgot to turn the tap off but swears it was the goats. I think I should let him out more.
Helen xx

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Something for you L.C. ;)

6/9/2018

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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